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664th Eastern Battalion: Difference between revisions

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==Atrocities== ==Atrocities==
] Wehrmacht volunteers of the battalion, 1943]] ] 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 Jääskelainen, 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/> 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 wishes 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/> 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
ActiveFebruary 1942 to December 1943
Country Nazi Germany
BranchWehrmacht
RoleBandenbekämpfung
SizeBattalion
Part ofArmy Group North
Engagements
Military unit

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

Ingrian Wehrmacht volunteers of the battalion, 1943

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

  1. Pekka Nevalainen - INKERILÄISET 1900-LUVUN SODISSA Inkeriläisten historiaa Venäjän, Saksan, Suomen ja Neuvostoliiton asevoimissa. Suomen Sotahistoriallinen Seura. page 9
  2. Various authors: Jatkosodan historia, osa 1 (The History of the Continuation War, Vol. 1) Sotatieteen laitos (Institute of Military Science)
  3. ^ Pekka Mutanen: Vaiennetut sotilaat. Ruotsi: Ajatus-Kirjat, 1999. ISBN 951-9440-87-9
  4. ^ 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
  5. Toinen maailmansota Inkerissä, Finnish Literature Society, 10 January 2025
  6. Sotapäiväkirjat paljastavat hirvittävät julmuudet: Suomen riveissä taistellut inkeriläispataljoona ampui säälimättä siviilejä. Boris Salomon. Iltalehti. 10 January 2025
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