Battle of Ahvenkoski: Difference between revisions
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{{Campaignbox Finnish Civil War}} |
{{Campaignbox Finnish Civil War}} |
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'''The Battle of Ahvenkoski''' was fought during the [[Finnish Civil War]] between 10{{nbsp}}April and 5{{nbsp}}May 1918 at [[Ahvenkoski]], |
'''The Battle of Ahvenkoski''' was fought during the [[Finnish Civil War]] between 10{{nbsp}}April and 5{{nbsp}}May 1918 at [[Ahvenkoski]], Finland between the [[German Empire]] and the [[Red Guards (Finland)|Red Guards]] ({{Lang-fi|punakaartit}}) of the [[Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic]], more commonly known as Red Finland.<ref name="leivo">{{cite web|url=http://www.sshs.fi/binary/file/-/id/17/fid/352/|title=Kyminlinnan taistelu 8.4.1918|author=Leivo, Teemu|publisher=Finnish Military History Society|date=27 August 2011|accessdate=1 September 2017|language=fi}}</ref> For most of the battle both sides occupied trenches along the [[Kymi (river)|Kymi river]].<ref name="vainio2008">{{cite book|last=Vainio|first=Seppo|date=2008|title=Saksalaiset Suomen sisällissodassa 1918|location=Vantaa|publisher=Seppo Vainio|pages=108|isbn=978-952-92425-5-9}}</ref> [[Ahvenkoski]] and the surrounding [[Kymenlaakso|Kymi valley]] region were the last strongholds of the [[Red Finland|Reds]]. The battle ended with the surrender of the last of the Red Guards on May 5, which ended the war with [[White Finland]] and Germany defeating Red Finland.<ref name="hautamaki1997">{{cite web | url=http://www15.uta.fi/yky/arkisto/suomi80/v18v19.htm | title=Sodan lopputulos ratkeaa | publisher=University of Tampere | date=1997 | accessdate=31 August 2017 | author=Hautamäki, Kirsi | language=fi}}</ref> |
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== German campaign begins == |
== German campaign begins == |
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Germany launched a military campaign in southeast Finland on 7{{nbsp}}April 1918 with the landing of [[Detachment Brandenstein]] in [[Loviisa]]. Their goal was to take the coastal town of [[Kotka]] situated 40 |
The German Empire supported [[White Finland]], the precursor of the modern Finnish state, during the civil war against [[Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic|Red Finland]] and its paramilitary army, the [[Red Guards (Finland)|Red Guards]]. Thus, Germany launched a military campaign in southeast Finland on 7{{nbsp}}April 1918 with the landing of [[Detachment Brandenstein]] ({{Lang-de|Abteilung-Brandenstein}}) in [[Loviisa]]. Their goal was to take the coastal town of [[Kotka]] situated {{Convert|40|km|mi}} east of Loviisa, then move north along the vital [[Riihimäki–Saint Petersburg railway|Saint Petersburg railway]] to the railway junction of [[Kouvola]]. The next morning, a 300-soldier reconnaissance unit reached the outskirts of Kotka, but was stopped in the [[Battle of Kyminlinna]].<ref name="leivo" /> |
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As the Germans waited for reinforcements, they tapped enemy telephone lines and mistakenly believed that the |
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 Kymenlaakso 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> |
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== Battle at Ahvenkoski == |
== Battle at Ahvenkoski == |
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The next ten days were quiet, as the fighting was focused north of Loviisa in the [[Eastern Uusimaa]] region. On 22{{nbsp}}April the Germans moved up to Ahvenkoski |
The next ten days were quiet, as the fighting was focused north of Loviisa in the [[Eastern Uusimaa]] region. On 22{{nbsp}}April the Germans moved up to Ahvenkoski and attacked the next morning. The battle lasted two days, but they were not able to break through the Red lines. On{{nbsp}}25 April, the Reds left their positions on the western side of the Kymi river and retreated across it, destroying bridges behind them.<ref name="vainio2010"/> The Germans occupied the trenches on the western side of the Kymi river, and the battle paused for the next eight days.<ref name="vainio2008"/> |
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The Reds front in [[Karelia]] collapsed after the [[Battle of Vyborg]] on 29{{nbsp}}April |
The Reds' front in [[Karelia]] collapsed after the [[Battle of Vyborg]] ({{Lang-fi|Viipuri}}) on 29{{nbsp}}April and they suffered a decisive loss at the [[Battle of Lahti]]. This meant that the [[Kymenlaakso|Kymi valley]] region was now the last Red stronghold. A ceasefire was established on 3 May, and the parties started negotiations for a Red surrender.<ref name="vainio2010"/> |
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== Red Finland surrenders == |
== Red Finland surrenders == |
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The Reds in Kymenlaakso started surrendering on 4 May, first in the village of [[Inkeroinen]] in [[Anjalankoski]]. The same evening the [[White Guards (Finland)|Whites]] entered Kotka, where 4,000 Reds surrendered with hardly any resistance. The last Reds left were now the 800–900 fighters in Ahvenkoski.<ref name="hautamaki1997" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www15.uta.fi/yky/arkisto/suomi80/v18v18.htm|title=Valkoisten voitto varmistui lopullisesti|author=Järvelin, Antti|publisher=University of Tampere|date=1997|accessdate=1 September 2017|language=fi}}</ref> |
The Reds in Kymenlaakso started surrendering on 4 May, first in the village of [[Inkeroinen]] in [[Anjalankoski]]. The same evening the [[White Guards (Finland)|Whites]] entered Kotka, where 4,000 Reds surrendered with hardly any resistance. The last Reds left were now the 800–900 fighters in Ahvenkoski.<ref name="hautamaki1997" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www15.uta.fi/yky/arkisto/suomi80/v18v18.htm|title=Valkoisten voitto varmistui lopullisesti|author=Järvelin, Antti|publisher=University of Tampere|date=1997|accessdate=1 September 2017|language=fi}}</ref> The negotiations in Ahvenkoski were mediated by foreign representatives based in Kotka.<ref name="vainio2010" /> The Red delegation was led by Juho Kaven, a 24-year-old carpenter from Malmi, [[Helsinki]].<ref name="parikka" /> The Finnish Whites demanded an [[unconditional surrender]], but according to the agreement concluded with the Germans, the individual soldiers would be released and only the leaders would be made prisoners. The Reds were to surrender their weapons by 6{{nbsp}}p.m. on 5{{nbsp}}May at the latest.<ref name="vainio2010" /> |
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| ⚫ | The surrender became effective at midday of 5 May, as 800 Reds marched behind their commander Oskar Vinter towards the German lines on the western bank of the Kymi river. After crossing the Rajasilta ("Border Bridge"), they surrendered their weapons. Despite the agreement, the Red fighters were not released. After capturing the Reds, the Whites separated the staff members, platoon leaders and trade union activists from the crowd, and took them to the [[Svartholm fortress]], where they were immediately shot. The rest were kept overnight in the Vähä-Ahvenkoski village, and then transported to various [[Finnish Civil War prison camps|White prison camps]] in Southern Finland.<ref name="vainio2010" /> The following week, the Whites executed nearly 300 Reds in Kymi valley.<ref name="apunen">{{cite book|last=Apunen|first=Osmo|date=1991|title=Suomi 75. Itsenäisen Suomen historia 1|chapter=Kansalaissodan sotilaallinen ratkaisu|location=Helsinki|publisher=Welin+Göös|pages=257|isbn=951-35515-7-1}}</ref> |
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The negotiations in Ahvenkoski were mediated by foreign representatives based in Kotka.<ref name="vainio2010"/> The Red delegation was led by Juho Kaven, a 24-year-old carpenter from Malmi, Helsinki.<ref name="parikka"/> The Finnish Whites demanded an [[unconditional surrender]], but according to the agreement concluded with the Germans, the individual soldiers would be released and only the leaders would be made prisoners. The Reds were to surrender their weapons by 6{{nbsp}}pm on 5{{nbsp}}May at the latest.<ref name="vainio2010"/> |
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== Aftermath == |
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| ⚫ | The surrender |
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| ⚫ | 13 Germans died 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" /> |
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The Battle of Ahvenkoski was the last action of the Civil War, but the White Army commander [[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"/> |
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== Commemoration == |
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| ⚫ | 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. |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Revision as of 10:42, 26 February 2018
| Battle of Ahvenkoski | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Finnish Civil War | |||||||
 The fixed Rajasilta Bridge after the battle. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 German Empire |
 Red Finland | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Otto von Brandenstein | Oskar Vinter † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 800 | 800–900 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 13 killed | at least 14 killed | ||||||
The Battle of Ahvenkoski was fought during the Finnish Civil War between 10 April and 5 May 1918 at Ahvenkoski, Finland between the German Empire and the Red Guards (Finnish: punakaartit) of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic, more commonly known as Red Finland.[1] For most of the battle both sides occupied trenches along the Kymi river.[2] Ahvenkoski and the surrounding Kymi valley region were the last strongholds of the Reds. The battle ended with the surrender of the last of the Red Guards on May 5, which ended the war with White Finland and Germany defeating Red Finland.[3]
German campaign begins
The German Empire supported White Finland, the precursor of the modern Finnish state, during the civil war against Red Finland and its paramilitary army, the Red Guards. Thus, Germany launched a military campaign in southeast Finland on 7 April 1918 with the landing of Detachment Brandenstein (German: Abteilung-Brandenstein) in Loviisa. Their goal was to take the coastal town of Kotka situated 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of Loviisa, then move north along the vital Saint Petersburg railway to the railway junction of Kouvola. The next morning, a 300-soldier reconnaissance unit reached the outskirts of Kotka, but was stopped in the Battle of Kyminlinna.[1]
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 Kymenlaakso region. In reality the Reds were strengthened by only 450 men.[4] The German unit retreated to Ahvenkoski, 20 km (12 mi) east of Kotka. As they were soon followed by the Reds, they moved 8 km (5.0 mi) 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.[2][5] They were soon reinforced by units who had retreated from the Karelian front.[6]
Battle at Ahvenkoski
The next ten days were quiet, as the fighting was focused north of Loviisa in the Eastern Uusimaa region. On 22 April the Germans moved up to Ahvenkoski and attacked the next morning. The battle lasted two days, but they were not able to break through the Red lines. On 25 April, the Reds left their positions on the western side of the Kymi river and retreated across it, destroying bridges behind them.[5] The Germans occupied the trenches on the western side of the Kymi river, and the battle paused for the next eight days.[2]
The Reds' front in Karelia collapsed after the Battle of Vyborg (Finnish: Viipuri) on 29 April and they suffered a decisive loss at the Battle of Lahti. This meant that the Kymi valley region was now the last Red stronghold. A ceasefire was established on 3 May, and the parties started negotiations for a Red surrender.[5]
Red Finland surrenders
The Reds in Kymenlaakso started surrendering on 4 May, first in the village of Inkeroinen in Anjalankoski. The same evening the Whites entered Kotka, where 4,000 Reds surrendered with hardly any resistance. The last Reds left were now the 800–900 fighters in Ahvenkoski.[3][7] The negotiations in Ahvenkoski were mediated by foreign representatives based in Kotka.[5] The Red delegation was led by Juho Kaven, a 24-year-old carpenter from Malmi, Helsinki.[6] The Finnish Whites demanded an unconditional surrender, but according to the agreement concluded with the Germans, the individual soldiers would be released and only the leaders would be made prisoners. The Reds were to surrender their weapons by 6 p.m. on 5 May at the latest.[5]
The surrender became effective at midday of 5 May, as 800 Reds marched behind their commander Oskar Vinter towards the German lines on the western bank of the Kymi river. After crossing the Rajasilta ("Border Bridge"), they surrendered their weapons. Despite the agreement, the Red fighters were not released. After capturing the Reds, the Whites separated the staff members, platoon leaders and trade union activists from the crowd, and took them to the Svartholm fortress, where they were immediately shot. The rest were kept overnight in the Vähä-Ahvenkoski village, and then transported to various White prison camps in Southern Finland.[5] The following week, the Whites executed nearly 300 Reds in Kymi valley.[8]
Aftermath
13 Germans died during the attack of 22 and 23 April.[9] According to a Finnish casualty database, at least 14 reds died during the battle.[10] Seven Germans were buried in Ahvenkoski Cemetery,[11] as well as an unknown number of Reds. A memorial on the Red mass grave was erected in 1946.[12] In September 2013, a memorial to the end of the Civil War was unveiled at the site where the last Reds surrendered.[13] 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 May, when the Russians had left Fort Ino near Petrograd.[8]
References
- ^ a b Leivo, Teemu (27 August 2011). "Kyminlinnan taistelu 8.4.1918" (in Finnish). Finnish Military History Society. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- ^ a b c Vainio, Seppo (2008). Saksalaiset Suomen sisällissodassa 1918. Vantaa: Seppo Vainio. p. 108. ISBN 978-952-92425-5-9.
- ^ a b Hautamäki, Kirsi (1997). "Sodan lopputulos ratkeaa" (in Finnish). University of Tampere. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ^ Vainio, Seppo (2009). Saksalaiset kaatuneet sotilaat ja muistomerkit Suomessa 1918. Vantaa: Seppo Vainio. p. 65. ISBN 978-952-92651-7-6.
- ^ a b c d e f Vainio, Seppo (2010). Poliittiset väkivaltaisuudet Itä-Uudellamaalla 1917–18. Vantaa: Seppo Vainio. p. 69. ISBN 978-952-92766-5-3.
- ^ a b Parikka, Raimo (1993). "Helsingin pitäjän punakaarti 1918". Helsingin pitäjä 1994 (in Finnish). Vantaa: Helsingin pitäjän kotiseutuyhdistys & Vantaan kaupunginmuseo. p. 16.
- ^ Järvelin, Antti (1997). "Valkoisten voitto varmistui lopullisesti" (in Finnish). University of Tampere. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- ^ a b Apunen, Osmo (1991). "Kansalaissodan sotilaallinen ratkaisu". Suomi 75. Itsenäisen Suomen historia 1. Helsinki: Welin+Göös. p. 257. ISBN 951-35515-7-1.
- ^ Eerola, Jari. "Suomen sotatoimissa 1918 ja niiden yhteydessä surmansa saaneiksi tai kadonneiksi ilmoitetut saksalaissotilaat" (in Finnish). University of Helsinki. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "The registry of names of the war dead between 1914–1922". National Archives of Finland. 2004-05-19. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - ^ "Ruotsinpyhtää, Friedhof Ahvenkoski, Provinz Uusimaa, Finnland" (in German). Onlineprojekt Gefallenendenkmäler. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- ^ Perttilä, Tommi (17 June 2013). "Punaisten muistomerkit Kymenlaaksossa" (in Finnish). Sekalaista propagandaa. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- ^ Kosonen, Eija (10 September 2013). "Muistakaa ja unohtakaa" (in Finnish). Loviisan Sanomat. Retrieved 1 September 2017.