The Swedish Volunteer Corps (Svenska Frivilligkåren) during the Winter War

Winter War

The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...

 numbered 9,640. Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 was officially non-belligerent

Non-belligerent

A non-belligerent is a person, a state, or other organization that does not fight in a given conflict. The term is often used to describe a country that does not take part militarily in a war...

, however not neutral, during the course of the war so only volunteers could be used by Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

. The volunteers were in the front lines in northern Salla

Salla

Salla is a municipality of Finland, located in Lapland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....

 area starting on February 28, 1940. Losses included 28 dead, 50 wounded and 140 disabled due to frostbite

Frostbite

Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...

. There were 25 planes in the Swedish Voluntary Air Force (Winter War)

Swedish Voluntary Air Force (Winter War)

The Flight Regiment 19 , also known as the Swedish Voluntary Air Force or F 19 was a Finnish Air Force unit, manned by Swedish volunteers, which operated from Kemi in northern Finland for the last 62 days of the Winter War. The aircraft also came from the Swedish Air Force inventory...

, F19. The Swedish volunteers also defended Turku

Turku

Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

 with an anti-aircraft battery.

8,402 Swedes, along with 1,010 Danes and 895 Norwegians fought together with the Finns. The volunteers demonstrated a strong Nordic

Nordic countries

The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...

 unity that was symbolized in their insignia of the "four brother hands", representing Finland, Sweden, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 and Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

.

Organization

Swedish Volunteer Corps - Svenska Frivilligkåren

• • I. stridsgruppen (Lieutenant-Colonel Magnus Dyrssen†, Captain Carl Carlsson Bonde, Lieutenant-Colonel Carl-Oscar Agell)
    • 1. skyttekompaniet
    • 2. skyttekompaniet
    • 3. skyttekompaniet
    • 4. jägarkompaniet
    • 5. tunga kompaniet
    • 1. batteriet
    • 1. plogplutonen
    • 1. signalplutonen
  • II. stridsgruppen (Lieutenant-Colonel Viking Tamm)
    • 1. skyttekompaniet
    • 2. skyttekompaniet
    • 3. skyttekompaniet
    • 4. jägarkompaniet
    • 5. tunga kompaniet
    • 2. batteriet
    • 2. plogplutonen
    • 2. signalplutonen
  • III. stridsgruppen (Lieutenant-Colonel Martin Ekström
    Martin Eugen Ekström
    Martin Eugen Ekström was a Swedish military adventurer who became the leader of the Nationalsocialistiska Blocket, an umbrella organization for various fascist and National Socialist groups.Lieutenant colonel Ekström led the 3rd Battlegroup of the Swedish Volunteer Corps in the Finnish Winter...
    
    )
    • 1. skyttekompaniet
    • 2. skyttekompaniet
    • 3. skyttekompaniet
    • 4. jägarkompaniet
    • 5. tunga kompaniet
    • 3. batteriet
    • 3. plogplutonen
    • 3. signalplutonen
  • Other units:
    • 1. pansarvärnsplutonen
    • 2. pansarvärnsplutonen
    • Luftvärnskompaniet
    • Ingenjörkompaniet
    • 16. självständiga jägarkompaniet
    • (17. självständiga jägarkompaniet)
    • Intendenturkompaniet
    • Vägkompaniet
    • 1. bilkompaniet
    • 2. bilkompaniet
    • Anspannskompaniet
    • 1. sjukvårdsplutonen
    • 2. sjukvårdsplutonen
    • Hästambulans
    • Ambulans
    • F 19

Weapons

• 7,5cm Guns M/02
• 40mm Anti Aircraft Guns M/36
• 7,5cm Anti Aircraft guns
• 20mm Automatic Cannons
• 3,7cm Anti Tank guns M/38
• 8cm Mortars M/29
• 13mm Anti Tank Rifles

External links

• Volunteers in the Winter War
• Volunteer Swedish aviators in the Winter War
• Swedish language site of the Swedish Volunteer organization