Reino Hallamaa
| Reino Henrik Hallamaa | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
12 November 1899 Tampere |
| Died | 11 August 1979 (aged 79) Churriana, Spain |
| Allegiance |
 Finland
|
| Service/branch | Finnish Army |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | Finnish Radio Intelligence |
| Other work | Owner of construction company |
Reino Henrik Hallamaa (12 November 1899 – 11 August 1979 in Churriana, Málaga, Spain) was a Finnish Colonel and developer and head of the Finnish Radio Intelligence during World War II.
Reino Henrik Hallamaa was born in Tampere in 1899 to Juha and Aino Hummelin. After attending college in Helsinki he began working for the Finnish railroad, where one of his tasks was to fill out package lists of cargo arriving from Russia. In 1917 he began working as a signals telegraphist at the Helsinki Central railway station.
In 1918, Finland declared its independence, and the Finnish Civil War erupted. Hallamaa joined the whites in Seinäjoki. Here he was assigned to the Uudenmaan rakunapataljoona unit where he fought in the battles at Väärinmaja, Kuhmoinen, Tampere and Lempäälä. Hallamaa, now a lance corporal (korpraali), was transferred to the navy after the war, where he worked as a signaller. Later that year he was promoted to corporal (alikersantti) and assigned to Gogland where he was tasked with gathering information on naval traffic in the Gulf of Finland and Red Navy movements in particular. He was listening to Soviet radio traffic along with Ragnvald Lind (later Ragnvalt Lautakari) who would continue to work in the radio intelligence under Hallamaa's lead. Hallamaa even managed to decipher some of the codes sent out by the Soviets. This awoke the interest in the higher military circles and Hallamaa was invited to come and hold a presentation on the work done at Gogland. Soon after, Hallamaa was appointed sergeant. He was now tasked with training radio operators and sent on trips to Kotka and Turku to try to repair radio stations that had been left there by the Russians.
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