[Finns]Talvisodan sotapäiväkirjat netissä

Originally Posted by Oberon

What sorta food do you have on the average morning tea?

In the military? When at the barracks or on an exercise, usually porridge and bread. There was tea and coffee but the coffee tasted horrible. Guerrillas had their own guerilla rations, kinda like the MRE's the Americans have. Those ration packs were ok, they even had chocolate which was eaten first.

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by OneToughHerring

We had morning tea when I was in the service. It's more like a breakfast but it's called morning tea. Unless you're in a guerilla unit and in the bush, then your morning tea will be the funny colored water from a near-by ditch. Just add water purification pills and shake.

You guys actually used those? Blech.....

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by OneToughHerring

In the military? When at the barracks or on an exercise, usually porridge and bread. There was tea and coffee but the coffee tasted horrible. Guerrillas had their own guerilla rations, kinda like the MRE's the Americans have. Those ration packs were ok, they even had chocolate which was eaten first.

I've heard those MREs referred to as 'Meals Rejected by Ethiopians'
So, when doing the Guerrilla course did you act as the opfor to those doing a standard course or was it a seperate entity for use in case of invasion?

Originally Posted by Oberon

I've heard those MREs referred to as 'Meals Rejected by Ethiopians'
So, when doing the Guerrilla course did you act as the opfor to those doing a standard course or was it a seperate entity for use in case of invasion?

I actually didn't specialize as a guerilla although I was at the guerilla company for my rookie period. I got elected as a medic. I did learn to do to most of the stuff the guerillas did and was along for their marches. Mostly I was with the anti-tank company, RPG guys.

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by OneToughHerring

I actually didn't specialize as a guerilla although I was at the guerilla company for my rookie period. I got elected as a medic. I did learn to do to most of the stuff the guerillas did and was along for their marches. Mostly I was with the anti-tank company, RPG guys.

You use RPG's? You know the guys next door make AT-4's right?

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

You use RPG's? You know the guys next door make AT-4's right?

I get the idea that it has been awhile since OTH went thru the service.

I believe our AT weaponry is KES88 and the 112mm Apilas. And then of course we have TOW 2, EuroSpike some other stuff.

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

You use RPG's? You know the guys next door make AT-4's right?

RPG's as in a general name for stuff they use to shoot tanks with. The Finnish military uses the old M72 LAW's and French Apilas's. Apilas pic. As for missiles we use TOW 2's and Eurospikes.

More info on Finnish military equipment in English.

Dowly, it's not THAT long ago. I used to load up the practice rounds into the KES's (LAW's).

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

You guys actually used those? Blech.....

Well, at least once. They made the water taste even funnier.

[Happy Times]

The Finnish special operations forces are rather complex topic.

The Sissi troops being the largest, several batallions in war time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sissi_(Finnish_guerilla)

Sissi (Finnish light infantry)




The Finnish Army Sissi units are trained to conduct reconnaissance patrols, gather intelligence from concealed observation post, raid enemy installations (especially supply depots), conduct road side ambushes and pursuit and destruction of special forces units.

In wartime, the unknown number of reservists assigned to Sissi battalions would deploy and operate as small groups up to company size. They are meant to stay behind and covertly operate against enemy forces in their area of responsibility even if regular friendly troops have been forced to retreat. Sissi battalions are part of Finnish Army local troops, not jäger and armored brigades meant for operational use. Sissi units are considered as the elites of the Army conscripts, and many of the units, such as the Paratroopers or Frontier Jaegers, are formed of volunteers.


Term and use
In Finnish, "sissi" means guerrilla, but the term is somewhat misleading when referring to Finnish Army Sissi troops. Sissi forces are not irregular guerrilla or militia forces; they are part of the regular Army trained for operations behind enemy lines. Like most of the Finnish Defence Forces, Sissi battalions are composed of reservists. Their closest foreign equivalents are the Swedish Armed Forces Jägare troops.

Sissi as a description is a person of extraordinary stamina (or Sisu) – e.g. "Sissi weather" (Sissin sää) refers to the worst possible weather conditions as Sissi soldiers prefer these for their operations.

In the Finnish Defence Forces, Sissi is used as an umbrella term for all unconventional military applications such as MREs, which are called "Sissi rations."

Training
Volunteers are preferred for Sissi training, but any conscript in decent physical condition has a good chance of being assigned to a Sissi training company. Conscripts with hobbies such as hunting and hiking are also preferred.

Sissi troops are trained in several brigades under the Finnish Defence Forces. Finnish Border Guard, which is under the Ministry of the Interior, also trains Sissi-troops in Frontier Guard units.

In addition to this small groups of conscrips (8-10 people) are bi-annually given marine Sissi and reconnaissance training at the amphibious brigade in Dragsvik. The group is usually taken from the elite "rannikkojääkärit" (Marine Commando) infantry unit. In Finnish Border Guard sissi troops, called Frontier jaegers, are trained in each Border Guard Command. Sissi troops trained in Finnish Border guard are also taught basic duties of border guarding. In Kaakkois-Suomen Rajavartiosto special Sissi troops (Special frontier jaegers) are also trained in Special forces tactics and techniques. Reserve officers for all Sissi troops are trained at Reserviupseerikoulu. Rivalry between Sissi-troops in different services is traditionally high.


Conscript in Sissi-company begins with 8-week basic infantry training. After this training becomes more intense. Conscripts are given survival training during every season of the year, they can specialize further into reconnaissance, sniping, dog handling, battlefield medical service or signals. Sissi NCO/Officer training includes additionally signals, demolitions, extended small arms training as well as advanced escape & evasion techniques and ambush tactics. Those unable to cope for either physical or psychological reasons are either given deferments or transferred to a regular infantry training.

Special Sissi NCOs are also trained to operate in Sissi platoons, called sissiradisti or Sissi signalists. These NCOs are trained in the use of telegraphy for long-range communications.

Besides specially trained sissi troops, everyone in Finnish army at least in theory receives basic training in survival and sissi tactics. All troops and soldiers in Finnish army are theoretically capable of moving from normal warfare to sissi tactics if they are, for example, encircled or their main forces or command structure are destroyed.

Sissi troops are generally not airborne, with the exception of Army Para Jaegers trained in the Utti Jaeger Regiment. Para Jaegers are trained in sissi warfare, with an emphasis on long-range reconnaissance and the addition of close-quarter battle and urban operations training. Para Jaegers carry the sissi insignia on their sleeves.

Sissi troops also resemble Scout troops (tiedustelijat), who are more specialized at gathering intelligence than the aggressive Sissi troops. In some brigades, Sissi are trained in Scout companies, and vice-versa in other brigades, the training is quite similar.

Weapons and equipment

Sissi troops are un-motorized and are not equipped with heavy weapons or equipment, their uniforms and weaponry are almost identical with regular infantry issue. Distinctive personal equipment used by Sissi are Savotta "Para Jäger" backpacks used because of extended hikes[4], camouflage paint and personal camouflage nets. Sissi units have fewer crew served weapons and more sniper rifles than regular infantry.

Mines are an important part of the Sissi tactic of ambushing enemy convoys. They are also used to discourage pursuit after a raid and serve as defences of bivouac. Sissi training includes constructing improvised explosive devices, as well as boobytraps e.g. from dud artillery shells. Sissi units have a wide variety of land mines at their disposal.

The above mentioned Scout troops receive mostly the same training but specialize in an LRRP role in war time and are deployed as small patrols.
The Sissi troops operate in platoon to batallion size depending on the situation.
Scout troops are also part on the operational brigades.
Sissi troops operate under the regional forces. They have caches preparred in the peace time in their area of operations.

These troops number in thousands of trained resrvists.

There are also active SOF units that have enlisted troops and train only small number of concripts.
They are the elite SF troops with a large set of skills and versatility.

Army-Special Jaeger Battalion

Navy-Combat Divers

Border Guard-Special Border Jaegers

These troops number in the hundreds only and are deployed by the high command.

[mjs80]

Finns always claim dubious victories and terms. Case in point the Molotov coctail. Not excactly a fiinnish invetion, petrol bombs were used in the spanish civil war. Finns only added the element of (wood)tar. That made a rudimentary napalm. And finns claim ww2 as a victory simply because the goals were met, the goals being independece. "Yeah we lost 10 percent of the land but hey! we set our goal on independece!" Easy to shout from the audience after the play...

[Oberon]

Reminds me a bit of the Auxiliary Units formed by the British in 1940.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Units

It's a good idea, and damn, I'd trust the Finns to be damn good at commando-style operations.

[stabiz]

In Finnish, "sissi" means guerrilla

Come out and fight, you sissy!

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by mjs80

And finns claim ww2 as a victory simply because the goals were met, the goals being independece. "Yeah we lost 10 percent of the land but hey! we set our goal on independece!" Easy to shout from the audience after the play...

Russia's goal was to invade whole of Finland, not just the bufferzone they asked to protect Leningrad. I dont see how losing the areas that we lost in exhange of the whole country isnt a victory of a kind.

[antikristuseke]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Reminds me a bit of the Auxiliary Units formed by the British in 1940.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Units

It's a good idea, and damn, I'd trust the Finns to be damn good at commando-style operations.

If the fins were attacked i would be on the first boat over there to help out, being recon/guerillia myself, wouldn't want to mis the fun. Besides the chanse to shoot dowly is too much to resist :p

[Dowly]

Chris, you still interested in the english translations?

I started to translate the diary of JR27 last night which ranges from 1. to 10. of January 1940, the time they started their attack against the 44. division on Raate road.

I can make it .pdf or just plain .txt and send you the link when I'm done. But here's the first 2 days for starters, at the time they were moving closer to the road.

I had to do some guessing at some points due to stains and such making the writing extremely hard to read.

1/1/1940

06:10
Orders came to move in to the Kuivasjärvi area.

09:00
HQ moved to Kuivasalmi

10:45
Detachment Lassila arrived to Kuivasalmi.

12:10
Per orders, all troops were to join under command of detachment Mäkiniemi. Detachment Airimo (not sure if the name is correct) will be acting as reserve.

13:45
Detachment Mäkiniemi's attack order for all troops.

14:30
Detachment Lassila left the HQ.

16:30
Detachment Lassila's arrival reported by Detachment Häkkinen in Kuivasjärvi. Both detachments started to advance as per orders.

16:45
2nd Ltn. Ylönen (new CO of detachment Kontula) reported that they had made contact with two enemy MGs and a LMG and that he had only 40 men left.

20:20
Capt. Häkkinen came to HQ to report that his forces were exhausted and moral was low.

20:30
Orders came to use 3. battalion to relief detachments Häkkinen and Kontula, so they could get some rest.

20:40
Detachment Airimo arrived to relief Häkkinen's and Kontula's troops.

22:00
Contact made with 1. battalion that had advanced almost to the Raate road, so that their frontlines were approx. 200m from
the road. Ordered to dig in and pull some of the troops behind the lines for rest. Detachments Häkkinen and Kontula
reported that the attack could not continue due to the casualties inflicted by russian attacks and poor morale.

22:50
1. battalion had reached the Raate road at Haukila. They opened fire from 50 meters and stopped enemy convoy that was travelling on the road towards east.



2/1/1940

09:08
Report came from ????? saying it's patrols had not seen enemies at ????? nor in the southeast intersection. Enemy hadn't
secured the Mehtolampi-Lauttalampi region either.

10:15
Following report from 1. battalion: We havent made any progress this morning due to heavy resistance. Enemy has made counter-attacks from east and west. I will try to continue the attack towards our objective. I request you send someone to fix the communication lines between us and HQ, all my runners are currently tied up in combat. Despite their tries, we have managed to deny the enemy from destroying their equipment from the convoy. One enemy tank destroyed, two still operational, but we have cut the road to east. I request you reinforce us with a mortar squad.

10:20
Order to Ltn. ????? for preparing mortar squad to leave to reinforce 1. battalion. Order to Det. Airimo to advance to the left towards their objective and join the fight.

10:50
Report from Ltn. Lahdenperä, 1. battalion: Four enemy tanks destroyed, 2 still operational. Lassila's request to take command of two AT guns granted. East fortified and mined. Enemy has counter-attacked numerous times, all tries countered. Lassila informs that his right flank is weak. He has one squad in reserves and is asking for a company to reinforce him.

11:10
Karasmaa's company ordered to move to 2. battalion's position and wait for further orders.

11:25
Order to Kahila's company to move their current position (Pappila) to the ????? area. Situation report sent to division.

11:30
Order to ????? to start advancing towards Mehtolampi-Lauttalampi area and engage enemy near Haukila.

11:35
Karasmaa arrived to 2. battalion. Karasmaa tasked to recon the area.

13:10
Capt. Airimo made contact with Lassila. Both battalions to start attack at 14:30.

14:30
1. battalion reported that the attack had to be cancelled due to enemy counter-attacks from east.

15:55
Report from 1. battalion: Attack has begun, mortars providing support.

18:15
1. battalion reports the attack has stalled. Order sent to hold position at current location.

[Happy Times]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Reminds me a bit of the Auxiliary Units formed by the British in 1940.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Units

It's a good idea, and damn, I'd trust the Finns to be damn good at commando-style operations.

I left out some units before.

The Navy has few batallions of Marine Commandos and Marine Recon teams.

There are several batallions of Military Police in all service branches that specialize in detecting and destruction of enemy special forces.

The Police has a CT- unit, nicknamed Bear-squad, that is some 100 men strong and trains together with the Army and Border Guard units