Erillinen Pataljoona 4
Encyclopedia
Erillinen Pataljoona 4 was a Finnish Army
special forces
unit during the Continuation War
.
The battalion was founded on July 1, 1943 from the existing long range reconnaissance patrols (Kaukopartiot).
, but training for these began during the spring of 1940. Most of the men were veterans from the war, but some were refugees from eastern Karelia
and Ingria
. About 150 men were trained before the beginning of the Continuation War. At first the units only had as few as 15 men, but during the war this was increased up to 60 men. On July 1, 1943 the units were organised in the 4th Detached Battalion. In 1944 a special unit with amphibious He 115 planes was founded to support the battalion. The total strength of the battalion was 678 men, and 76 women (see Lotta Svärd
).
The battalion made over 50 missions in 1943 and just under 100 in 1944. The battalion also took part in the Lapland war
, and was disbanded November 30, 1944.
Finnish Army
The Finnish Army is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces.Today's Army is divided into six branches: the infantry , field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, engineers, signals, and materiel troops.-History of the Finnish Army:Between 1809 and 1917 Finland was an autonomous part of...
special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
unit during the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
.
The battalion was founded on July 1, 1943 from the existing long range reconnaissance patrols (Kaukopartiot).
Organisation
The different companies were named after their commanders.- Osasto Vehniäinen, Viipuri
- Osasto Kuismanen, JoensuuJoensuuJoensuu is a city and municipality in North Karelia in eastern Finland. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of North Karelia region. It was founded in 1848...
- Osasto Marttina, KajaaniKajaaniKajaani is a town and municipality in Finland.It is the capital of the Kainuu region. It is located southeast of Oulujärvi , which drains to the Gulf of Bothnia along the Oulujoki . There are inhabitants and city surface area is of which is water. The population density is . The town is...
- Osasto Paatsalo, RovaniemiRovaniemiRovaniemi is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland. It is situated close to the Arctic Circle and is between the hills of Ounasvaara and Korkalovaara, at the confluence of the Kemijoki River and its...
- Lento.os/ErP 4, MikkeliMikkeliMikkeli is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
—Plane detachment (founded June 23, 1944) - KoulK/ErP 4—Training center (founded July 1, 1944)
History
No long range reconnaissance units were used during the Winter WarWinter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
, but training for these began during the spring of 1940. Most of the men were veterans from the war, but some were refugees from eastern Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
and Ingria
Ingria
Ingria is a historical region in the eastern Baltic, now part of Russia, comprising the southern bank of the river Neva, between the Gulf of Finland, the Narva River, Lake Peipus in the west, and Lake Ladoga and the western bank of the Volkhov river in the east...
. About 150 men were trained before the beginning of the Continuation War. At first the units only had as few as 15 men, but during the war this was increased up to 60 men. On July 1, 1943 the units were organised in the 4th Detached Battalion. In 1944 a special unit with amphibious He 115 planes was founded to support the battalion. The total strength of the battalion was 678 men, and 76 women (see Lotta Svärd
Lotta Svärd
Lotta Svärd was a Finnish voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organisation for women. During the Finnish Civil War it was associated with the Suojeluskunta. After the war Lotta Svärd was founded as a separate organisation on September 9, 1920. The name comes from a poem by Johan Ludvig Runeberg...
).
The battalion made over 50 missions in 1943 and just under 100 in 1944. The battalion also took part in the Lapland war
Lapland War
The Lapland War were the hostilities between Finland and Nazi Germany between September 1944 and April 1945, fought in Finland's northernmost Lapland Province. While the Finns saw this as a separate conflict much like the Continuation War, German forces considered their actions to be part of the...
, and was disbanded November 30, 1944.
Other special forces units
There were other Finnish units that were assigned similar tasks, although more limited in range, as the ErP 4. These include:- Long-range reconnaissance detachment of the 3rd DivisionFinnish 3rd Division (Continuation War)The 3rd Division was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War.-History:The 3rd division was the main component of the Finnish III Corps. During the war, the division fought mostly in the Uhtua and Kiestinki area, when it participated in Operation Arctic Fox...
- Long-range patrol of the 4th Division
- Long-range patrol of the 14th Division