Kainuu Brigade
Encyclopedia
Kainuu Brigade is a Finnish Army
unit situated in Kajaani
. The brigade trains most conscripts, approximately 4000 annually. The brigade trains troops for securing northern Finland during war-time, and it is also the northernmost of Finland
's three readiness units, and also the largest.
The Brigade trains units suited for combat on the heavy snow and poor road-infrastructure areas of Northern Finland, and has several variations from normal Finnish Army training schedules and equipment to meet these demands, such as the light tracked all-terrain vehicles used for fast transportation of troops especially during wintertime. The vehicles are also used by heavy (120mm) mortar companies, who use mortars fixed on these vehicles. The equipment provides inexpensive, unopposed freedom of movement even in difficult off-road and snow conditions.
Note also that this is the training organisation, not the actual war-time organisation of the Brigade 2005 (the readiness unit). In this training or peace-time organisation, the Brigade can hoist everything needed on a modern battlefield except for anti-air weapons other than the 12.7 mm machine guns. These units are trained in the Lapland Air Defence Regiment
.
Kuopio Battalion
The Kuopio Battalion is responsible for training of a recon/ranger unit, drivers for various vehicles (for Supply mostly - other Battalions train the drivers they need themselves), and supply and munitions personnel. The Battalion is also responsible for the training of NCOs for recon and transportation. The battalion also has a Canine Training Unit.
Kainuu Artillery Regiment
The Artillery Regiment uses 81 mm light mortars attached to Infantry units, 120 mm heavy mortars fixed on TeKa:s, 122 mm Soviet howitzers and modern 155 K 98
155 mm guns equipped with APU to provide (minor) movement without towing vehicles. It also trains all artillery NCO's, including forward observers and mortar leaders.
The Brigade also has its own hospital and supply center.
in the battle
of the Lech River
on April 5, 1632, which is the traditional day of the brigade. It also holds up the traditions of the men that fought at Suomussalmi
, Raate Road
and Kuhmo
during the Winter War
as well as the Rukajärvi-directions 14. Division during the Continuation War
.
The march of the Brigade is Hurtti-Ukko by Carl Collan.
The Brigade's flag is the Kajaani Sissi
Battalion's flag from 1920.
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...
unit situated in Kajaani
Kajaani
Kajaani 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...
. The brigade trains most conscripts, approximately 4000 annually. The brigade trains troops for securing northern Finland during war-time, and it is also the northernmost of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
's three readiness units, and also the largest.
The Brigade trains units suited for combat on the heavy snow and poor road-infrastructure areas of Northern Finland, and has several variations from normal Finnish Army training schedules and equipment to meet these demands, such as the light tracked all-terrain vehicles used for fast transportation of troops especially during wintertime. The vehicles are also used by heavy (120mm) mortar companies, who use mortars fixed on these vehicles. The equipment provides inexpensive, unopposed freedom of movement even in difficult off-road and snow conditions.
Organisation
- Kuopio Battalion (Kuopion Pataljoona)
- Supply Company (Huoltokomppania)
- 1st Separate Truck Company (1.Erillinen Autokomppania)
- Kainuu Jaeger Battalion (Kainuun Jääkäripataljoona)
- Recon Company (Tiedustelukomppania)
- Canine Training Unit
- 1st Jaeger Company (1. Jääkärikomppania)
- 2nd Jaeger Company (2. Jääkärikomppania)
- 3rd Jaeger Company (3. Jääkärikomppania)
- Recon Company (Tiedustelukomppania)
- Pohja Engineer Battalion (Pohjan Pioneeripataljoona)
- 1st Engineer Company (1. Pioneerikomppania)
- Technical Company (Teknillinen Komppania)
- Kainuu Artillery Regiment (Kainuun Tykistörykmentti)
- Mortar Company (Kranaatinheitinkomppania) (note that this unit is infantry, not artillery per se)
- 1st Artillery Battery (1. Tuliasemapatteri)
- 2nd Artillery Battery (2. Tuliasemapatteri)
- Forward Observation and Signal Battery (Tulenjohto- ja viestipatteri)
- Northern Finland Signal Battalion (Pohjois-Suomen Viestipataljoona)
- HQ Company (Esikuntakomppania)
- 1st Signals Company (1. Viestikomppania)
- 2nd Signals Company (2. Viestikomppania)
- Kainuu Military Band (Kainuun Sotilassoittokunta)
Units and training
All units of the Brigade train their own specialists and drivers, and all receive a basic infantry jaeger training. All units are equipped with at least light AT fire-and-forget weapons and 12.7 mm anti-air machine guns, that can also be mounted on APCs and is very effective against infantry and lightly armoured vehicles.Note also that this is the training organisation, not the actual war-time organisation of the Brigade 2005 (the readiness unit). In this training or peace-time organisation, the Brigade can hoist everything needed on a modern battlefield except for anti-air weapons other than the 12.7 mm machine guns. These units are trained in the Lapland Air Defence Regiment
Lapland Air Defence Regiment
Lapland Air Defence Regiment is a unit of the Finnish Army located in Rovaniemi. It was founded in 1989 and some 600 conscripts are trained there every year.- Organisation :...
.
Kuopio BattalionKuopio BattalionKuopio Battalion is a maintenance unit of the Kainuu Brigade. About 250 to 300 conscripts and 160 salaried professionals work in the Kuopio Battalion.-Logistics Company:The logistics company trains specialists for the supplies and transportation...
The Kuopio Battalion is responsible for training of a recon/ranger unit, drivers for various vehicles (for Supply mostly - other Battalions train the drivers they need themselves), and supply and munitions personnel. The Battalion is also responsible for the training of NCOs for recon and transportation. The battalion also has a Canine Training Unit.Kainuu Jaeger Battalion
The Jaeger Battalion trains the main body of the Brigade - the infantry. It also trains NCOs for infantry. The Battalion is equipped with the tracked, non-armoured vehicles (telakuorma-auto or TeKa) which make it very fast even off-road and in high snow. The Battalion is equipped with state-of-the-art anti-armor weapons as well as other, lighter and cheaper AT-weapons. It also has modernized Russian 12.7 mm anti-air machine guns (as do other Battalions) and the light 81 mm mortars (though these are trained in the Artillery Regiment). As all Finnish Jaegers, these troops are taught to be deadly, fast, maneuverable, and silent if need to be. The Battalion also has some Sisu XA-185 "Pasi" APCs.Pohja Engineer Battalion
This battalion trains engineers and their NCOs. The Battalion includes the 1st Engineer Company, training of which is concentrated on usage and de-armament of mines and other explosives. The other Company of the Battalion, the Technical Company, focuses on "heavy engineering" such as trench- and bridge building.Kainuu Artillery RegimentKainuu Artillery RegimentKainuu Artillery Regiment is an artillery unit of the Kainuu Brigade, which is the norhernmost one of the three readines brigades of the defence forces of Finland....
The Artillery Regiment uses 81 mm light mortars attached to Infantry units, 120 mm heavy mortars fixed on TeKa:s, 122 mm Soviet howitzers and modern 155 K 98155 GH 52 APU
155 GH 52 APU is a Finnish gun developed in 1998. It is an enhanced and upgraded version of the 155 K 83. The acronym APU stands for auxiliary power unit, which means that in can be moved on the field for short distances with its own auxiliary diesel engine...
155 mm guns equipped with APU to provide (minor) movement without towing vehicles. It also trains all artillery NCO's, including forward observers and mortar leaders.
Northern Finland Signal Battalion
This Battalion houses units that are responsible for the usage and building of Brigade-scale signal systems. It also trains NCOs for this task. The Battalion also has the HQ Company (Esikuntakomppania, EK) that trains the military polices for the Brigade, which also uses the dogs trained by the Kuopio Battalion. MP NCOs are not trained at the Brigade, but in Rovaniemi. The recon and "sissi" NCOs specialiced in communications are also trained in Northern Finland Signal Battalion.Kainuu Military Band
The Military Band that has several hundred individual appearances yearly. Considered very high-class amongst Military Bands. Also has a few conscripts serving in the Band.The Brigade also has its own hospital and supply center.
History and tradition of the Kainuu Brigade
The brigade has its roots in the Thirty Years' WarThirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
in the battle
Battle of Rain
The Battle of Rain was fought on April 15, 1632, as part of the Thirty Years' War. The forces involved in this conflict were 40,000 Swedish troops under Gustavus Adolphus and 25,000 Catholic League troops under Count Johan Tzerclaes of Tilly...
of the Lech River
Lech River
The Lech is a river in Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube in length with a drainage basin of .Its source is located in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, where the river rises from lake Formarinsee in the Alps at an altitude of...
on April 5, 1632, which is the traditional day of the brigade. It also holds up the traditions of the men that fought at Suomussalmi
Battle of Suomussalmi
The Battle of Suomussalmi [suo.mus.sal.mi] was fought between Finnish and Soviet forces in the Winter War. The action took place from around December 7, 1939 to January 8, 1940.The outcome was a major Finnish victory against vastly superior forces...
, Raate Road
Battle of Raate-Road
The Battle of Raate Road was fought during the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland in January 1940, as a part of the Battle of Suomussalmi....
and Kuhmo
Kuhmo
Kuhmo is a town and a municipality in Finland and is part of the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . It has a borderline of with Russia....
during the Winter War
Winter 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...
as well as the Rukajärvi-directions 14. Division 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 march of the Brigade is Hurtti-Ukko by Carl Collan.
The Brigade's flag is the Kajaani Sissi
Sissi (Finnish guerrilla)
Sissi is a Finnish term for light infantry which conducts reconnaissance, sabotage and guerrilla warfare operations behind enemy lines. The word sissi, first attested in the modern meaning "patrolman, partisan, spy" in 1787, comes to Finnish from Slavic and refers either to a forest bandit or his...
Battalion's flag from 1920.