The Finnish Army
in the Winter War
Part II
In Part
I
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The Order of Battle
of the Finnish Army on 30 November 1939
( The image has hotspots! )
Abbreviations
JR = Infantry Regiment
Kev.Os = light detachment
Er.P = separate battalion
JP = Jaeger battalion |
KTR = Field Artillery Regiment
Rask.Psto = heavy art. battalion
Psto / #.Pr = brigade art. battalion
Psto = artillery battalion |
KT-Pr. = Field Replacement Brigade
URR = Uudenmaa dragoon Reg.
HRR = Häme cavalry Reg.
PPP = bicycle battalion |
(Note
that these tables are a summary of different tables
and maps, found mostly in "Talvisodan Historia 1", so
there is a chance that they are not 100 % correct)
In the Karelian Isthmus:
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The Isthmus Army
(Lieutenant General H.Österman)
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II Corps
(Lieutenant General H.Öhquist)
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III Corps
(Major General A.E.Heinrichs) |
Reserve |
4.D |
5.D |
11.D |
U-Group |
M-Group |
L-Group |
8.D |
10.D |
R-Group |
1.D |
JR 10 |
JR 13 |
JR 31 |
URR* |
Er.P 1 |
Er.P 2 |
JR 23 |
JR 28 |
3.Pr |
1.Pr |
JR 11 |
JR 14 |
JR 32 |
HRR* |
Er.P 4 |
Er.P 5 |
JR 24 |
JR 29 |
Er.P 6 |
2.Pr |
JR 12 |
JR 15 |
JR 33 |
Er.P 3 |
JP 3 |
JP 2 |
JR 26 |
JR 30 |
JP 4 |
Psto/1.Pr |
KTR 4 |
KTR 5 |
KTR 11 |
Er.P 7 |
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KTR 8 |
KTR 10 |
M-Os.** |
Psto/2.Pr |
Kev.Os 4 |
Kev.Os 5 |
Kev.Os 11 |
JP 1 |
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Kev.Os 8 |
Kev.Os 10 |
Psto/3.Pr |
Psto/4.Pr |
PPP 5 |
Rask.Psto 1 ¤ |
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Rask.Psto 4 ¤ |
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Rask.Psto 2 ¤ |
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Rask.Psto 3 ¤ |
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NOTE: Table shows only the units that are roughly battalion
size. Separate/independent companies, batteries etc. are not
included
Some of the divisional battalions were attached to the Delaying
groups, but for reasons of clarity I've included them to the
parent division
*= formed together the Cavalry brigade, which was actually a
Regiment-strength unit
** = Os.Metsäpirtti, formed from 8.Er.K, 9.Er.K and 2.Er.Ptri
¤ = still under Corps Command, but deployed in that division's
sector
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(to see the Isthmus Army
deployment on 30 November 1939, click the image below)
Back to Top !
In Ladoga Karelia and Mid-North
Finland
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IV Corps
(Major General J. Hägglund)
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P-SR
(Major General V. Tuompo)
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12.D |
13.D |
TF Räsänen |
Er.P 11 |
Reserve |
LR |
P-KR |
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JR 34 |
JR 37 |
Er.P 10 |
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PPP 7 |
Er.P 17 |
Er.P 12 |
Er.P 15 |
JR 35 |
JR 38 |
Er.P 112 |
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Er.P 13 |
Er.P 16 |
JR 36 |
JR 39 |
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Er.P 14 |
(Er.P 25*) |
KTR 12 |
KTR 13 |
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(Er.P 26*) |
Kev.Os 12 |
Kev.Os 13 |
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Er.P 8 |
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Er.P 9 |
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NOTE: Table shows only the units that are roughly battalion
size. Field replacement units (including battalions), separate
companies etc. are not included in the table.
Many platoon-battalion sized units were detached from their
parent divisions,
but for reasons of clarity, I've not included such attachments
*= These two battalions didn't exist on 30 November, but were
formed in P-SR area in early December. The Er. P 25 was
moved to Salla front, taking frontline duty on 6 December and
Er. P 26 arrived to the same area on 12 December.
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Back to Top !
In Reserve:
Commander-in-Chief's reserves
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6.D
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9.D
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KT-Pr
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Aaland Group
(Os. Hanell)
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JR 16 |
JR 25 |
IV/KT-Pr |
PPP 6 |
JR 22 |
JR 17 |
* |
V/KT-Pr |
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PPP 8 |
JR 18 |
JR 27 |
VI/KT-Pr |
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II / KTR 6 |
KTR 6 (-II Psto) |
KTR 9 (- I Psto) |
VIII/KT-Pr |
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I / KTR 9 |
Kev.Os 6 |
Kev.Os 9 |
IX/KT-Pr |
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X/KT-Pr |
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XI/KT-Pr |
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XII/KT-Pr |
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XIII/KT-Pr |
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NOTE: Table shows only the units that are roughly battalion
size, separate companies etc. are not included
* = JR 26 was attached to 8.D to replace the JR 22, which was
attached to Os.Hanell
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Back to Top !
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The replacement
troops
The most important task of the Home Front troops, was to transport
replacements to the Field Army. At the start of the mobilization,
3 replacement divisions (1.Koti-T-D - 3.Koti-T-D) were formed from
the excess reservists, conscripted men and a small number of officers
and NCO's. Each replacement division (all replacement units had a
"Koti-T" in front of their abbreviation, like "1.Koti-T-D"
for "1st Home Front replacement division") consisted of
- 3 T-JR (replacement infantry regiment)
- 1 kevyt-T-P (light replacement battalion)
- 1 T-KTR (replacement artillery regiment)
- 1 T-PionP (replacement Engineer battalion)
- 1 Viesti-T-P (replacement signals battalion)
- 1 Huolto-T-P (replacement supply battalion)
In addition to these, the 1.Koti-T-D had also
- 1 panssari-T-K (replacement tank company)
- 1 mittaus-T-Ptri (replacement survey battery)
and the 3.Koti-T-D had
- 1 raskas-T-Ptri (heavy replacement battery)
- 1 kaasusuojelu-T-P (replacement gas protection battalion)
- 1 R-T-R (replacement cavalry regiment)
Also, in late October, the AT-gun training center started the
training of AT-gun platoons in Hämeenlinna.
The Field replacement brigade, (hereafter KT-Pr.) was formed
under the command of the General HQ, to replace larger losses, transporting
whole companies and battalions to the Army.
The main purpose was to train men for replacement purposes for
the front-line units. During the early phases of the mobilization,
from late October onwards, manpower shortages were handled by the
replacement divisions. The replacements were to be transported to
the divisional replacement battalion, from which they were to be allocated
further as ordered by the division commander.
Back to Top !
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Changes during
the war
As the Army had a chronic shortage of units, the battalions of
the KT-Pr. had to be used to in the front-line. This led to changes
in the replacement system. On Dec 1st, an order was issued to reform
the replacement divisions into brigades, increasing the unit number.
Also JR 40 was formed and attached to 9.D to replace the JR 26, which
had been attached to 8.D.
This change wasn't of long duration, as on Dec 9th, a new order
was issued, that the Home Front troops should switch back into divisional
organization. The only visible result of the "re-forming"
was that the JR 40 was formed, and the 2.Koti-T-D was left without
the 3rd regiment (the result of forming the JR 40) .
The reason for this was the appalling situation
on the front. It was more efficient to use the troops in the front-line
as units, than to replace slowly the losses. On 19 December 1939,
the 1.Koti-T-D became the 21.D (JR 61 - JR 63) , the 2.Koti-T-D became
the 22.D (JR 64 - JR 65) , and the 3.Koti-T-D became the 23.D (JR
67 - JR 69) .
As the replacement divisions were now taken into the Field Army,
the task of feeding replacement was given to hastily erected training
centers, which started the work from 18 December onwards. The centers
formed at the start to train replacements were:
7 infantry training centers
1 tank training center
1 engineer training center
1 signals training center
1 supply training center
1 gas protection center
2 cavalry training centers
3 artillery training centers
More training centers were raised during the war, adding a
mortar training center, 2 artillery training centers and 2 infantry
training centers
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Throughout the war, came new orders to raise new units, and while
the requests for replacements were given in December-January through
official channels, from February onwards (after the Red Army started
it's major offensive) the losses mounted so fast, that requests were
made simply by a phone call.
A rough estimate of delivered
replacements, from the Home Front to the Field Army
(no exact figures are available)
Time period |
replacements for losses
or shortages |
formed
into new units |
Total
(men) |
Mobilization |
2 400 |
1 700 |
4 100 |
December 1939 |
3 300 |
21 200 |
24 500 |
January 1940 |
10 100 |
17 300 |
27 400 |
February-March 1940 |
25 400 |
29 900 |
55 300 |
Total (men) |
41 200 |
70 100 |
111 300 |
(Table source: "Talvisodan
Historia 4", WSOY 1991, p.166)
Late in the war, the shortage of manpower was alarming. Marshal
Mannerheim called this an even greater shortage than the shortage
of equipment. To give the negotiators in Moscow, as great non-direct
support (by reinforcing the Army at the front) as possible, Mannerheim
ordered the "last human resources" (meaning troops with
even some training) , 14 battalions in training centers with poor
equipment and little training, behind the front-line in detachments
consisting of 3-4 battalions, which started to arrive to the main
theater on 5 March 1940.
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Back to Part
I
For more information, see also:
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