27th Jäger Battalion (Finland)


The Finnish 27th Jäger Battalion was an elite light infantry unit in the German Army from 1915–1918 which consisted mainly of volunteers of the Finnish Jäger troops.
The recruitment of the Jäger volunteers from the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland had to be secret, and was dominated by German-influenced circles, such as university students and the upper middle class. The recruitment was however in no way exclusive. The recruits were transported across Finland's western border via Sweden to Germany, where the volunteers were formed into the Royal Prussian 27th Jäger Battalion. It was a continuation and expansion of the "Boy Scout Training".

Scout course and permanent training group

Later, the Pfadfinderkursus received more permanent forms and the course was changed into a permanent training group in Lockstedt, the Ausbildungs-Truppe-Lockstedt, which had given military training to Finnish volunteers eager to fight for independence.
More than 200 university students had participated in the so-called Boy Scout training – they dressed in Boy Scout uniforms during training, and they became the officers of the Finnish Jäger Troops. This group was expanded by extensive recruitment in the autumn of 1915 and spring of 1916. The goal was to increase the unit to 1,200 men, including artillery and pioneers. As the new recruits included working class young men and farmers as well as sailors, not so many of them knew German. It was therefore necessary to create military guide books in Finnish, and a command vocabulary was created.
On 9 May 1916, the Lockstedt training group was designated the Royal Prussian Jaeger Battalion number 27 and received new, green German Jaeger uniforms. Some of the soldiers to be trained stayed in Ausbildungs-Truppe-Lockstedt and their unit preserved its name. If the number of the recruits had increased enough, Ausbildungs-Truppe-Lockstedt would itself have been formed in due course as a Jaeger battalion, but with the number 28. This did not happen as there was no political initiative for this in Finland or in Germany, which were preparing for a separate peace with the Russian Empire in order to fight more effectively on the Western Front against France and the United Kingdom.

Regular battalion

To achieve experience from warfare, the main part of the Ausbildungs-Truppe-Lockstedt became a regular Jaeger battalion, the Royal Prussian Jaeger battalion number 27, which was used with relatively modest losses to attain experience, but also re-trained for the more technically demanding duties of artillery, engineers, supplies, etc. in order to establish this expertise in the future national army of the independent state of Finland.
The Jaeger Battalion participated in the ranks of the 8th German Army from 1916 in the battles of World War I on the northern flank of the Eastern Front. After the outbreak of the Civil War in Finland, Jaegers who intended to engage on the "White" side in the war were released.

Periods

Pfadfinder-Kursus Lockstedter Lager

Pfadfinderkursus - the Pathfinder course - was the beginning of the new Finnish military training, as it had been abolished in the Grand Duchy of Finland due to the political schism in Finland between the Finns and the Russian imperial government. There were 189 Finns, one Norwegian Swede and one Balt, altogether 191.
On 26 January 1915, the representatives of the German ministries for foreign affairs and also war, general headquarters and navy headquarters had made a decision to provide military training for 200 Finns. The commander was major Maximilian Bayer, who was a war veteran from the German African colonies and the chairman of the German Scout league, Deutsche Pfadfinderbund, which he established in 1907 and of which he served as the chairman, Reichsfeldmeister. In World War I, he had served in the Regiment Prinz Louis-Ferdinand, the 27th Infantry Regiment, and took part in the attack against Liège in Belgium. Thereafter, he had served as the German commandant of Liège from 5 January 1915. The original idea was to nominate the commander, one infantry captain and one pioneer captain, but the decision was to nominate four captains: Julius Knaths, Hans Bade, Walter Just and Karld Heldt. They all reported to the German Ministry for War on 13 February for instructions. In April 1915, Offiziersverstellvertreter Hans Eller was also ordered to the Pathfinder course, for machine gun training. From 12 to 13 non-commissioned officers were ordered to attend the course, and also six pioneers. The master sergeants were Perper and Steinmuller, and the non-commissioned officers in lower ranks were Claussen, Huyssen, Hoden and Toeppel. Hoden and Toeppel were assigned to other duties later. The pioneer non-commissioned officer Claussen and machine gun trainer Huyssen continued to serve during the 27th Battalion period and became lieutenants.
The first Pathfinders came to the Lockstedt military training camp on 25 February 1915. The oldest member of the course was Alma Fabritius, who stayed for four months. Another older participant, doctor Marcus Kjöllerfeld, stayed six weeks from 25 February to April.
MonthFinlandGermanyDenmarkNorwayUSATotalAccumulatedResigned
February636363
March669176139
April8311150-1
May2115155
June33158
July33161
August3216167

Later, when already Jaegers, two ex-Pathfinders resigned and two died from disease, Runar Appelberg and Urho Kalsko. Already in the service of the Guards, majors Friedel Jacobson, Olof Lagus and Armas Ståhlberg were killed in action in the Finnish Civil War 1918, as were Rittmeister Paul Ljungberg and Captain Bertel Paulig. Six other ex-Pathfinders died in the Civil War. Two of them were master sergeants and the third was a sergeant. The last three did not have any military rank in Finland, for unknown reasons.
Captain Toivo Kuisma died in the Aunus attack in 1919, and Major Sven Weckström in 1921, having been wounded in Maaninkajärvi that year.
Later, the ex-Pathfinders achieved high military ranks:
Rank-
Infantry general3A. E. Heinrich, A. Sihvo, A. Sundman
Lieutenant-general10
Major-general12A. R. Danielson
Colonel30
Lieutenant-colonel26
Major38
Captain and Rittmeister 29
Lieutenant14
2nd lieutenant3
Total165

Ausbildungs-Truppe-Lockstedt

1916

Many German officers served in the battalion. The first commander was Major Maximillian Bayer, who became later a regimental commander on the Western Front. After him, the commander was Captain Julius Knaths.
German officerMilitary rankUnit
Ausfeldcaptain
Basselieutenant
Braunsenior lieutenant
Claussenlieutenant
von Colerlieutenant
captain
Franzenlieutenant
Haaselieutenant
Höckerlieutenant
captain
Jacobssenlieutenant
Justcaptain
Knathscaptain
von Mangoldcaptain
Ladewigassistant doctor
Mellislieutenant
Oberdörferlieutenant
Rützlieutenant
Schultzelieutenant
Stahelsenior lieutenant
Wilhelmssonlieutenant

Battalion1st rifle company2nd rifle company3rd rifle company4th rifle companyEngineer companyArtillery unitSignals unit
Major Maximillian Bayer
Hauptzugführer Erik Jernström

Misa river period

MonthOfficersOthersPromotedDecoratedDeceasedReleasedHorses
Mayl
JuneJäger Alfred Hyytinen
- 13 June, 2 o'clock
- artillery grenade
- position of the 1st company
Jäger Max August Kronqvist
- 25 June
- artillery grenade
Jäger Matti Nykänen
- 25 June
- hospital
- Skrabbe
- Skrabbe war grave
JulyJäger Paavo Kinnunen
- 25 July
- 24 July shot in the head
- Smārde
- Tukums war grave
AugustJäger Ilmari Pahkajärvi
- 15 August
- artillery grenade to the truce
- Misa River		--

Riga bay period

MonthOfficersOthersPromotedDecoratedDeceasedReleasedHorses
SeptemberJäger Frans Heinonen
- 15 September
- grenade fragmentation onto forehead
- Riga Bay
- Dumbe war grave
Jäger Einar Myntti
- 20 September
- killed in patrol
- Riga bay
- Dumbe war grave
Jäger Emil Kantola
- 20 September
- engineers protecting squad, shot by the Russians
- Riga bay
- Dumbe war grave
October
November
DecemberJäger Konrad Pehrsson
- 1 December
-
- Riga Bay
- Dumbe war grave

[Liepaja Christmas period

MonthOfficersOthersPromotedDecoratedDeceasedReleasedHorses
December

Lielupe (Misse) period 1916/1917

MonthOfficersOthersPromotedDecoratedDeceasedReleasedHorses
December
January
February
March

Liepaja training period 1917/1918

Battalion1st rifle company2nd rifle company3rd rifle company4th rifle companyEngineer companyArtillery unitSignals unit
Captain Julius Knaths
Hauptzugführer Erik Jernström

MonthOfficersOthersPromotedDecoratedDeceasedReleasedHorses
April341277Jäger August Jukarainen
- 21 April
- hospital
- Thorn
Jäger Herman Hirvonen
- 27 April
- hospital
- Jelgava 		186
May371314Jäger Kustaa Heinonen
- 5 May
- hospital
- Liepaja
Jäger Wilhelm Blomberg
- 16 May
- suicide attempt 15 May		14 Jägers of D. U.
- 14 April		190
June361316Gruppenführer Rudolf Jahnke
-20 June
-hospital
-Altona		190
July361297Hilfsgruppenführer Johannes Ammunet
- 6 July
- suicide attempt 5 July
- Liepaja
Jäger Karl Hellman
- 15 July
- hospital
- Liepaja
Oberzugführer Runar Appelberg
- 22 July
- hospital
- Tukums 		190
August341271Zugführer 14
- 9 August
Gruppenführer 21
- 11 August
Hilfsgruppenführer 48
- 25 August		Jäger Matti Fält
13 August
- hospital
- Hannover
Jäger August Tenno
- 25 August
- hospital
- Szczecin 		191
September341342Zugführer 3
- 19 September
Gruppenführer 8
- 19 September
Hilfsgruppenführer 26
- 19 September		159
October241293Zugführer 1
- 28 October
Gruppenführer 1
- 28 October
Hilfsgruppenführer 34
- 28 October		iron cross 4Jäger Erik Martois
- 26 October
- hospital
- Altona		155
November221280157
December221265Oberzugführer 3
- 25 December
Zugführer 3
- 25 December
Gruppenführer 21
- 25 December
Hilfsgruppenführer 25
- 25 December		30 Jägers
- 11 December
40 Jägers
- 17 December
40 Jägers
- 29 December		163
January
February

Later, as Jaegers, two ex-Pathfinders resigned and two died from disease, Runar Appelberg and Urho Kalsko.

1918

Already in the service of the Guards, Majors Friedel Jacobson, Olof Lagus and Armas Ståhlberg were killed in action in the Finnish Civil War in 1918, as were Rittmeister Paul Ljungberg and Captain Bertel Paulig. Six other ex-Pathfinders also died in the Civil War. Two of them were master sergeants, and the third was a sergeant. The last three did not have any military rank, for unknown reasons.

Killed in action in Finland 1918

Captain Toivo Kuisma died in the Aunus attack 1919 and Major Sven Weckström in 1921, having been wounded in Maaninkajärvi that year.

Military ranks

Rank--
Hauptzugführer
Oberzugführer Friedel Jacobsson
Zugführer Aarne Heikinheimo
Tauno Juvonen
Gruppenführer Johan Forsman
Osmo Grönroos
Mikko Kohonen
Åke Sumelius
Hilfsgruppenführer
Jäger 38

Month-
Infantry general3A. E. Heinrich, A. Sihvo, A. Sundman
Lieutenant-general10
Major-general12
Colonel30
Lieutenant-colonel26
Major38
Captain and Rittmeister 29
Lieutenant14
2nd lieutenant3
Total165

Lielupe period

The Liepaja training period consisted all kinds of special training from general leadership to special skills.
March 1917