| FRONTIER GUARD TROOPS |
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| RAJAVARTIOJOUKOT 1939 - 1944 |
| FRONTIER GUARD TROOPS |
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| RAJAVARTIOJOUKOT 1939 - 1944 |
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Frontier Guard Troops in the Winter War 1939 - 1940 Finnish Frontier Guard [Rajavartiolaitos] was formed in 1919 under the Ministry for Interior Affairs. Its naval part Coast Guard [Merivartiolaitos] was organized in 1930 to fight against smugglers. Like the Finnish Defence Forces also Frontier Guard trained conscripts but in limited numbers. In case a war would broke out the defence of the long eastern border from Lieksa north to the Barents Sea at Petsamo was under the responsibility of the troops formed by the Frontier Guard. During the war Frontier Guard's Staff was planned to form an army corps level headquarters. Coast Guard would be attached to Naval Forces and all land troops to Field Army (land forces). In 1939
local Frontier Guards formed either Separate
Battalions (Erillinen pataljoona, Er.P) or Separate
Companies (Erillinen komppania, Er.K).
These units together with the conscript units of the Finnish
Defence Forces formed the so called Securing
Troops [Suojajoukot] which were mobilized first.
North from Lake Ladoga regional separate battalions were
formed around peace-time Frontier Companies
reinforcing these with local reservists. These units are
described on the page Separate Battalions 1939 - 1940. North Finland Group In
November 1939 Frontier Guard's Staff (Commander
of Frontier Guard Maj.Gen. W. Tuompo, Chief of
Staff Lt.Col. V. Viklund) became North
Finland Group (Pohjois-Suomen Ryhmä, P-SR)
which eventually commanded three sub-groups:
. Separate Company In Karelian Isthmus Frontier Guard troops were organized in nine reinforced Frontier Companies (Rajakomppania, RajaK) which were called Separate Companies (Erillinen komppania, Er.K) during the Winter War. 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 8th Separate Companies were almost completely composed of reservists while other companies had mainly paid personnel and were usually better equipped than ordinary units of the Field Army. Also Separate Battalion 3 (Erillinen pataljoona 3, Er.P 3) had one frontier company (Company Chief Capt. L. Paloheimo) in Karelian Isthmus. After the initial phase most companies were subordinated to assist other units mainly in tank killing role. 10th Separate Company operated in northern Lapland and was the northernmost Finnish infantry unit at the beginning of the Winter War. During the first days of the war it met superior Soviet forces (two infantry divisions) and had to retreat. On 1.12.1939 company was attached to Detachment Pennanen which was reinforced with two more companies formed from the additional reservists. They were initially partly without equipment and weapons and were gradually equipped for example with the war booty captured from Soviet forces. New 11th Separate Company could be considered as a Frontier Guard unit. Separate Company was initially organized as follows:
. Frontier / Separate Companies (1939 -
1940)
. Metsäpirtti Detachment Metsäpirtti Detachment (Metsäpirtin osasto, MO) (Capt. R. Inkinen, 16.12.39- Capt. O.? Korhonen, 18.12.39- Lt. A. Suurkari) was a command HQ formed during the "Extraordinary Exercise" (YH) for the securing troops on the Eastern Karelian Isthmus. It was formed by Karelian Isthmus Frontier Guard and consisted of 8th and 9th Separate Companies and 2nd Separate Battery (2. Erillinen patteri, 2.Er.Ptri) (Battery Chief Lt. P. Sirola) which was a former Metsäpirtti Civil Guard Battery. Small Detachment HQ consisted of Commander, Adjutant, Clerk, Messenger Officer, Physician, three Combat Messengers and two Drivers for motor vehicles in addition to a small Radio Squad (Radioryhmä) (strength 0+1+3 = 4 men) and a Signalling Squad (Merkinantoryhmä) for flashlight signalling with two men. Detachment was initially subordinated to Infantry Regiment 28 (Jalkaväkirykmentti 28, JR 28) (Col. U. Sihvonen). On 2.12.1939 companies were temporarily joined together as a new company (Company Chief Lt. A. Suurkari). On 6.12. MO withdrew across the river Taipaleenjoki but it was not suspended and was thereafter mostly subordinated to various units of 10th / 7th Division. Although on the front defending its own "sector" at river Taipaleenjoki MO also sent patrols which scouted on the Soviet side. In the night on 3./4.1.1940 MO was moved to reserve. After the
rest detachment was reformed and refitted on 22.1.1940 as
a company sized special unit called as Metsäpirtti
Frontier Guerrillas (Metsäpirtin rajasissit) (Chief
Lt. A. Suurkari). It was subordinated to Light
Detachment (Kevyt osasto 7, Kev.Os.7) (Commander Cav.Capt.
W. Walldén (WIA?), 15.2.40- Lt./Capt.(40) A. Suurkari)
which also received the surplus personnel of MO. Detachment Pennanen Detachment Pennanen (Osasto Pennanen, Os.P) (1.12.39 - 3.40 Capt. A. Pennanen) was formed on 1.12.1939. It was composed of 10th and 11th Separate Companies, 5th Separate Battery, guerrilla unit Reconnaissance Detachment 9 (TO 9) and a new 3rd Company / Detachment Pennanen (3.K/Os.P) which was formed and equipped during the early days of December 1939 from the personnel of Kolosjoki nickel mines. Os.P belonged to Lapland Group (LR). Troops in
the far north had been gradually reinforced up to the
battalion size. Using inconsiderate guerrilla tactics
against the Soviet supply lines detachment managed to
inflict bitter casualties and eventually stop Soviet
advance on 18.12.1939 for the rest of the war. Finnish
guerrillas even attacked twice against Soviet airfield at
Petsamo. [ Frontier Jäger Troops 1941 - 1942 ] . . |
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© 2000 - 31.8.2005 Harri Anttonen