The Lapland Group (''Lapin Ryhmä'') was a formation of the
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 ...
during the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
between
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 ...
and the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. The group was formed on 13 December 1939 from troops of the
North Finland Group The North Finland Group ( fi, Pohjois-Suomen Ryhmä) was a formation of the Finnish Army (1939), Finnish Army during the Winter War. It was responsible for an almost 800-kilometer-long border from the town of Lieksa to the Arctic Ocean. The group wa ...
. The group was placed under the command of
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Kurt Martti Wallenius
Kurt Martti Wallenius (25 July 1893 in Kuopio – 3 May 1984 in Helsinki) was a Finnish Major General.
Jäger Movement
Wallenius was a member of the Finnish Jäger troops trained in Germany prior to Finnish independence. In 1915, Wallenius trav ...
and had its headquarters at
Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi ( , ; sme, Roavvenjárga ; smn, Ruávinjargâ; sms, Ruäʹvnjargg) is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland, and its southern part Per ...
. The forces took part in the
Battle of Salla and the
Battle of Petsamo.
Order of battle
Osasto Roininen (Detachment Roininen) was located at
Salla
Salla (''Kuolajärvi'' until 1936) ( smn, Kyelijävri) is a municipality of Finland, located in Lapland. The municipality has a population of
() and covers an area of of
which
is water. The population density is
.
The nearby settlement of ...
and consisted of the following forces:
*Separate Battalion 26 (''Erillinen Pataljoona 26'', ''Er.P 26'')
*Separate Battalion 17 (''Erillinen Pataljoona 17'', ''Er.P 17'')
*Infantry Regiment 40 (''Jalkaväkirykmentti 40'', ''JR 40'')
*Two battalions of the "Replacement Brigade" ''VII/KT-Pr'' and ''IX/KT-Pr''
*One
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 ...
battery
At the end of February 1940, the troops around Salla were replaced by the Swedish volunteers of the
Stridsgruppen SFK
Osasto Pennanen (Detachment Pennanen) which was located in
Petsamo Petsamo may refer to:
* Petsamo Province, a province of Finland from 1921 to 1922
* Petsamo, Tampere, a district in Tampere, Finland
* Pechengsky District, Russia, formerly known as Petsamo
* Pechenga (urban-type settlement), Murmansk Oblast, Russi ...
consisted of the following forces:
*10th Separate Company (''10. Erillinen Komppania'', ''10.Er.K'')
*11th Separate Company (''11. Erillinen Komppania'', ''11.Er.K'')
*3rd Company
*5th Separate Battery (''5. Erillinen Patteri'', ''5.Er.Ptri'')
*Reconnaissance Detachment 11 (''Tiedusteluosasto 11'')
Rovaniemi
Military units and formations of Finland in the Winter War
Military units and formations of Finland in World War II
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