Meredessantpataljon
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The Meredessantpataljon, was a short-lived
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
n
marine infantry Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
during the
Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence ( et, Vabadussõda, literally "Freedom War"), also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Bolshevik westwa ...
of the
Estonian Defence Forces The Estonian Defence Forces ( et, Eesti Kaitsevägi) are the unified military forces of the Republic of Estonia. The Estonian Defence Forces consist of the Estonian Land Forces, the Estonian Navy, the Estonian Air Force, and the paramilitary Esto ...
subject to the
Estonian Navy The Estonian Navy ( et, Merevägi) are the unified naval forces among the Estonian Defence Forces. With only six commissioned ships and displacement well under 10,000 tonnes, the Estonian navy is one of the smallest navies in the world. Its shi ...
. The battalion was created from the crews of the Estonian surface warships, students and Finnish volunteer soldiers. The battalion was created and later disbanded in
Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...
after it had fulfilled its military objectives in 1919. As common marine infantry tasks include providing security in a
warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...
whilst at sea and reflecting the pressed nature of the ships company and the risk of
mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...
. Also other tasks include boarding of vessels during combat or capture of
prize ship In admiralty law prizes are equipment, vehicles, vessels, and cargo captured during armed conflict. The most common use of ''prize'' in this sense is the capture of an enemy ship and her cargo as a prize of war. In the past, the capturing force ...
s and providing manpower for
raiding Raiding may refer to: * The present participle of the verb Raid (disambiguation), which itself has several meanings * Raid (military) * Raid (video games), a group of video game players who join forces * Raiding, Austria, a town in Austria * Par ...
ashore in support of the naval objectives, the Estonian ''Meredessantpataljon'' was more focused on contributing to the campaign ashores, in supporting of the military objectives. Another difference from the usual marines is that the Estonian marines unit was only a temporary military formation. The unit was operational from March to June in 1919. Today there are no marine infantry or marine special force units among the
Estonian Defence Forces The Estonian Defence Forces ( et, Eesti Kaitsevägi) are the unified military forces of the Republic of Estonia. The Estonian Defence Forces consist of the Estonian Land Forces, the Estonian Navy, the Estonian Air Force, and the paramilitary Esto ...
.


History

The ''Meredessantpataljon'' was mainly used on the Southern Front since 1919, yet it also participated in the battle of Laagna and the liberation of Narva and in other naval campaigns in northeast Estonia in
Ida-Viru county Ida-Viru County ( et, Ida-Viru maakond or ''Ida-Virumaa'') is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is the most north-eastern part of the country. The county contains large deposits of oil shale - the main mineral mined in Estonia. Oil shale is used ...
. In March 1919 the marine battalion was designated onto the Armoured Train Nr. 5 and was shipped to the Southern Front in Northern Latvia to
Valka Valka (; german: Walk) is a town and municipality in northern Latvia, on the border with Estonia along both banks of the river Pedele. Valka and the Estonian town Valga are twins, separated by the Estonian/Latvian border but using the slogan "O ...
.


Origins and creation

The first pre-marine battalion unit was formed from the warship sailors in February 1919 which also took part in the restoration of order in Saaremaa during the pro-Soviet Saaremaa Uprising. On March 5, 1919 the first Estonian marine unit was created which was made up from the crews of the bigger warships, mainly from destroyers ''ENS Lennuk'' and ''ENS Vambola'', gunboat ''ENS Lembit'', minesweepers '' ENS Kalew'' and '' ENS Olew'', which stationed in Tallinn. The battalion was strengthened further with the Peipus flotilla marines, volunteer students and also soldiers from the major Ekström Finnish volunteer Regiment "Sons of the North". On March 16 the battalion was transferred to Southern Front and had a strength of 293 marines. After arriving to the front the unit received another 28 sailors from the Peipus flotilla. On March 23 the battalion was reinforced with the 4th company and the naval officers platoon along with a 130mm
railway gun A railway gun, also called a railroad gun, is a large artillery piece, often surplus naval artillery, mounted on, transported by, and fired from a specially designed railroad car, railway wagon. Many countries have built railway guns, but the ...
platform. In total the battalion battle strength was around 400
marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
at its peak and it was intended to primarily play a support role in
coastal warfare In military and naval warfare, littoral warfare is operations in and around the littoral zone, within a certain distance of shore, including surveillance, mine-clearing and support for landing operations and other types of combat shifting from ...
.


War of Independence

The unit saw first action on March 19 near Orava in Luuka village. Although the unit suffered under severe casualties it captured several nearby villages and the Orava estate. At the end of March the battalion was transferred to Tallinn. On April 16 the ''Meredessantpataljon'' was joined up with a naval squadron heading towards Heinaste with an operational aim was to capture it. The marine infantry battalion was closed before the end of the independence war as the unit had achieved its operational tasks and had no longer a role on the war theatre. The unit was disbanded on June 1, 1919. After the war the Estonian Navy began to rebuild some of the former Russian sea fortifications and coastal artillery positions, along with the purchase of the modern submarines from United Kingdom in late 1930s there was no longer a need for marine infantry units in Estonia.


Battalion attributes

In addition to the ground operations the battalion operated also on coastal warfare. For naval transport purposes a former Swedish
cargo Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...
steam boat A steamboat is a boat that is propelled primarily by steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S (for 'Screw Steamer') or PS (for 'Paddle Steamer'); however, thes ...
"Nordkysten" was designated under the command of the marine battalion commander on March 5. On April 13 the marine infantry vessel was renamed after ''ENS Kalevipoeg''. Some minor reconstruction works were carried out on the vessel in order to make room for a landing force of 200 marines and their equipment and also two 47mm cannons were added on the surface deck.Kui laineid kündis aurulaev "Kalevipoeg"
/ref>


Order of battle and equipment

The ''Meredessantpataljon'' comprised total of four infantry companies of which the 4th Company was made up by the Finnish volunteers. The unit never received any special purpose training or combat preparations and was often used as a strike force both on land and on coastal operations. The marine infantry battalion had the following battle order in 1919: *1st Company *2nd Company *3rd Company *4th Company *'' ENS Kalevipoeg'' - marine infantry transport steam boat. *1x130mm naval gun, occasionally attached to the unit.


Decorations and insignia

The ''Meredessantpataljon'' did not receive any special military uniforms or unit decorations due to its short period of existence. The average military uniform in the battalion was often made up by various other uniforms as the unit was a mixture of different field and naval warship crew units.


See also

* Coastal batteries of Estonia


Notes and references

{{Reflist Battalions of Estonia Military units and formations of the Estonian Navy History of Tallinn Disbanded marine forces