Mannerheim line

noun

1. a zone of Finnish fortification erected along part of the border between Finland and Russia before the Finno-Russian War.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mannerheim line¹

Named after Baron von Mannerheim

Example Sentences

He compared it to the Mannerheim Line, which Finland erected along its border with the Soviet Union in the 1920s as a bulwark against the Communists who came to power in the Bolshevik Revolution.

From Washington Post

When military foresight required that the Mannerheim Line be taken, the Russian press reported at length on a "glorious Finnish revolution," wholly mythical, against the "White Guard bandits," i.e., the Finnish government.

From Time Magazine Archive

At the same time the Soviet Army tried to storm the Mannerheim Line by a direct frontal attack.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was only after the two had taken a direct hand in the Finnish war that the Mannerheim Line was broken.

From Time Magazine Archive

To penetrate three layers of the Mannerheim Line, Artillery Specialist Govorov used the Russian generals' favorite weapon: a series of withering artillery barrages.

From Time Magazine Archive