Battle of Ahvenkoski: Difference between revisions

| casualties1 = 13at least 24 killed

As the Germans waited for reinforcements, they tapped enemy telephone lines and mistakenly believed that the Red Guards had a reserve of 10,000–30,000 soldiers heading to Kotka from the northern KymenlaaksoKymi valley region. In reality the Reds were strengthened by only 450 men.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vainio|first=Seppo|date=2009|title=Saksalaiset kaatuneet sotilaat ja muistomerkit Suomessa 1918|location=Vantaa|publisher=Seppo Vainio|pages=65|isbn=978-952-92651-7-6}}</ref> The German unit retreated to Ahvenkoski, {{Convert|20|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of Kotka. As they were soon followed by the Reds, they moved {{Convert|8|km|mi|abbr=on}} further west, where they dug into defensive positions by the [[Taasianjoki]] river. The Reds did not advance past Ahvenkoski, where they occuppied 18th-century fortifications by the Kymi river.<ref name="vainio2008" /><ref name="vainio2010">{{cite book|last=Vainio|first=Seppo|date=2010|title=Poliittiset väkivaltaisuudet Itä-Uudellamaalla 1917–18|location=Vantaa|publisher=Seppo Vainio|pages=69|isbn=978-952-92766-5-3}}</ref> They were soon reinforced by units who had retreated from the Karelian front.<ref name="parikka">{{cite book|last=Parikka|first=Raimo|date=1993|title=Helsingin pitäjä 1994|chapter=Helsingin pitäjän punakaarti 1918|location=Vantaa|publisher=Helsingin pitäjän kotiseutuyhdistys & Vantaan kaupunginmuseo|pages=16|isbn=|url=http://docplayer.fi/320012-Helsingin-pitajan-punakaarti-1918.html|language=fi}}</ref>

13According to a list of Germans who were killed in action during the war, at least 24 Germans died during the battle: eleven on 11 and 12{{nbsp}}April during the witdrawal and thirteen during the attack of 22 and 23{{nbsp}}April.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.helsinki.fi/~jjeerola/englskuol.htm|title=Suomen sotatoimissa 1918 ja niiden yhteydessä surmansa saaneiksi tai kadonneiksi ilmoitetut saksalaissotilaat|last=Eerola|first=Jari|date=|website=|publisher=University of Helsinki|language=fi|access-date=2017-07-23}}</ref> According to a Finnish casualty database, at least 14 reds died during the battle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vesta.narc.fi/cgi-bin/db2www/sotasurmaetusivu/main?lang=en|title=The registry of names of the war dead between 1914–1922|last=|first=|date=2004-05-19|year=2001|website=|publisher=[[National Archives of Finland]]|accessdate=2017-07-23}}</ref> Seven Germans were buried in Ahvenkoski Cemetery,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.denkmalprojekt.org/misc_laender/ruotsinpyhtaeae.htm|title=Ruotsinpyhtää, Friedhof Ahvenkoski, Provinz Uusimaa, Finnland|author=|publisher=Onlineprojekt Gefallenendenkmäler|date=|accessdate=1 September 2017|language=de}}</ref> as well as an unknown number of Reds. A memorial on the Red mass grave was erected in 1946.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tpertt.blogspot.fi/2013/06/punaisten-muistomerkit-kymenlaaksossa.html|title=Punaisten muistomerkit Kymenlaaksossa|author=Perttilä, Tommi|publisher=Sekalaista propagandaa|date=17 June 2013|accessdate=1 September 2017|language=fi}}</ref> In September 2013, a memorial to the end of the Civil War was unveiled at the site where the last Reds surrendered.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.loviisansanomat.net/lue.php?id=6522&vo=50|title=Muistakaa ja unohtakaa|author=Kosonen, Eija|publisher=Loviisan Sanomat|date=10 September 2013|accessdate=1 September 2017|language=fi}}</ref> The Battle of Ahvenkoski was the last action of the Civil War, but the White Army Commander-in-Chief [[C. G. E. Mannerheim]] did not declare the war over until 16{{nbsp}}May, when the Russians had left [[Fort Ino]] near [[Petrograd]].<ref name="apunen" />