Weapons Cache Case

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At the end of the Continuation War two Finnish officers in HQ, Col. Nihtilä and Lt.Col Haahti, started planning countermeasures against Soviet occupation of the country. They came up with the idea of decentralized storing of light infantry weapons, so in case of occupation, immediate guerilla war could be started. So, during the demobilization, the organization for hiding these weapons was created and war material was given for safekeeping. A total of 5000-10000 people participated in hiding the weapons. It was planned that they would hide material to 8000 men, but participants worked so eagerly that it is supposed they hid material for 35000 soldiers.

The case started unravel at the spring of 1945, when one man, who had stolen foodstuff from the cache and sold it in black market, in fear of reprisals from his pals told his knowledge to Allied Control Commission (ACC). Initially ACC was eager to follow the case, but after written orders from Nihtilä and Haahti surfaced, they left the investigation and prosecution to Valpo, the Communist infiltrated secret police.

Valpo interrogated over 5000 people but failed to crack the case and find all the weapons. At some places they found lots of weapons while in others they found none. When they thought they have found all the caches of an area, a new one was found. Most of the weapons were silently returned to army depots, some were destroyed, but even today when old buildings are demolished, caches turn up every year. Also they failed to even find out how many people participated in hiding, as participants were extremely close mouthed and refused to give any meaningful information.

In the end ,1488 people were convicted, most of them receiving 1-4 months in jail. The way how Valpo botched the investigation was the first nail into its coffin, and when it was caught with extrajudical deportations to Soviet Union, it was dismantled 1949. Decades later, 1980, Arvo Tuominen, a former Finnish Communist leader who had reneged in 1940, claimed that weapons cache case was the tipping point which transferred power in Communists from revolutionary to parliamentary wing, as they feared armed resistance against revolutionary takeover. However, as historian Kimmo Rentola among others has shown, Tuominen's claims are to be treated very sceptically.

[edit] References

• Lukkari, Matti (3rd ed 1992): Asekätkentä
• Rentola, Kimmo (1994): Kenen joukoissa seisot? Suomalainen kommunismi ja sota 1937-1945
• Rentola, Kimmo (1997): Niin kylmää että polttaa. Kommunistit, Kekkonen ja Kreml 1947-1958

[edit] See also

• Operation Gladio (other weapons cache were discovered in NATO countries through-out the years and, although Finland is not part of NATO, Gladio was not exclusively limited to NATO countries)
• Stay-behind