95-Year-Old Recounts 100km Walk Fleeing War with Cows

A poignant story from the Continuation War era is being brought to light through Yle's new podcast, "Lehmitytöt 1944" (Cow Girls 1944). The podcast features interviews with women who, as teenagers, bore significant responsibilities during the summer of 1944, a time when Finland was deeply embroiled in conflict.

One such individual is 95-year-old Eila Salonen. Her harrowing experience of relocating her family's cattle from Säkkijärvi to Southwestern Finland is a testament to the resilience and burden carried by young Finns. Salonen describes walking nearly 100 kilometers with the cows, a journey undertaken with the desperate hope that prayer might offer protection. This narrative underscores the immense, and often overlooked, role that teenage girls played in supporting the war effort and maintaining essential aspects of civilian life.

Salonen's account, shared for the first time widely, highlights the emotional and physical toll of war on civilians, particularly the young. The podcast aims to give voice to these experiences, ensuring that the sacrifices and contributions of these "cow girls" are not forgotten by subsequent generations. It serves as a powerful reminder of the human dimension of war, beyond the battlefield statistics.

From a Finnish perspective, stories like Eila Salonen's are deeply resonant. They speak to a national history marked by resilience in the face of adversity, particularly during wartime. The focus on the often-unseen contributions of women and girls provides a crucial, more complete picture of Finland's past. While international coverage of WWII often centers on military campaigns, Finnish narratives frequently emphasize the civilian experience and the collective effort required for survival. This podcast offers a valuable window into that vital, yet often understated, aspect of Finnish history, honoring the courage of those who managed the home front under extraordinary circumstances.

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I thought that if God would then still hear, if I would shout really loud. And I did.