Weapons Cache Case
Encyclopedia
The Weapons Cache Case was a Finnish
criminal case of the mid-1940s. It concerned a secret military operation following the Continuation War
, where a large number of Finnish Army
weapons and equipment was hidden away around the country.
Following the Moscow Armistice
, two officers in Finnish Military HQ, Colonel
Valo Nihtilä and Lieutenant Colonel
Usko Haahti, started planning countermeasures against a possible Soviet occupation of the country. They came up with the idea of decentralized storing of light infantry weapons, so that in case of occupation, an immediate guerrilla war could be launched.
During the demobilization
, an organization responsible for hiding the equipment was created and war material was given for safekeeping. A total of 5,000–10,000 people participated in the operation. It was planned that they would hide material for 8,000 men, but the participants worked so eagerly that it is supposed they hid material for 35,000 soldiers.
The case started to unravel in the spring of 1945, when one man, who had stolen foodstuffs from the cache and sold it on the black market, for fear of reprisal from his comrades, divulged the existence of the caches to the Allied Control Commission (ACC). Initially the ACC was eager to follow the case, but after written orders from Nihtilä and Haahti surfaced, they left the investigation to Valpo
, the communist-controlled state police of Finland at the time.
Valpo interrogated more than 5,000 people but failed to completely crack the case and find all the weapons. Most of the weapons were silently returned to army depots, and some were destroyed, but even today when old buildings are demolished, caches turn up every year. The investigators failed to find out how many people participated in the operation, as the participants tended to be reluctant to divulge meaningful information. In the end, 1,488 people were convicted, most of them receiving 1–4 months in prison.
Decades later, in 1980, Arvo Tuominen
, a former Finnish Communist
leader, claimed that the weapons cache case was the tipping point which transferred the power within the Finnish Communist movement from the revolutionary to the parliamentary wing, as the communists feared armed resistance against revolutionary takeover. However, as historian Kimmo Rentola among others has shown, Tuominen's claims are to be treated very sceptically.
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...
criminal case of the mid-1940s. It concerned a secret military operation following the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
, where a large number of Finnish Army
Finnish Army
The Finnish Army is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces.Today's Army is divided into six branches: the infantry , field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, engineers, signals, and materiel troops.-History of the Finnish Army:Between 1809 and 1917 Finland was an autonomous part of...
weapons and equipment was hidden away around the country.
Following the Moscow Armistice
Moscow Armistice
The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on September 19, 1944, ending the Continuation War...
, two officers in Finnish Military HQ, Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Valo Nihtilä and Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Usko Haahti, started planning countermeasures against a possible Soviet occupation of the country. They came up with the idea of decentralized storing of light infantry weapons, so that in case of occupation, an immediate guerrilla war could be launched.
During the demobilization
Demobilization
Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...
, an organization responsible for hiding the equipment was created and war material was given for safekeeping. A total of 5,000–10,000 people participated in the operation. It was planned that they would hide material for 8,000 men, but the participants worked so eagerly that it is supposed they hid material for 35,000 soldiers.
The case started to unravel in the spring of 1945, when one man, who had stolen foodstuffs from the cache and sold it on the black market, for fear of reprisal from his comrades, divulged the existence of the caches to the Allied Control Commission (ACC). Initially the ACC was eager to follow the case, but after written orders from Nihtilä and Haahti surfaced, they left the investigation to Valpo
Valtiollinen Poliisi
Valtiollinen poliisi was the predecessor of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service.- Etsivä keskuspoliisi :...
, the communist-controlled state police of Finland at the time.
Valpo interrogated more than 5,000 people but failed to completely crack the case and find all the weapons. Most of the weapons were silently returned to army depots, and some were destroyed, but even today when old buildings are demolished, caches turn up every year. The investigators failed to find out how many people participated in the operation, as the participants tended to be reluctant to divulge meaningful information. In the end, 1,488 people were convicted, most of them receiving 1–4 months in prison.
Decades later, in 1980, Arvo Tuominen
Arvo Tuominen
Arvo "Poika" Tuominen was a Finnish Communist revolutionary and later a social democratic journalist and politician. Tuominen was given his nickname Poika in 1920 because of his boyish looks—poika means "boy" in Finnish....
, a former Finnish Communist
Communist Party of Finland
The Communist Party of Finland was a communist political party in Finland. The SKP was a section of Comintern and illegal in Finland until 1944.SKP did not participate in any elections with its own name. Instead, front organisations were used...
leader, claimed that the weapons cache case was the tipping point which transferred the power within the Finnish Communist movement from the revolutionary to the parliamentary wing, as the communists feared armed resistance against revolutionary takeover. However, as historian Kimmo Rentola among others has shown, Tuominen's claims are to be treated very sceptically.
See also
- Operation GladioOperation GladioOperation Gladio is the codename for a clandestine NATO "stay-behind" operation in Italy after World War II. Its purpose was to continue anti-communist actions in the event of a shift to a Communist party led government...
(a post-World War II NATO operation similar to the Finnish case) - Stay-behindStay-behindIn a stay-behind operation, a country places secret operatives or organisations in its own territory, for use in the event that the territory is overrun by an enemy. If this occurs, the operatives would then form the basis of a resistance movement, or would act as spies from behind enemy lines...