Tampere 1918 Exhibition– A Town in the Civil War

Recently I was visiting the city of Tampere, a few friends brought to my attention an interesting exhibition at a local museum. It was titled Tampere 1918 and held in Tampere’s main museum, Vapriiki.

A Poster for the exhibition. Source: Vapriiki

As Finland looks at the centennial of the start of the Battle of Tampere (15^th March 1918), I thought it would be a good topic to look at this eye opening and wonderful exhibit.

Background

The Battle of Tampere holds the dubious distinction of being the largest, longest and bloodiest battle of the Finnish Civil War. It was one of the most decisive engagements of the war, it saw the Reds forced unto the defensive and give the initiative to the White forces. It saw large scale urban fighting, as well as uncontrolled violence in the form of executions and fierce beatings. By the time the battle ended on the 6^th April, some 820 Whites, 1,000 Reds and 71 civilians had been killed in the fighting but by the end of the war, an additional 1,000 or so Reds were summarily executed.

Today, despite the White victory, the scars of the battle are still visible both physically (bullet holes on buildings and graves) and mentally (protests and vandalized of memorials). However though, with the passage of time and a more open minded and willing generation of historians, the treatment of this conflict and processing the trauma associated with it has become ‘easier’ and allowed many to come to terms with it.

One of the many posts around the exhibition that help give information and ask fundamental questions. Source: Personal Collection

Behind the Exhibit

When the 90^th anniversary of the Finnish Civil War was commemorated in 2008, discussions were held in Tampere about how the city could remember, reconcile and commemorate the War, and specifically their City’s central point.

Luckily, thanks to the efforts of those who came before, especially the artist Gabriel Engberg, who collected numerous objects and documents relating to the battle and which had been stored in the various Tampere museums collections. It was decided by the Museum heads that Vapriikki would host a new exhibition and research project based around the collections, entitled ‘Tampere 1918’. With the help of Tampere University’s Department of History and Philsophy, a whole host of researchers and Museum workers came together to produce the exhibit as well as various associated materials. The main architect of the exhibition was Taina Väisänen.

Source: Vapriiki

The exhibition was opened in April 2008, to coincided with the 90^th anniversary of the ending of the Battle of Tampere. The main goal it was to show the conflict from numerous angles, as well as presenting as unbiased and fair viewpoint to the audience as possible. A book, ‘Tampere 1918 – A Town in the Civil War’ was also released alongside the exhibit, filled with numerous articles by various historians to help paint a bigger and clearer picture of the Battle.

The Exhibition overall attempts to give people a better understanding of the times and situation surrounding such a sore point and to give people, of all backgrounds, an opportunity to come to terms with what had happened.

The Exhibition

Put on the first floor of the Museum, you are first presented with numerous banners of the various workers’ groups of the city, artifacts of the Russian Empire and a opening question ‘Why Tampere 1918?’. The exhibition is divided into roughly 4 rooms and in that first room the visitor is subjected to the background of the Civil War. The precarious position Finland occupied in the Russian Empire, the geopolitical situation of the First World War and how it was affected the Finnish people. From stories of the frustrated Finnish worker to the uniforms of the local Russian garrison, it struck me with how divided Finland was at the turn of the 20^th Century. One of the highlights of that first section was the giant timeline of the far wall, displaying all the events relating to the First World War, Finland and Tampere respectively between 1914 to 1918.

A collection of banners used by various trade unions in protests during the run up to the First World War. Source: personal collection

Walking into the next room, you are drawn to a little hole in the floor, within it is a bag and a knife. A guidebook soon explains that there are 26 floor showcases and each one contains recovered artifacts from the battle, with the majority being recovered by Gabriel Engberg during the Spring of 1918. This room seems to mainly focus upon the two opposing forces, how they were made up, their equipment. On walls there are pictures displaying members of the Red Guard and the White Guard, to look at these youthful men, you wouldn’t have thought they were fighting against one another, how similar they looked. A few display cases show uniforms of White volunteers from Sweden, German infantry, Red Guards and White Guards. We see various Russian equipment, showing how the two sides mainly scavenged what they could from the collapsing Empire’s military stores. Soon you are subjected to the loud boom of a canon and in the corner you can see a Russian 76.2 mm divisional gun model 1902. These guns made up the vast majority of the artillery forces for both sides during the conflict.

One of the 26 floor showcases. This one shows a Finnish produced steel helmet that was to be issued to Russian forces but ended up in the hands of both sides. Alongside it are other various artifacts found upon the former battlefields of Tampere. Source: Personal collection

The next room presents the battle, its aftermath and the atrocities committed. The various artifacts show how the battle affected all present, Reds, Whites and especially Civilians. There are a few interactive displays dotted across the room, giving a deeper story. One picture shows a lifeless child who had been caught in the crossfire between Reds and Whites and really drives home the horror of Civil Wars, especially those fought in urban areas. Photos showing surrendered Reds, executions, wounded in hospitals all drive home the disaster of war.

The last section has a sitting area and a book shelf with various reference materials for someone to look deeper into the war. It displays the aftermath of the war, the numerous orphans that occurred, the attempts at rebuilding Finnish society as a unified state, the memorials built to commemorate both sides, as well as personal stories for us to get a feel of how it was to be there.

Conclusion

It is easy to see why the Tampere 1918 exhibition has won awards. It is full of objects and displays to help the individual look at the Battle and the circumstances surrounding it. The fact that the exhibition doesn’t pick sides and sticks to facts helps it come off as an impartial observer. The many interactive displays, overlaying authentic sounds and highlighted displays really helps mark the exhibit as a unique look at the chaos of Civil War.

A pride of place in the exhibit. The 76mm canon; 179 of these were acquired by the end of the Civil War and were the basis of the Finnish Artillery Corps. These type of guns were also the first to fire shots during the Battle of Oulu in Feburary 1918. Source: Personal collection

The goals laid out by the team are really met, it helps one make sense of the Battle, why things went the way they did and how we can move forward. It presents the individual with a question, What would you have done in the situation?, and really drives home how things are easy in hindsight but at the time it isn’t as easy as picking a side.

It is well worth a visit, the information is presented in Finnish, English, Swedish and Russian, so it is inclusive of a wide range of people.

For information on Vapriiki’s openings and prices:

Vapriiki

Sources

Haapala, Pertti, Tampere 1918: A Town in the Civil War (Tampere Museums, Museum Centre Vapriikki, 2010)

100 Years of the Finnish Air Force – The Knights of the Sky

Last week, on the 6^th March, the Finnish Air Force celebrated 100 years since their foundation. Part of the celebrations included a fly past by the Air Force aerobatic team, the Midnight Hawks, over the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa and Espoo.

So in honour of the 100^th year of the Finnish Air Force protecting Finland’s airspace, I thought I would do this post on an overview of the Air Force, its past, its present and its future.

The Beginning

At the time that Finland’s Parliament accepted the Declaration of Independence, 6^th December 1917, there were several aircraft of the Imperial Russian Air Service dotted around Finland. Due to chaos of the Russian revolution and subsequent civil war, the aircraft were stuck in limbo. As tensions in Finland grew between the left leaning Reds and the central and right leaning Whites, some of these aircraft were seized by the sides.

General Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, commander of the White Forces, recognised the need for aircraft especially in reconnaissance and set about setting up an air contingent for his forces. Any White soldier who had experience with aircraft was asked to help and soon a small corps was founded, all that was needed were aircraft and experienced pilots. Finnish pilots, who had either served in the IRAS or similar, like Valfrid Nykänen and Emil Skogberg, as well as sympathetic foreigners like John-Allan Hügerth and Carl Seber, made up those early pioneers of the Finnish Air Force.

The first aircraft of the Finnish Air Force was the Swedish produced NAB Type 9 Albatros, a reconnaissance and training plane which was also a licensed copy of the German Albatros B.II, which was bought using collected funds of the Friends of Finland Association. However, its ferry flight to Vaasa was cut short at Pietarsaari by engine failure. On the 6^th March, a Thulin typ D reconnaissance plane (a Swedish copy of the Morane-Saulnier Parasol), landed at Vaasa with Lieutenant Nils Kindberg and the plane’s donor, Count Eric von Rosen. Mannerheim’s Order of the Day called it ‘Airplane Number 1’ and so it was marked as F.1 to signify it as the first official aircraft of an Independent Finland’s Air Force. The plane also had the Count’s personal good luck charm painted upon it, a Blue Swastika, and on 18^th March the symbol was adopted as the official symbol of the Finnish Air Force.

The first aircraft of the Finnish Air Force, a Thulin typ D. Seen here in the city of Vaasa soon after it arrived in March 1918. Source: Finnish Air Force

For the rest of the Civil War, White Aircraft supported the ground forces in providing reconnaissance, as well as conducting small scale bombing. By the end of the Civil War, the Air Force stood at 40 various types of aircraft and in the post-war reorganization the Air Force was divided into 5 air stations, 4 of which were equipped to handle seaplanes. The main task of the Air Force was now concentrated around surveillance of their borders, especially the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga areas.

The Inter War Years

During the rebuilding of Finland in the wake of a brutal Civil War, the Air Force was looked at in comparison to its contempories , especially France and Britain. Soon French instructors were teaching Finnish pilots and British aviation experts were offering their opinions to the Air Force staff. To meet the new challenges of international military aviation, Finland adopted a policy to use its limited resources, coupled with its vast number of lakes, and concentrated mainly on procuring floatplanes like the Hansa-Brandenburg W.33 (Which the Finns then built under license as the IVL A.22 Hansa).

However, due to the lack of funds, small amounts of experience, conflicting schools of thought, political interference, the Finnish Air Force between 1919-1930 saw itself acquire a mass of various differing aircraft (up to 14/15 different types in service at any one time), as well as not adopting one long term strategy. This all changed when General Mannerheim was appointed Chairman of the Defence Committee and he promptly set up an investigatory commission to look at the status of the Finnish Military. After this investigation, the Finnish Air Force took on a program that was heavily influenced by a offensive fight arm, which was mainly land based and pushed more towards the East (as the Soviet Union was seen as the main threat to Finland’s sovereignty). Training, both of pilots and maintenance crews as well as their cooperation, was streamlined.

Pilots in front of a Breguet 14 A 2 Reconnaissance plane. These were in service from 1919-1927. Source: Finnish Air Force

With the chaos that was breaking out in Europe in the mid-30s, Finland knew it would be only a matter of time before a new war would break out and that in order to do its best to safeguard its sovereignty, it would need a strong military arm. Negotiations with the other Nordic countries to form a joint defence pact came to naught, declarations of neutrality could only go so far, and nonaggression pacts were only pieces of paper.

1937 saw a five-year programme that included 11 squadrons comprising 81 fighters, 27 bombers, 52 reconnaissance and light ground attack planes for liaison with the army and 13 maritime

reconnaissance aircraft. Fighter pilots developed a 2 and 2 plane formation, dropping the more popular 1 lead aircraft and 2 wingmen formations of the other air forces. This allowed for more flexible use of numbers, and when put together with an emphasis upon individual precision of air to air gunnery, it allowed Finnish pilots to substitute their lack of numbers with skill.

The War Years

On the Morning of 30^th November 1939, Soviet forces crossed the Soviet-Finnish border without a declaration of war. The Finns weren’t completely ignorant to the situation, the Soviets had been aggressive in their attempts to gain Finnish territory during the previous months negotiations and their actions in Poland and the Baltic states, as well as the obvious military build up in the Karelian Ishtmus, all pointed towards the possibility of war. With this knowledge, Mannerheim had called for mobilisation under the guise of extraordinary maneuvers in October, reserves were called up, formations were sent to advanced positions, the Air Force was put at combat readiness from 7^th October with its reserves arriving from the 14^th.

At the outbreak of the war, the Air Force had only two fighter squadrons (Lentolaivue 24 and 26) which had only 55 aircraft between them (and only 46 were airworthy at the time). There was also two bomber squadrons with 15 Blenheims between them, as well as 56 other various aircraft which former Air Force commander, Major General Heikki Nikunen, said “would

have belonged better in a museum than on a battlefield”. Their Anti-Aircraft defences (which were subordinated under Air Force control in 1938) weren’t much better, with only 11 heavy

and 7 light batteries and even these lacked weaponry. The only branch of the Air Force that seemed to be sufficient was the surveillance section, but even this suffered from a poor telecommunications network that meant that fighter control and air defence coordination suffered.

What they lack in equipment, ammunition and numbers, were more than made up for in training and motivation to defend their fatherland. Individual pilots were trained to hold their fire until within 50 metres of their target, they were given freedom of action and had a first see, first shoot doctrine. From the first days of operations, the Finns showed their superior ability, and despite being vastly outnumbered by the Soviets (who deployed around 3,000 aircraft of various types), by racking up kills in numbers of great proportions. The Finnish Government also scrabbled to secure any fighter aircraft they could, from any source, and soon a ragtag air force consisting of Fiat G.50s, Gloster

Gladiator IIs, Morane-Saulnier M.S. 406 types and others were operating day and night against the waves of Soviet aircraft.

The Finnish determination paid off as when the Winter War ended on the morning of 13^th March 1940, the Finnish Air Force had a confirmed 218 kills for a lost of only 47 (a further 15 aircraft were written off during the course of the war) and the Anti-Aircraft defences claimed a further 314 Soviet kills.

During the Interim Peace period, the Finnish Air Force set about assessing its performance during the war and expanding and reorganising itself (The Finns didn’t put much faith in the terms of peace holding out). The State Aircraft Factory repaired damaged aircraft and built new ones under licences, also new aircraft were ordered from abroad. Improvements were also taken in the fields of command and control, anti-air defences, airfield equipment, as these areas were sorely lacking in the Winter War. Germany also built up closer relations with Finland, selling captured aircraft (like the Curtiss Hawk) and anti-aircraft guns (like the Skoda 7.5cm PL vz. 37)

The Continuation War started soon after the commencement of the German invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa, 21^st June 1941). German aircraft, returning from missions against the Leningrad area, refueled at Utti, and this prompted a response from the Soviets during the early hours of the 22^nd. 7 Bombers launched a strike against Finnish naval units and then on the 25^th a strikeforce of 460 aircraft hit several targets (including the cities of Helsinki, Turku and Porvoo). This then allowed Finland to declare war and work openly with the Germans.

Pilots ready for scrambling. Behind them are Messerschmitt Bf 109s, bought from Germany, they allowed Finland to keep up with the USSR. Source: Finnish Air Force

The Air Force supported the initial offensives on the Karelian Isthmus, Syväri and the Maaselkä Isthmus. This greatly contributed to troop morale and a more effective combined arms military. Within a short time the Finns had achieve air superiority and the Soviet Air Force was forced to take up a very defensive and limited posture. Once the offensives had ceased in December 1941, the Air Force took on the important role of long range reconnaissance, front line air superiority and support, as well as protecting the home front from Soviet bombing. The Gulf of Finland became the main battlespace for the Finnish Air Force, as they attempted to stop Soviet bomber formations before they reach Finland. The advantage though of this ‘Trench War’ phase of the Continuation War meant that the Air Force could improve at a gradual pace, train pilots better, increase command and control and streamline their performance. The friendly relations with Germany allowed for more modern aircraft to be adopted, like the Dornier Do 17 and Junkers Ju 88 bombers and the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters.

The tides of war turned on Finland when the Soviets launched their ‘Summer Offensives’ in 1944, ending the mostly static ‘Trench’ phase of the Finnish front. As the Finnish ground forces retreated, the Air Force was there, providing 24 hour cover, accounting themselves very well, even in more obsolete aircraft like the Fiat G.50 and the Curtiss Hawk. After the defensive victories at Tali-Ihantala and Vuosalmi, an armistice was signed in September between Finland and the Soviet Union, bringing the Continuation War to an end. The Air Force achieved amazing results, with 1,621 aerial victories confirmed for a loss of only 182 aircraft. 87 pilots achieved ace status which, in proportion to national population, means the number of Finnish flying aces is a world record.

Finland’s wars didn’t end here however, part of the terms of the armistice means that Finland had to expelled the previously friend German forces from their land. A special detachment, under Colonel Olavi Sarko, of 60 aircraft of various types were to support the Finnish operations in Lapland. These aircraft saw themselves being used in gathering intelligence on the whereabouts of German forces, gaining air superiority and bombing missions. However, due to the conditions in Lapland, the Finnish Air Force suffered greatly, loosing 10 aircraft and 16 crew members.

Post-War and the Cold War Years

The Paris Peace Treaty of 1947 saw restrictions placed upon Finland, and the Air Force was no exception. It was to have no more than 60 combat aircraft and a maximum strength of 3,000 persons. It couldn’t have any offensive weapons, internal bomb bays, weaponry of German origin or guided missiles. These restrictions, as well as the natural inevitability of peace time, meant that the Air Force saw itself greatly reduced in strength. It saw itself in a sort of limbo until a reorganizationin 1952, where its traditional structure was turned into a more centralised but flexible Air Command structure. This allowed the lessons from the Wars to be used more effectively, each command had access to fighter, training, reconnaissance and intelligence, and these could be quickly redeployed as and when needed.

To the jet age. The de Havilland Vampire allowed Finland to enter the new era of international military aviation. Source: Finnish Air Force

1953 saw the first jet aircraft bought by the Air Force, a de Havilland Vampire. This was the start of Finland’s intergration into the modern arena of military aviation. Soon revisions in the treaties were seen, like the dropping of the ban on guided missiles in 1963. New radar systems, coupled with better jets, meant that by the end of the 1960s, the Finnish Air Force could defend its entire airspace more or less effectively. And by the end of the 70s, with the purchasing of the SAAB Draken, Finland had complete all-weather, all-seasonal defence, alongside modern surveillance systems and secure command and control facilities.

Fall of the USSR and Modern times

On 22 September 1990, a week before the unification of Germany, the Finnish Government declared that all parts of the Paris Peace Treaty were no longer valid. All the signatory states forwent objection and thus solidifying Finland’s declaration. This allowed the sourcing of materials from Germany, as well as allowing for offensive weaponry.

As the Soviet Union was also no longer present, Finland was more free to purchase a completely independent geopolictical policy. The Air Force set about modernising its aged fleet (made up of MiGs and SAABs) and purchased F/A-18 Hornets (of the C and D models). These were chosen over other models as the most efficient for Finland’s needs, meeting the requirements performance and cost. This broke down into all weather capability, ability to take off from improvised airstrips (roads), inception beyond visual range, life cycle, effectiveness of armaments and maintenance.

Finland’s joining of the European Union and NATO's Partnership for Peace programme allowed it to become more versed in international techniques and allowed for more diverse training.

Today and beyond

The main goal of the Finnish Air Force, has been and is, the defending and monitoring of Finnish Air Space. With investments in surveillance equipment, aircraft and other supports, the Finnish Air Force maintains a round the clock, all year monitoring on Finland’s sovereign territory.

As the Baltic has grown more crowded in terms of military traffic, the Air Force has been tested and shown itself more than capable. With multiple airspace violations every year, many by unidentified (with transponders off) aircraft, Hornets scrambled within seconds are able to close and identify the intruder and monitor the situation.

The F/A-18 C successfully firing the AGM-158 JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Weapon) as part of the Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) 2 programme. Source: Finnish Air Force

As with all departments of the Government, the Air Force is also part of Finland crisis response and so has worked closely with other branches of the Government to provide support in the case of a local or national emergency. In the case of conflict, the Air Force will defend important assets across the country and maintain air superiority over its territory in order to allow the Defence Forces freedom of operation. It also has air to ground capability and with training in interoperatbility, it can provide essentially support to other branches of the Defence Forces.

For more information on the Finnish Air Force check:

http://ilmavoimat.fi/en/frontpage

For the news of the Air Force 100 celebrations:

https://www.facebook.com/Ilmavoimat/

Sources:

Nikunen, Heikki, Air Defence in Northern Europe (National Defence College Helsinki 1997)

http://ilmavoimat.fi/en/history

The Battle of Oulu: A forgotten liberation

Finland declared its independence from the Russian Empire on December 4th 1917, two days (6th) later the Finnish Senate adopted the declaration and thus taking its destiny into its own hands for the first time in its existence.

However like the birth of anything, there was to be pains in its coming. The Social Democrats and other left leaning groups refused to recognise the power of the slight majority held by Conservative and other right leaning groups.Soon both sides came to blows, each one claiming to be acting in defence, tearing the country apart along social, political and class lines. After a brief, 3 month conflict, the war ended with the Conservative and Right side (names the Whites) emerging victorious. But as the old adage says 'In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers.' and Finland saw 1.2% of its population dead as a direct result of the war, its population growth took a -15, 608 nature change dive.

The Civil War saw several major battles between the Forces of the Whites and Reds, as well as numerous minor skirmishes throughout the Finnish landscape. One of these major, but often overlooked and forgotten, battles was for the City of Oulu.

Map of the division at the start of the Finnish Civil War.
Source: Wikipedia

Oulu occupied a strategic location for two reasons. Firstly it was a hub for the railway system (the lines on the map) and so whoever controlled the rails could transport troops and supplies rapidly to the major population centres of Finland. Secondly was that Oulu held a fairly large garrison of Russian troops who were now waiting around for orders. This meant that there was a large amount of military equipment ready to be appropriated for the cause.

As Oulu was a modest industrial city, it held more left leaning supporters than right and with this the local Red Guard  made their presence known. On the 30th January, the Oulun suojeluskunta (Oulu city’s White Civic Guard) went to the local Russian garrison to secure their arms in accordance with Mannerheim's orders to strip the Ostrobothnia are of all military equipment. However when the small contingent  arrived at the barracks they found themselves confronted by members of Oulu's  Workers Red Guard and a gunfight broke out between the two factions. Now the White Guard retreated to the Cathderal area of the City and entrenched themselves there, while also calling for support from nearby Suojeluskunta units. 

The Reds knowing they would soon need to repel an attack gathered as much firearms and munitions from the Russian Garrison and even took on volunteers from the soldiers. Soon the Red Guard ranks swelled from 700 to around a 1,000 and they fortified the area around the Garrison, train station and the fire house. They also laid siege to the defences of the local White Guard.

Upon hearing of the situation, Mannerheim ordered Colonel Alexander von Tunzelman Adlerflug, who had just taken control of the nearby town of Raahe (1st February). Colonel Adlerflug arrived with an advanced party by train and was met by a Workers Council led by Yrjö Henrik Kallinen. Kallinen was a pacifist and suggested that both sides throw their weapons into the Oulu river and go their separate ways but Colonel Adlerflug demanded unconditional surrender and the more militant members of the Red Guard wanted to fight. Mannerheim wanted quick results and so sent another column consisting of 200 men (including some veteran Jaegers, 14 machine guns and its only artillery guns, 2 76.2 mm divisional gun model 1902 captured on the 28th January from the 106th Field Artillery Brigade of Russian Army in Ilmajoki), he also gave command of the Oulu situation to Lieutenant Colonel Johannes (Hannes) Ferdinand Ignatius. 

The original two 76.2mm divisional guns used by Colonel Ignatius during the Battle of Oulu. They are sited at the positions they held that very day.
Source: Personal collection

Negoations broke down on the afternoon of the 2nd February and the Red Guards launched an assault upon the White Guards' position around the Cathedral. The local Russian commander had also given away the majority of his weapons to the Red Guards in exchange for protection. However the Reds could not remove the Whites from their stubborn positions and eventually returned to their positions in the city in the early hours of the 3rd. Colonel Ignatius' column meanwhile arrived and set about deploying his forces for an assault on the city.

Map of the Battle. Source: Own Work

Colonel Ignatius put his two artillery guns in the north, on the beach of the Laanila area of the city, with a direct line of sight of the barracks and the Red Guard positions there. The rest of his men were spread in the North shore of the Oulu river, East overlooking the barracks and train station and the main assault force coming from the south from the direction of the railway. At 0900 the artillery guns rang out with the first shots of the battle (and the first shots by an independent Finnish artillery) marking the start of the retaking of the city. One of the guns though encountered problems after the first shot and so only one canon was able to continue its fire support for the day. The assault from the South spread through the city, some heading to relieve the besieged White Guards, others tackling the positions around the train station and workers' hall. The heavily fortified cemetery and garrison area were assaulted from the East and by 1300 the cemetery and city hall were taken. Fighting still continued around the workers' hall and garrison area but the combined weight of machine gun and artillery fire soon saw the Reds call out for cease fire. At 1510 the surrender of the Red was officially taken and 900 Red Guards surrendered themselves to the victorious Whites. However some Reds and Russians still held on at the barracks and the Raati island maritime station and it wouldn't be until 2300 that all fighting stopped and the 1,100 strong Russian garrison surrendered itself to Finnish custody. 

Picture of 13 year old Onni Kokko. The youngest soldier present at the Battle of Oulu. This picture was taken soon after the disarming of the Liminka garrison. After this Onni went with an advance party to help the Oulu Civic Guard but was taken prisoner soon after arriving. He escaped and linked up with the incoming main force and being assigned as adjutant to Oskar Peltokangas and went out to fight in Tornio, Vilppula and Ruovesi before being morally wounded during the Battle of Tampere and dying of his wounds shortly after. He is the youngest recipient of the Order of the Cross of Liberty.
Source: Wikipedia

The end allowed for the taking account of the losses of the day. The White forces saw 33 killed and 34 wounded. Lieutenant Colonel Ignatius was given a promotion to full colonel for his excellent handling of the situation. The Reds had 26 dead and another 26 wounded. The Russia's also saw a few of their number killed or wounded but numbers vary on how many. 

The ultimate sacrifice. A funeral procession for the White dead.
Source: Pohjois-Pohjanmaan museum

The prisoners soon saw themselves interned at the local prison, the police station and a school house until March when a purpose built Prison camp was constructed. This camp was one of 13 big and 60 smaller prison camps set up at the end of the Civil War to hold Red prisoners and sympathizers until trial. The majority of the White Force went north to help take the town of Tornio from Red Forces, they took their war booty of over 500 rifles and 10 machine guns with them.  The town was liberated February 6th and thus secured the entire railway network in the North of Finland to the White cause. 

Memorial to the Prison camp at Raati Island, Oulu.
Source:Personal collection

The victory parade for the liberation of Oulu held at the seaside market place on February 4th.
Source: Wikipedia 

Today a memorial to the liberation of Oulu stands tall in Mannerheim Park and despite a memorial service held every 3rd Febuary, the battle has seemed to have been forgotten by the majority of citizens of this Nordic city. 

Memorial dedicated to the Liberation of Oulu, called the Statue of Freedom, it was erected in 1920 and sculpted by Into Saxelin.
Source: Wikipedia

Memorial to all the victims of the Finnish Civil with the interned remains of over 20 souls.
Source: Personal collection

Weapons of War: De Bange 155 mm long cannon model 1877 - 155 K/77

When the Soviet Union invaded Finland in November 1939, the Finnish military was severely under equipped in many areas. Artillery was one of these areas and Finland set about buying and deploying any artillery piece it could get. This meant getting many old, outdated pieces from the armouries of European countries like France and Britain.

One of these older pieces was the French de Bange 155mm Long modèle 1877.

The 155 L de Bange was a result of a French artillery committee meeting held in the aftermath on the Franco-Prussian War. The committee discussed new Fortress and Seige artillery models and on the 16 April 1874 settled upon the 15.5cm caliber as the new standard piece. In 1876 three competing prototypes were tested at Calais but it was the design by French Artillery Colonel Charles Ragon de Bange that won the day (it probably helped that he was Director of the "Atelier-de-précision" (Paris arsenal's precision workshop) in the Central Depot in Paris.

Like with all De Bange’s cannons, it used the De Bange breech obturator system, which basically used the force of the firing charge to push back an asbestos pad that sealed the rear breech and thus directing all the pressure forward, increasing velocity and reducing danger. It was inspired by the rubber o-rings in use on the Chassepot rifle.

(The de Bange system and how it works)

The French Government placed an initial order in 1877 for 300 pieces and by the turn of the 20th Century about 1,400 were produced. The vast majority were posted to the fortresses of the Séré de Rivières system but 200 were reserved as offensive siege artillery.

The biggest downside to the 155 L de Bange, and by extension all de Bange guns, was they had no recoil system and as such needed to be realigned after every shot. The gun could jump back a metre or two after firing and thus presented a problem in terms of accuracy and rate of fire. While obsolete, the French military used them throughout the First World War and even in the early stages of the Second World War (France still had 305 pieces at various locations, including the Maginot Line).

The Finnish overlooked the downsides of recoil issues due to the desperateness of the situation they now found themselves in. French was unwilling to sell large amounts of modern artillery (the number amount to less than 30 field guns with a modern recoil system) but happily parted with older, more obsolete models such as the 155 L de Bange. The Finns preferred the French 19th century guns over the similar Russian models as they were of better quality and had more reliable ammunition.

These guns developed an exaggerated reputation within the Finnish military. Due to their ability to ‘jump’ and need to be realigned after every shot, the earned the nicknames "Hyppyheikki" ("Jumping Henry") and "Hyppyjaakko" ("Jumping Jack") and jokes such as, "Why does "hyppyheikki" need two observers?…The first observer will keep track of where the projectile lands while the second observer will check where the gun goes". While not totally undeserving, they are exaggerated. With proper preparation of positions, the use of earth slopes and wedges, the guns recoil could be reduced greatly and the need to realign is not as great. Luckily for the Finns, they were on the defensive and thus having prepared positions was something they could do.

48 155 L de Bange and 48,000 shots were sent to Finland, taking a route from France to Narvik, Norway by ship, then the guns were transported by rail to the Swedish/Finnish border town of Tornio. They would then need to be offloaded and reloaded onto Finnish trains as Finland used a narrower gauge. Then they would go from Tornio to various depots in the South for inspection and issue. Due to the long, arduous journey, none of the guns reached front lines during the Winter War. However they were still issued.

They were given the designation 155 K/77 and 44 were assigned to Fortification Artillery Battalions of the heavily fortified Salpa-line and the other 4 were were given to the Coastal Artillery, where they were fitted with special mounts and designated 155/27 BaMk. They were assigned to Fort Herrö in Ahvenanmaa (Åland) Islands until end of the Continuation War. Due to their good range (12.3 km), high degree of accuracy (produced by the gain-twist rifling) and reliability, the Finns used them mainly in a counter-battery role. The first use of these heavy pieces in action was at the Siege of Hanko (an area leased to the Soviet Union as part of the Winter War Peace terms, designated as a Naval Base, it had a contingent of mainly Red Army troops numbering abour 26,000). They saw most use in the Svir River area, with 36 guns assigned there. When the Soviets pushed their grand offensive in 1944, the Finnish forces started to withdraw, as the 155 K/77 were old and heavy, they were lower on the priority list for pulling back and eventually 24 guns were destroyed to prevent the Soviets from gaining them.

With the remaining 12 guns, they were assigned to the newly established Syväri Fortification Battalion 1 and were used in the defence of Koirinoja, firing their last shots on the 13th July 1944. It is quite possible that these were the last shots fired from 19th century canons with no recoil systems anywhere in the world.

Weapons of War: Berdan Rifle II

When the nine Rifle Battalions of the newly created Army of the Grand Duchy of Finland were raised in 1881 the most obvious choice for arming them was the Berdan II (Model 1870) which had been adopted by the Russian army in 1870's. The rifle was designed by famous American firearms inventor Hiram Berdan in 1868. The rifles (both the Berdan I and II) became the standard Russian small arm from 1870 to 1891, where it saw itself replace by the Mosin-Nagant line of rifles. However, despite this, it still saw service in the Russian army up to the Revolution of 1917.

The Model 1870 was a single shot, bolt action rifle that was characterised by a distinctive short, pear shaped, bolt handle. This handle also represented the only locking lug (it holds the bolt in place when the weapon is fired) and when closed, stood up at a 30 degree angle, instead of the normal horizontal. All the rifles  as well as their accompaniments (cartridges, bayonets etc) came from Russia, mainly from the famous Izhevskii ordnance factory.

It weighed 4.3 kg without its bayonet (4.8 kg with bayonet) and was 1.35 m long without its bayonet (1.85 m with bayonet). It used a 10.75x58 mmR Cartridge which had a 5 gram charge of black powder, which were issued in blue paper packets of 6 rounds each. The round was also developed by Hiram Berden in conjunction with Russian Colonel Gorloff. There was also 'half-cartridges' which were used for training purposes and contained only 0.5 grams of powder. These cartridges were breechloaded and a well trained unit could fire 6-8 rounds a minute. It had a muzzle velocity of 437m/sec and was sighted to 1500 paces (1065 m) but its effective range was 450 paces (630 m). It became known for its ruggedness, reliability and simplicity. 

The Finnish army as a whole maintained a high standard of marksmanship with this rifle, better than the Russian army. The Rifle was still in many Battalions and Reserve companies armouries way after the introduction of the Mosin-Nagant in 1890s. When Civil War broke out in January 1918, there was still many Berdan II's in storage and it saw itself employed by 2nd Line troops during World War one. Both sides of the Civil War (Reds and Whites) obtained many Berdan IIs. Once the war was over, the newly created Finnish Defence force was not interested in the obsolete Berdan and stored most but gave around 2,500 to the Suojeluskunta (Civic Guard, a Militia unit that gained infamy as the White Guard during the Civil War). The Civic Guard soon upgraded to the more modern Mosin-Nagant rifle versions. When the Winter War broke out in 1939, the Finnish army was short on many small arms and so the Berdan II saw service again, over 3,000 were issued (mainly to rear echelon and reserve troops) but these were replaced as soon as possible by more modern firearms. When World War two ended in 1945, the Finnish military started to scrap its stores of Berdan IIs, in 1955 the remaining 1,029 were sold off, many to surplus dealers abroad.