The Artillery Brigade ( fi, Tykistöprikaati) was a

Finnish Army The Finnish Army (Finnish: ''Maavoimat'', Swedish: ''Armén'') is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: the infantry (which includes armoured units), field artillery, anti-aircraft ...

unit stationed in

Niinisalo Niinisalo is a village in the municipality of Kankaanpää in the region of Satakunta in Finland. It is known for the Niinisalo Garrison which is the base of the Finnish Army unit Artillery Brigade. The population of Niinisalo is 996 (2009). The ...

in western

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. The Artillery Brigade trained

conscripts Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...

and regular personnel for wartime

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

duties. In addition, it provided weather service in the Niinisalo region, and trained most of the

Finnish Defence Forces The Finnish Defence Forces ( fi, Puolustusvoimat, sv, Försvarsmakten) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime the Finnish Border Guard (which i ...

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

s. The total strength of the brigade was some 800 conscripts and 400 regular civilian and military personnel. On 1 January 2015, it was merged with the

Pori Brigade The Pori Brigade ( fi, Porin prikaati), based in Huovinrinne, Säkylä and Niinisalo, Kankaanpää is a Finnish Army unit, directly under the Army headquarters. It comprises six battalion-level units and also trains soldiers for the Finnish Rapi ...

. The Artillery Brigade consisted (in 2001–2013) of the Satakunta Artillery Regiment, the Reconnaissance Battalion, the Artillery School, and the Satakunta Military Band. Every year, some 1,600 conscripts were trained by the brigade. The Satakunta Artillery Regiment fielded two cannon batteries, with equipment ranging from 122 mm light

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

s to 155 mm

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s and a support battery consisting entirely out of signals personnel and spotters. The regiment continues as a part of the Pori Brigade. The Reconnaissance Battalion fielded a heavy

rocket launcher A rocket launcher is a weapon that launches an unguided, rocket-propelled projectile. History The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China consisted of arrows modified by the attachment of a rocket motor to the shaft a few in ...

battery, a UAV battery, a headquarters battery as well as a UAV reconnaissance battery. The conscripts participated in several live-fire exercises in the nearby firing range at Pohjankangas, before the two- or three-week-long national live-fire artillery exercise held once a year in

Rovajärvi Rovajärvi is the main artillery practice range of the Finnish Army. At area, it is the largest practice range of the Finnish Defence Forces, and the largest such range in western Europe. It is located within the municipalities of Rovaniemi an ...

firing range in Lapland. In 2013, as a preliminary of the merger with the Pori Brigade, the 3rd Infantry Company was established as a part of the Reconnaissance Battalion. In 2015, the Reconnaissance Battalion was disbanded and its functions divided between Finland Proper Logistics Battalion, Satakunta Artillery Regiment and Ostrobothnia Jaeger Battalion. The Artillery School, which was a part of the Artillery Brigade, provided

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

-level education for future artillery officers and continuing education for artillery regular personnel. The same function continues, but the School is now part of the Army Academy.

References

External links

*
Artillery Brigade web page
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Artillery units and formations of Finland Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty Brigades of Finland Artillery brigades