FINNISH ARMY 1918 - 1945: FORMATIONS (TO&E), PART 1

FORMATIONS (TO&E), PART 1

Finnish Civil War 1918
WHITE ARMY (Valkoinen Armeija):
Suojeluskunta Rifle Company (Whites), 1918:
(This is what was ordered, reality varied a lot, in practice company strengths
could be anywhere between 75 and 216 men).
Local HQ (5 - 10 men)
3 Rifle Platoons
5 Rifle Squads in each Rifle Platoon
In each Rifle Squad:
NCO
Jefreitteri (Lance-Corporal)
6 men (or 7 men according some sources)
Finnish Army Jaeger Battalion (Whites), March 1918
(Organisation of 20 battalions established during the war, these were the first
official units of Finnish Army. Organisational plan made in February 1918 had
much more manpower in each Jaeger unit: About 400 men in each company and 1875
men in each battalion. There never were enough time or troops for that, so that
organisation was never used. The ones shown here was developed and used
instead.)
Battalion HQ
Battalion Supply Units
3 Rifle Companies
3 Rifle Platoons in each Rifle Company
6 Rifle Squads in each Rifle Platoon
9 men in each Rifle Squad
Higher levels of jaeger formations in 1918:
Brigade:
2 Regiments in each Brigade
Regiment:
3 Battalions
Machinegun Unit
Telephone Unit
Bicycle Unit
Manpower strengths of Jaeger formations:
Company 3 + 175
Battalion 10 + 525
Regiment 38 + 1777
Machinegun Company of Jaeger Regiment (Whites), 1918:
Company HQ
Supply Units
2 or 3 Machinegun Platoons (Originally these had only 2 Platoons but if needed
weapons were able to be captured a 3rd Platoon was usually added)
2 machineguns (7.62 mm Maxim or Colt) in each platoon
Dragoon Squadron of Uudenmaa Dragoon Regiment (Whites), 1918:
(Uudenmaa and Hmeenmaa Cavalry Regiments were exceptionally recruited units and
also only large cavalry units of 1918 war. Whole Uudenmaa Dragoon Regiment had
just 3 Dragoon Squadrons).
Squadron Commander & HQ
3 Dragoon Platoons
2 Squads in each Dragoon Platoon

20 men in each Squad

Supply Units
2 ammunition sledges
2 food supplies sledges
3 cargo sledges
Field-kitchen
Squadron manpower strength: 136 men
Machinegun Squadron of Uudenmaa Dragoon Regiment
Squadron HQ
4 machineguns (Maxim)
White Artillery Battery, before 6th of April 1918:
(First ones sent to battle in March, before Tampere battle weapons were mostly
old 87 mm guns and 122 mm howitzers, lots of artillery weapons were captured in
Tampere. Exceptions: Jaeger Artillery Batteries 1 - 3 sent to battle in 12th 13th of February 1918 had all 4 guns or howitzers. Also, self-organised
artillery batteries of Suojeluskunta often had 1 - 4 guns or howitzers,
depending how many had been captured).
2 x gun or howitzer
85 men + 50 horses.
White Artillery Battery, after 6th of April 1918:
(Artillery Battalion = 3 Artillery Batteries. Large amounts of artillery
captured in Rautu and Tampere allowed this reorganisation).
4 x guns or howitzers
170 men + 100 horses.
RED GUARD (Punakaarti):
Red Guard Rifle Company, 1918:
(Organisation was basically loaned from Sniper Battalions of "Old Guard" that
had served Imperial Russia before 1880's, Red Guard organisation had also
battalion level, in which battalion had 4 rifle companies but it existed only in
theory).
Company Commander
Commissar
1st Platoon
Platoon leader
2 Rifle Squads each Rifle Platoon
1 Squad Leader + 12 men (in each Rifle Squad)
2nd Platoon
3rd Platoon
4th Platoon
Red Guard Machinegun Company, 1918:
Company Commander
Commissar
3 Machinegun Platoons
4 machineguns (Maxim) in each platoon
Red Guard Bomb thrower (91 mm mine thrower) Unit, 1918
(Notice: Whites had one similar unit, which was sent to Vilppula front in 28th
of February and participated in capturing Tampere before it run out of
ammunition).
4 x 91 mm mine thrower model GR 1916 (mine thrower was ancestor of grenade
thrower used in WW1).

Red Guard Artillery Battery, 1918:

4 x Guns or Howitzers
BASIC INFO
WAR:
Finnish Civil War was fought between Reds and Whites, from the two Whites were
the ones that won the war. Whites were in side with legal government and were
supported by Germans. Reds (at start at least) were extreme revolutionary
socialists supported by Russian Bolshevik government. First battle was bought in
Viipuri in night between 19th and 20th of January 1918 and battles started
escalating from there.
At 23rd of January Reds started to secure railways for train full of weaponry
about to arrive to them from Petrograd (Saint Petersburg). 25th of January
Finnish Senate declared Suojeluskunta troops as its troops and gave their
command to Mannerheim next day. That day Mannerheim decided to start disarming
the Russian troops in Pohjanmaa area with Suojeluskunta troops and those
operations started in early hours of 28th of January. Reds also gave first
orders about revolution in 26th of January. War was going on in all accounts by
early hours of 28th of January.
Country started to divide to two, first frontline running in Ahlainen - Vilppula
- Mntyharju - Antrea - Rautu line divided it to northern part controlled by
Whites and southern part controlled by Reds. Both sides had also units deep into
enemy territory when war started, soon both sides started mopping enemy units
behind their lines. These unlucky units typically had two choices - they could
try to get to their own lines (some White units also crossed Finnish Gulf to
German controlled Estonia) or be destroyed. Frontline was composed from small
bases of opposite sides on here and there with even tens of kilometres between
the bases, specially railway lines had large strategic importance in this war
but also roads were used, so bases were mostly build along roads and railways.
And as both sides lacked military tents existing buildings had to be used for
accommodation (Finnish winter being what it is), this lead villages also having
strong importance. So, basically war was mainly fought along roads and railroads
from one village to another.
White had about 80 % of country, but only 50 % population in its area. This made
transports one of the main issues to it. The 20 % of country that Reds
controlled had more dense road and railway network and also almost all industry.
When war started White Army had shortage of weapons (Due to cut in
communications White Army had not received German weapons transport cargo of S/S
Equity in December of 1917). So in main front it first took defensive stand.
Weak point of White Army was in Vilppula front, Haapamki railway crossing less
then 40 km behind it was a key point of railway lines in their control. Loosing
Haapamki would have left White Army without railway connection between western
and eastern parts of frontline.
Red side decided to attack. For some reason Reds didn't first realise the
importance of Haapamki as their first attacks (designed by Russian Colonel
Mihail Svetsnikov) were small attacks all over the front - naturally it failed.
By early March Reds had realised the situation and now their whole attack was
concentrated towards Haapamki - but getting breakthrough in Vilppula failed
again. Not that Red attacks were masterpieces of military tactics even then Basically Red infantry tried to make frontal assault in snow again and again
ending up being mowed down by well-placed White machineguns.

Whites started their attack in 15th of March. Town of Tampere was main target of
their attack. First White troops advanced toward Tampere and surrounded it by
25th of March. Next phase of their attack was to conquer Tampere - battle
started in 3rd of April and ended to remaining Reds surrendering (some units
managed to escape) three days later. in 3rd of April German troops (of Ostsee
Division) landed to Hanko and 7th of April also in Loviisa. German troops
attacked from Hanko to Helsinki, this made Red Guard leadership (Military
Committee) to escape from Helsinki first to Viipuri and from there to Petrograd.
Reds didn't manage to build large defence lines anymore (they had no connections
to their leadership after it escaped from Helsinki), even if they still had some
70,000 armed men left. Large amounts of Reds started their escape towards
Russian border. When German troops from Loviisa also advanced towards north
cutting the route of retreat to Russia from the situation of Reds got really
desperate. Several bitter battles were fought, but Red units had no change of
winning and they surrendered one by one. Fighting ended officially in 4th of
April, but some isolated Red units were encountered still during the next few
weeks. Battle losses of both sides were reasonably small, Whites lost about 3100
dead and 9000 wounded while Reds lost some 3400 dead. During war both sides
executed their POWs in many occations. After the war large amounts of Reds died
in prison camps mostly to hunger and pesticide, but also to executions.
RED GUARD:
Reasons behind reds starting a rebellion were numerous but social democratic
party seriously losing elections, inspiration from Russian revolution, poor
conditions of that part of farming population that cultivated rented land, food
shortage and high unempoyment get to just about any list.
The most early sign of Red Guards can be found from "Protection Guards of
Workers" organised for general strike of year 1905, which was also reason behind
organising first "Security Guards" that later become Suojeluskuntas. First
violent clash between the these two happened already in July of 1906 in
Hakaniemi Square in Helsinki. 2nd era of Russian oppression starting from 1905
calmed things between the two sides until 1917 as it offered a common enemy to
both sides - Imperial Russia with its czar, ohrana and police.
Minor political violence was going on starting from July of 1917, but the
general strike in November really changed things. It planted the seeds of
violence (34 people died to political violence and political murders during it)
also recreating (much stronger) hate between Red Guards and Suojeluskunta.
Finland become independent in 6th of December 1917, but Russian Army was still
present (at January of 1918 some 42500 soldiers of Russian units were still in
Finland) and new Bolshevik leadership had no hurry to call them off. Instead
Bolsheviks started to support Finnish Red Guard by supplying it with weaponry,
offering specialists to train it and work as advisors in it and even trying
(with little success) to order Russian troops to fight on its side.
First battles of war were in night of 19th - 20th of January, first orders for
rebellion were issued starting from 26th of January. Red Guard had mainly
working and non-land owning farming population and its organisations were mainly
local. It had its HQ in Helsinki and also local HQs in Tampere and Viipuri, but
these typically had somewhat limited power over local organisations and units.
During war Red Guard stopped public works and used wages to get more volunteers,
later on also calling in of male-population with universal conscription was
tried (with very limited success). Typically Red Guard lacked real organisation
in its units higher then company-level and each company had been gathered from

men from same working place, village or local branch of union. Power base of Red
Guard was in industrialised towns and among non land owning population in
countryside of Southern Finland.
WHITE ARMY:
Early on leading idea of White Army was freeing Finland from Russian rule by
disarming Russian troops and using violence to do this if necessary. As war
progressed it became more and more clear the Red Guard was the main enemy
instead of Russians, but this just lead into Red Guard being seen as traitors
who had sided up with Russian oppressors. Whites had some major advantages, 2000
Finnish volunteers that had travelled to Germany in 1915 - 1916 had received
German military training and had been battle-hardened as "Prussian Jaeger
Battalion 27" in battles of eastern front. White Army also received large
amounts of weaponry (that Germans had captured from Russian earlier) from
Germany during the war. These two factors allowed building of superior trained
troops during the war and arming them.
White Army can be divided to three kinds of troops:
Suojeluskunta troops, that were local voluntary units that were united under
nation-wide leadership after war started.
Recruited (volunteers) troops: 2 Grenadier Regiments (2 battalion strong
each), Uudenmaa Dragoon Regiment and 6 artillery batteries.
Recruited (called in with legislation): 6 Jaeger Regiments (3 battalions
each), Karelian Cavalry Regiment, 11 artillery batteries and 6 field telegraph
units.
Leadership of Suojeluskunta organisations had some roots in other earlier
Finnish organisations that had wanted to end Russian rule in Finland. Some of
them like Kagaani and Voimaliitto had been planning use of violence for this
purpose already earlier, in 1918 many of their leading figures appeared to
Military Council, which organised starting of White Army. Typically
Suojeluskunta organisations were local and this combined with suspicion
concerning trust-worthiness of those officers that had earlier served in Russian
Army. Local Suojeluskunta organisations often had their roots in "security
guards" established for general strike of 1905, but it was the "svoboda" of
Russian military after Russian revolution, which really got most of the large
amount of them established. Basically "svoboda" was Russian military going off
control: They were shooting their officers, acting violently, being intoxicated,
looting everything they wanted etc. As Kerenski government had disestablished
police earlier there were no police to take care about public safety. When war
started local Suojeluskunta units were (more or less) organised under one
nation-wide leadership. Hired (hiring them started in 14th of February)
recruited units basically had the situation as Suojeluskunta units, but they
were established during the war.
Finnish Senate (Government) made in 18th of February 1918 a declaration, which
used 1878 law of recruitment allowing calling in male population to military
service. The law was used to establish 6 Jaeger Regiments, 11 artillery
batteries, Karelian Cavalry Regiment (which never got near being a real
regiment, it never had more then 420 men) and some other smaller units. These
units were the first actual units of Finnish Army. Jaegers returning from
Germany in 25th of February 1918 were used as officers and NCOs for these new
units.
TRAINING AND LEADERSHIP:
Training of rank and file troops:
White Army:
Suojeluskunta troops: Lacking, they had existed disguised as "voluntary fire

departments" earlier, so practising openly had been basically impossible

Recruited (recruited volunteers) troops: Lacking, they had no previous
military experience.
Jaeger Battalions: Received short, but up to date military training before
sending to battle.
White artillery units: Early on no training. 10th of February Artillery
School was established in Pietarsaari, it quickly trained artillery crews
and sent first trained units to battle already in 18th of February. This
extremely fast trained units proved to be much better trained then the ones
in Red side typically were.
Red Guard: Lacking, just like Suojeluskunta units they typically had not been
trained openly before the war. Some units got minimal training for using their
weapons before their first battle and some got Russian experts (especially
machinegun- and artillery units) with them.
Fighting Moral: Both White Suojeluskunta troops and soldiers of Red Guard were
often terrified of possibility of getting surrounded. Neither side typically had
very good maps and as connections to other troops were practically non-existent
in terms of today (telegraph or phone connection was seldom available, typically
messengers were the only method of keeping contact to own troops). And when both
sides got accustomed to executing their POWs troops that got surrounded were
basically dead, this added fear. Jaeger Battalions of White Army were typically
somewhat better organised and more often had better connection and leadership so
they were bit better. On the other hand getting desperate sometimes heightened
the moral of troops considerably. Both sides had considerable problems in
getting many of their units (recruited units, Jaeger Battalions and were
exceptions) to participate into battles fought far from their homes. Speciality
of Red Guard moral keeping was tendency to keep machineguns shooting even if
there were no good targets within range. Reason for this was quite basic - own
machineguns not shooting all the time during battle proved to be sometimes
enough reason for Red troops to start retreat on their own.
Leadership:
White Army:
Early on:
Higher ranks: Fairly competent. Mostly Finnish born ex Russian Army
officers and soon also Swedish officers that had volunteered.
Lower ranks: Not so competent. Lot of local leadership figures (successful
farmers and merchants etc), some ex officers, NCOs and soldiers from
Finnish military units (of Russian Army) disbanded in 1901. Only few
jaegers trained in Germany among them and those who had served in "old
guard" had military experience and basics of battle had somewhat changed
from those used in 1901.
Later on (after return of jaegers in 25th of February):
Higher ranks: Getting more and more competent all the time. Comparable to
any Army at that time.
Lower ranks: German trained jaegers filled these ranks and improved the
situation to good level. White Army also had two courses for training
leadership, first one (Kept in Vimpeli from 28th of December to 14th of
January) managed to give short training for 200 men. But the second one
(Kept in Vyri starting from 26th of January) of 240 men had to be sent to
battle before the training was finished.
Red Guard:
Higher ranks: Mismatched lot of extreme left wing political leaders, some ex

soldiers & NCOs from Finnish military units (of Russian Army) disbanded in
1901 and few Finnish-born red officers from Russia. Some Russian advisors
also held ranks in higher leadership of Red Guard. Basically Red Guard
leadership was less competent then White Army one, especially political
leaders selected to it had none-existent military experience, which soon
become visible.
Lower ranks: These were even more incompetent. Red Guard selected its low
rank leadership (platoon and company commanders) by voting. The situation of
voted leadership was not easy - if troops started running or got too many
casualties or even if orders were not liked by troops they could vote
another leader any time. In case that battle had went poorly troops would
easily start doubting their leadership and if any suspicion of betrayal
appeared getting the situation became really hazardous to voted leadership.
Being shot by own troops without any investigation was not unheard end to
leadership in Red Guard.

Last updated 16th of August 2002

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