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| | dates = February 1942 to December 1943<ref>Pekka Nevalainen - INKERILÄISET 1900-LUVUN SODISSA Inkeriläisten historiaa Venäjän, Saksan, Suomen ja Neuvostoliiton asevoimissa. Suomen Sotahistoriallinen Seura</ref> | | dates = February 1942 to December 1943<ref>Pekka Nevalainen - INKERILÄISET 1900-LUVUN SODISSA Inkeriläisten historiaa Venäjän, Saksan, Suomen ja Neuvostoliiton asevoimissa. Suomen Sotahistoriallinen Seura. page 9</ref> | ||
| | country = {{flagdeco|Nazi Germany}} ] | | country = {{flagdeco|Nazi Germany}} ] | ||
| | allegiance = | | allegiance = | ||
| | branch = ] | | branch = ] | ||
| | type = | | type = | ||
| | role = | | role = ] | ||
| | size = | | size = ] | ||
| |command_structure=] | |command_structure=] | ||
| | garrison = | | garrison = | ||
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| {{tree list}} | {{tree list}} | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
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| ==Background== | ==Background== | ||
| After the Germans took over |
After the Germans took over ] (modern ]) in ], the Finns living in there were recruited in 1942 into a Wehrmacht group called Finnische Sicherheitsgruppe 187 (Finnish Security Group 187). Within a year of its establishment, it included 27th, 28th, 29th, and 30th. Hundertschaft, each consisting of 170 men. The name of the group was later changed to Ost-Bataillon 664 ('664th Eastern Battalion') in | ||
| the fall of 1942. The main task of the battalion was to protect the Leningrad–Dno-and Luga–Novgorod- railway lines. The battalion headquarters were located in Batetskaya, an important crossroads.<ref name=Mutanen>Pekka Mutanen: Vaiennetut sotilaat. Ruotsi: Ajatus-Kirjat, 1999. ISBN 951-9440-87-9</ref><ref name=Gasche>Selective Memories: Finnish State Policy toward Roma in the 1930s and 1940s in Its European Context and Post-War Perception - Malte Gasche, University of Helsinki. Martin Holler, Humboldt University of Berlin http://hdl.handle.net/10138/338347</ref><ref>, ], 10 January 2025</ref> | the fall of 1942. The main task of the battalion was to protect the Leningrad–Dno- and Luga–Novgorod- railway lines. The battalion headquarters were located in Batetskaya, an important crossroads.<ref name=Mutanen>Pekka Mutanen: Vaiennetut sotilaat. Ruotsi: Ajatus-Kirjat, 1999. ISBN 951-9440-87-9</ref><ref name=Gasche>Selective Memories: Finnish State Policy toward Roma in the 1930s and 1940s in Its European Context and Post-War Perception - Malte Gasche, University of Helsinki. Martin Holler, Humboldt University of Berlin http://hdl.handle.net/10138/338347</ref><ref>, ], 10 January 2025</ref> | ||
| ==Atrocities== | ==Atrocities== | ||
| ] Wehrmacht volunteers of the battalion, |
] Wehrmacht volunteers of the battalion, 1943]] | ||
| According to an ] article by Boris Salomon, the Ingrians were responsible for multiple atrocities, and shocked even their German officers. "The national feeling is strong and the hatred of Russians runs deep. The German sergeant complained that these Finns do not understand that the Germans have to be friendly to the Russians because of the current situation" wrote Juhani |
According to an ] article by Boris Salomon, the Ingrians were responsible for multiple atrocities, and shocked even their German officers. "The national feeling is strong and the hatred of Russians runs deep. The German sergeant complained that these Finns do not understand that the Germans have to be friendly to the Russians because of the current situation" wrote Juhani Jääskeläinen, a military chaplain, in his report. In the opinion of the Germans the Russophobia of the Ingrian Finns ran too deep. A report by ] explains how Mikko Fedotow was separated from the 664th Eastern Battalion because "Fedotow says he hates Russians deeply and is always quick to anger. Since Fedotow thinks every Russian is a communist and has often threatened his friends with a gun, he is not qualified for military service". In one example of extreme cruelty, a unit consisting of Ingrians and Estonians carried out a massacre of Roma residents of the village of Filippovsshina in February 1942. They forced the villagers to dance for their own amusement in minus 30 degree weather and then shot them with three machine guns.<ref>. Boris Salomon. ]. 10 January 2025 </ref> In another case, the Ingrians and Germans hanged a group of Jews and Romas in the town center in ]. The Ingrians were least present when a whole Roma family was hanged in a village near ].<ref name=Gasche/> | ||
| ==End of the Battalion== | ==End of the Battalion== | ||
| When Ingrian civilians began to be transferred to Finland in March 1943 from areas occupied by Germany, some Ingrian men who served in the German army also expressed |
When Ingrian civilians began to be transferred to Finland in March 1943 from areas occupied by Germany, some Ingrian men who served in the German army also expressed the wish for a transfer to Finland. After the negotiations between the Germans and Finns, it was decided to move the battalion to Finland and merge it to the Finnish Army. The transfers were made from Estonia by ship in early December.<ref name=Mutanen/> | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 08:09, 15 January 2025
| Ost-Bataillon 664 | |
|---|---|
| Active | February 1942 to December 1943 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Wehrmacht |
| Role | Bandenbekämpfung |
| Size | Battalion |
| Part of | Army Group North |
| Engagements | |
The 664th Eastern Battalion was a military unit of the Wehrmacht composed of Ingrian Finns, with its main purpose being fighting partisans and guarding railways.
Unlike many collaborator units that suffered from defection, 664th Eastern Battalion was considered reliable and over 100 members of the unit were awarded with the Medal for Gallantry and Merit for Members of the Eastern Peoples. The unit was responsible for multiple massacres of civilians.
Background
After the Germans took over Ingria (modern Leningrad Oblast) in Operation Barbarossa, the Finns living in there were recruited in 1942 into a Wehrmacht group called Finnische Sicherheitsgruppe 187 (Finnish Security Group 187). Within a year of its establishment, it included 27th, 28th, 29th, and 30th. Hundertschaft, each consisting of 170 men. The name of the group was later changed to Ost-Bataillon 664 ('664th Eastern Battalion') in the fall of 1942. The main task of the battalion was to protect the Leningrad–Dno- and Luga–Novgorod- railway lines. The battalion headquarters were located in Batetskaya, an important crossroads.
Atrocities
According to an Iltalehti article by Boris Salomon, the Ingrians were responsible for multiple atrocities, and shocked even their German officers. "The national feeling is strong and the hatred of Russians runs deep. The German sergeant complained that these Finns do not understand that the Germans have to be friendly to the Russians because of the current situation" wrote Juhani Jääskeläinen, a military chaplain, in his report. In the opinion of the Germans the Russophobia of the Ingrian Finns ran too deep. A report by Sicherheitsdienst explains how Mikko Fedotow was separated from the 664th Eastern Battalion because "Fedotow says he hates Russians deeply and is always quick to anger. Since Fedotow thinks every Russian is a communist and has often threatened his friends with a gun, he is not qualified for military service". In one example of extreme cruelty, a unit consisting of Ingrians and Estonians carried out a massacre of Roma residents of the village of Filippovsshina in February 1942. They forced the villagers to dance for their own amusement in minus 30 degree weather and then shot them with three machine guns. In another case, the Ingrians and Germans hanged a group of Jews and Romas in the town center in Krasnogvardeisk. The Ingrians were least present when a whole Roma family was hanged in a village near Luga.
End of the Battalion
When Ingrian civilians began to be transferred to Finland in March 1943 from areas occupied by Germany, some Ingrian men who served in the German army also expressed the wish for a transfer to Finland. After the negotiations between the Germans and Finns, it was decided to move the battalion to Finland and merge it to the Finnish Army. The transfers were made from Estonia by ship in early December.
References
- Pekka Nevalainen - INKERILÄISET 1900-LUVUN SODISSA Inkeriläisten historiaa Venäjän, Saksan, Suomen ja Neuvostoliiton asevoimissa. Suomen Sotahistoriallinen Seura. page 9
- Various authors: Jatkosodan historia, osa 1 (The History of the Continuation War, Vol. 1) Sotatieteen laitos (Institute of Military Science)
- ^ Pekka Mutanen: Vaiennetut sotilaat. Ruotsi: Ajatus-Kirjat, 1999. ISBN 951-9440-87-9
- ^ Selective Memories: Finnish State Policy toward Roma in the 1930s and 1940s in Its European Context and Post-War Perception - Malte Gasche, University of Helsinki. Martin Holler, Humboldt University of Berlin http://hdl.handle.net/10138/338347
- Toinen maailmansota Inkerissä, Finnish Literature Society, 10 January 2025
- Sotapäiväkirjat paljastavat hirvittävät julmuudet: Suomen riveissä taistellut inkeriläispataljoona ampui säälimättä siviilejä. Boris Salomon. Iltalehti. 10 January 2025
- Military units and formations established in 1942
- Military units and formations disestablished in 1943
- Security units of Nazi Germany established in 1942
- Security units of Nazi Germany disestablished in 1943
- Foreign volunteer units of the Wehrmacht
- Collaboration with Nazi Germany
- The Holocaust in Russia
- Russian collaborators with Nazi Germany