Jäger Movement
The Jäger Movement consisted of volunteers from Finland who trained in Germany as Jägers during World War I. Supported by Germany to enable the creation of a Finnish sovereign state, the movement was one of many means by which Germany intended to weaken Russia and to cause Russia's loss of its western provinces and dependencies.
History
The recruitment of volunteers from the Grand Duchy of Finland was clandestine and dominated by German-influenced circles, such as university students and the Finnish upper middle class. The recruitment was however in no way exclusive. Sources differ on the total number of Finnish Jägers trained in Germany, ranging from 1,100 to just under 1,900 men.The recruits were most often clandestinely transported across Finland's western border via Sweden to Germany, where they were formed into the Royal Prussian 27th Jäger Battalion. The Jäger Battalion fought in the ranks of the German Army from 1916 in the battles on the northern flank of the eastern front.
Image:Jaakarit vaasan torilla.jpg|thumb|right|Finnish Jägers parading at the town square of Vaasa 1918.
After the outbreak of the Civil War in Finland the Jägers were engaged on the "White" anti-communist side in the war and formed the nucleus of the new Finnish Army. In Finland, these 2,000 volunteers were simply called the Jägers.
Their contribution to the White victory was crucial, not least through improving morale. Having been professionally trained in Germany, many were also the best candidates to assume command over the untrained troops of the Civil War.
Immediately after the Civil War, they were allowed to use the word Jäger in their military ranks. Many of the Jägers continued their military careers. In the 1920s a long feud between officers with Jäger-background and Finnish officers who had served in the Russian Imperial army was concluded in favor of the Jägers. Most of the commanders of army corps, divisions, and regiments in the Winter War were Jägers. The Jäger March composed by Jean Sibelius for the words written by Jäger Heikki Nurmio, was the honorary march of many army detachments.
Timeline
- 17 November 1914 – In the press of the Grand Duchy of Finland, the so-called Great Russification Program is published.
- 20 November 1914 – The Jäger Movement begins when a group of student activists gather at the Ostrobotnia House in Helsinki. The Russification Program is regarded as a major threat that would practically abolish the autonomy of the Grand Duchy of Finland, making Finland just another province of the Russian Empire. It is decided to acquire both weapons and training from abroad in order to separate Finland from Russia.
- 25 February 1915 – The first group of volunteer Jägers arrives in Germany at the Lockstedt camp for training.
- 26 August 1915 – A separate unit is established in Germany for Finnish Jägers. The number of recruits increases significantly.
- 9 May 1916 – The Finnish Jäger Battalion in Germany is officially named the Royal Prussian 27th Jäger Battalion.
- 31 May 1916 – The Finns depart for Latvia to the Eastern Front.
- March 1917 – The Jäger Battalion is transferred to reserve status in Libau.
- 27 October 1917 – The first advance detachment and weapons are sent from Germany to Finland.
- 17 November 1917 – A detachment of seven Jägers led by Woldemar Hägglund arrives in Finland by submarine with a cargo of explosives and weapons.
- 5 February 1918 – A decision is made for the Jägers to return to Finland.
- 13 February 1918 – The Jäger Battalion is disbanded. A military oath and flag consecration ceremony is held in Libau, Latvia.
- 25 February 1918 – The main force of the Jägers arrives in Vaasa, at the Vaskiluoto harbor, in a convoy led by the icebreaker Sampo ''(1898)''.