Viena expedition
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The Viena expedition (Finnish: Vienan retkikunta) was a military expedition in March 1918 by Finnish volunteer forces to capture White Karelia (Vienan Karjala) from the forces of Bolshevist Russia. It was one of the many "kinship wars" (Heimosodat) fought near the newly independent Finland during the Russian Civil War.
Although the Russian East Karelia never was a part of the Swedish-Finnish state or the Great Duchy of Finland, it was at the time mostly inhabited by Finnish related Karelians. Many advocates of a Greater Finland preferred inclusion of Russian East Karelia to Finland.
The expedition was made up of two groups. One group was Finnish Jäger troops led by Lieutenant Kurt Martti Wallenius. He and his light infantry crossed the border at Kuusamo but got bogged down in fighting the Finnish Red Guards. The other group was led by Lieutenant Colonel Carl Wilhelm Malm and consisted of about 350 men. By 10 April, Malm's group had advanced as far as the coastal town of Kem on the White Sea. Malm was unable to occupy the town and retreated to Uhtua where he began defending western White Karelia. The Finns now switched tactics and adopted a village-by-village strategy of persuading locals to join the Finnish volunteer side.
When the Finnish troops arrived in White Karelia they noticed that the population was divided. A part of the population wanted to secede from Russia and form an independent Karelia separate from Finland. However, a larger part of the population just wanted some form of autonomy. Many thought they would get autonomy as part of Bolshevist Russia. A small minority of the population wanted Karelia to be joined to the new state of Finland. Most importantly, for the great majority of the population, practical issues (such as ensuring having enough food) were more important than ideological issues.
In the end, the proposal to join East Karelia to Finland received support in the White Karelian villages around Uhtua. Local Finnish White Guard (Suojeluskunta) militias were formed in over 20 villages in that area. In July, Malm was recalled back to Finland and in his place Captain Toivo Kuisma was placed in charge of the Finnish troops. The Finnish government could not decide whether to recall the troops or to send reinforcements.
The situation became more complicated with the landing in Murmansk of 130 British Royal Marine Light Infantry on 6 March to prevent the Germans (and their Finnish allies) from gaining the White Sea coast and the Murmansk Railroad. By June 1918, an assortment of British Royal Marines, French artillerymen, part of a Serb battalion, Poles, Red Russians from the Murmansk Soviet, and some Red Finns occupied the railway line from Murmansk south as far as Kem. The arrival of British reinforcements and an Allied plan for them to link up with anti-Bolshevik units in Siberia prompted Trotsky, now at peace with the Germans, to send 3,000 red troops northwards. In July these troops were disarmed and seen off by the British, who advanced as far south as Sorokka. British-led forces defending the railway line included a battalion of 1,400 Red Finns and the Karelian regiment also known as the Irish Karelians after Colonel P.J. Woods of the Royal Irish Rifles who raised and led the 4000 strong regiment. Also a Karelian regiment of East Karelians was formed.
The situation of the Viena expedition began to deteriorate. The Karelian regiment stationed in Kem attacked the Finnish troops at Jyskyjärvi on 27 August. 18 men were lost. The next attack came against Luusalmi on 8 September when 42 Finns were killed. The following battles were fought at Kostamus and Vuokkiniemi in September-October. The Finnish troops withdrew to Finland on 2 October. Of these troops, 195 survived and made their way home; 83 were killed.
The British forces withdrew in October 1919 and the situation of the Russian White Army collapsed. After the Viena expedition, the parish of Repola in East Karelia had held a vote to join Finland, but Finland gave up all claims to East Karelia in the 1920 Treaty of Tartu.
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