Finland Army History - Civil War
The February revolution in Russia in 1917 left Finland in a state of confusion. Two armed factions were formed to calm the situation, patrols and red guards. When the country was without an army, Finland had to choose its own army. In January 1918, Parliament dealt with the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs in order to achieve a strong law enforcement order only by the legitimate authorities. There was a dispute between the "right and the left": both sides wanted their own armed forces to be the core of a new order.
The military already had a primitive governing body, the Military Committee. Its chairman, Lieutenant General Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, was authorized to create law and order in the country. Mannerheim traveled to Vaasa, where the patrols had united leadership. There it was considered to be the best precondition for establishing a strong law and order. The army of independent Finland was born on January 25, 1918, when the Senate's Internal Affairs Committee declared patron saints as government troops. At the same time, the Reds became rebels.
The White Army Volunteer Volunteers began to be raised by recruiting troops. However, when this did not achieve the desired result, it was suggested that the Senate should implement conscription. After the proclamation under the Military Conservation Act of 1878, every man between the ages of 18 and 40 became a conscript. In the area controlled by whites, about 70 percent of them followed the call sign. The army recruited a total of 41,000 men.
At the end of February 1918, most of the "polar bears" trained in Germany returned to Finland. The aim of the iceberg movement was to liberate Finland from Russia. When the polar bears arrived, most of the Russian troops had already been disarmed. The main enemy of the icebreakers was the Red Guards. The Reds took control of Vyborg on January 19, 1918. Within just over a week all of Southern Finland was under the control of the Red Guard. Gradually, a front formed between the southern reds and the northern white.
At first, the defenses were white. The Reds, supported by the Russians, were stronger in armament and number of men. However, the whites succeeded in capturing the red in the battles at the turn of March and April in Tampere. After the invasion of Tampere, the White Army was reorganized. The task of the Eastern Army was to advance to the frontier of the kingdom at Kannas. The Western army commissioned the purification of southern Finland from the Reds, along with the Germans.
Helsinki was conquered on 12-13 December. German battles. Progress continued immediately to the north, and the Western Army headed south. The fighting led to the Reds remaining in the motto west of Lahti. The Eastern Army captured Vyborg on April 29, when the Reds surrendered.
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