Finnish Äyräpää church was completed in 1934 at the Äyräpää ridge - near Vuoksi River and the field openings.
Vuoksi is a wide, flowing river from Lake Ladoga through the Karelian Isthmus, it ends at the Gulf of Finland. At Äyräpää the river is at its narrowest point and Vuosalmi field openings are on the other side of the river. Whoever controls the Äyräpää ridge also dominates the Vuosalmi field openings behind the river. During the WWII these church- and parish owned lands twice were fierce-fought battlegrounds between Finland and the Soviet Union. In 1940 and again in 1944 Finland brought the Soviet offensive into a stalemate at Äyräpää-Vuosalmi. Finnish defensive victories at Äyräpää have perhaps more importance as an symbolic value of a nation than any other Finnish event in the WWII, even compared with Tali-Ihantala. The Moscow Peace Treaty in 1940 forced Finland to cede territories for the Soviet Union. The Paris Peace Treaty of 1947 ratified the Soviet demands. Äyräpää is Russian soil nowadays.
In 1941 the Finns reconquered the lost territories. Äyräpää church was already badly damaged.
In the Winter War the Finnish defense was broken at the central Karelian Isthmus. The Finnish Infantry Regiment 23 was rallied and had to cancel its rest after fighting at River Taipale. The Ostrobothnian regiment still was joking on its route during the motorized transfer to Äyräpää - They are hurrying us...perhaps to the bad man's place...the tickets were cheap, just hoping it didn't include our very lives. The men were very unpleased while arriving at Äyräpää and the unprepared trenches, no foxholes at all. However, three weeks the regiment held the line against the overwhelming odds, the center held at the Karelian Isthmus until Finland sued for peace in March 1940.
What's left of the church.
In the Continuation War Finland reconquered the lost territories. A foundation was established in memory for the Winter War fallen and the church ruins at Äyräpää-Vuosalmi. However, this was interrupted in 1944.
After failing to achieve a breakthrough at Tali-Ihantala in late June and early July 1944 the Soviet Union tried to break the Finnish defense at Äyräpää-Vuosalmi. This battle is the second largest in the Nordic history - over 100 000 of men participating. The battle raged nearly two weeks. Having intolerably casualties and no breakthrough, Leonid Govorov highly criticized the Soviet side, 23rd Army, 98th Corps and 115th Corps. After Äyräpää the Soviet attack was put in a halt.
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