Aunus expedition

Part of Heimosodat

Date	April 21-September 18, 1919
Location	Aunus
Result	Russian Bolshevik control in Aunus increased

Belligerents

Finnish volunteers

Russian SFSR

Commanders and leaders

Colonel Aarne Sihvo

Lieutenant Colonel Ero Gadolin

Major Gunnar von Hertzen

Major Paavo Talvela

Captain Ragnar Nordström

Lev Trotsky

Strength

Finland about 2500-2700
Aunus about 1000

Soviet Russia about 20 000

Casualties and losses

330-400 dead
600-800 wounded

1000 dead
1800 wounded

The Aunus expedition was an attempt by Finnish volunteers to occupy parts of East Karelia in 1919, during the Russian Civil War. Aunus is the Finnish name for Olonets Karelia. This expedition was one of many Finnic "kinship wars" (heimosodat) fought against forces of Soviet Russia after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and during the Russian Civil War.

In February 1918 General Mannerheim, the commander of the anti-communist White Guards, wrote his famous "sword scabbard order of the day," in which he said that he would not put his sword into the scabbard until East Karelia was free of Russian control. After the Finnish Civil War there was much public discussion about joining East Karelia to Finland, although the Russian East Karelia never was a part of the Sweden-Finland or the Grand Duchy of Finland.

Earlier attempts in 1918 to Petsamo and White Karelia (Viena expedition) had failed, partly due to a passive attitude of the Karelians. Later the British occupied White Karelia.

During the summer of 1918, the government of Finland received various appeals from East Karelia for joining the area to Finland. Especially active were the inhabitants of the parish of Repola, which had held a vote to join Finland. The Finnish Army occupied the parish in the fall of 1918. In January 1919 a small expedition of volunteers occupied the parish of Porajärvi, but was quickly repulsed by Bolshevik forces. Porajärvi held a vote on January 7 to also join Finland.

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Wikipedia