Operation Kilpapurjehdus ("Regatta") was the covername for the militarization of the

Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1 ...

islands. The operation took place on June 22, 1941, and in this way, Finland strived to prevent Soviet landings in the area. The Åland islands had been demilitarized since 1921, through a

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

decree, which outlawed any military personnel or material on the islands. After the end of 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 ...

, the Soviet Union controlled both the

Hanko Peninsula The Hanko Peninsula ( fi, Hankoniemi; ), also spelled Hango, is the southernmost point of mainland Finland. The soil is a sandy moraine, the last tip of the Salpausselkä ridge, and vegetation consists mainly of pine and low shrubs. The peninsu ...

and

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 ...

and the Finnish leadership feared that the Soviets were planning a landing in the demilitarized area. The Finnish militarization plan was ready by April and they started to move troops towards the coast between

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

and

Pori ) , website www.pori.fi Pori (; sv, Björneborg ) is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäki River, west of Tampere, north of Turku and north-w ...

according to the plan. The Navy HQ gave its own order for execution of the operation June 20, during daytime on 21 June 1941 Finnish warships had already relocated to the area of Nagu and Korpo, and were followed by transports with troops in the evening. Although during the night they stopped on the border of the territorial waters to await confirmation of the German attack on the USSR, and after it was received at 4:30 the movement continued. The operation was launched at the same time as the German

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

. The landing involved over 20 cargo ships, the two

coastal defence ship Coastal defence ships (sometimes called coastal battleships or coast defence ships) were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrifi ...

s ''Ilmarinen'' and ''Väinämöinen'', as well as the three gunboats ''Uusimaa'', ''Hämeenmaa'' and ''Karjala''. More than 5,000 men and artillery were landed the same evening in

Mariehamn Mariehamn ( , ; fi, Maarianhamina ; la, Portus Mariae) is the capital city, capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finland, Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government of Åland, Government and Parliament of Åland, ...

. The troops were 14th Infantry Regiment'','' seven artillery companies from 7th Coastal Brigade (

Turku Coastal Regiment Turku Coastal Regiment ( fi, Turun Rannikkorykmentti) was a Finnish coastal artillery unit operating in the Turku area and Archipelago Sea. It was formed on 10.9.1939 as Turku Sector (''Turun Lohko'') as part of the neutrality guard and later Win ...

) and other smaller units, over 100 horses and 69 guns with ammunition. Soviet aircraft tried to attack the ships during transport, but without result. On the same day, the Finnish military illegally invaded the

Consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...

of 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 ...

in Mariehamn and arrested the entire consular staff numbering 31 people, and soon they were deported to the city of

. The Soviet Union had also created a similar plan after the Winter War, but they never tried to land on the islands during World War II. The Soviet invasion threat was no longer acute after the Soviets had evacuated their Hanko base and the Germans had advanced in the Baltic states. On the day of signing the

Anglo-Soviet Agreement The Anglo-Soviet Agreement was a formal military alliance that was signed by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany on July 12, 1941, shortly after the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Unio ...

, July 12, 1941, the 14th Infantry Regiment is sent from

to reinforce

Operation Platinum Fox Operation Platinum Fox (german: Unternehmen Platinfuchs; fi, operaatio Platinakettu) was a German and Finnish military offensive launched during World War II. Platinum Fox took place on the Eastern Front and had the objective of capturing the B ...

. Coastal batteries of the 7th Coastal Brigade became combat-ready during July. Since 6.7.1941 all troops in Åland Islands were under the command of the defending coastal brigade. On 8.11.1941 the westernmost units of suspended 5.RPr''.'' were attached to brigade. On 1.3.1942 brigade was re-arranged and re-named as

Archipelago eaCoastal Brigade and its staff was moved to Turku. The Åland islands were again demilitarized after the end of the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...

and remain so today.

References

History of Åland 1941 in Finland Kilpapurjehdus June 1941 events {{WWII-stub

See also

References