664th Eastern Battalion
| Ost-Bataillon 664 | |
|---|---|
| Active | February 1942 to November 1943 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Wehrmacht |
| Part of | Army Group North |
| Engagements | |
The 664th Eastern Battalion was a military unit of the Wehrmacht composed of Ingrian Finns, with its main purpose being fighting partisans and guarding railways.
Unlike many collaborator units that suffered from defection, 664th Eastern Battalion was considered reliable and over 100 members of the unit were awarded with the Medal for Gallantry and Merit for Members of the Eastern Peoples. The unit was responsible for multiple massacres of civilians.[1][2]
Background
[edit]After the Germans took over Estonia and surrounded Leningrad, the Ingrians living there were recruited in 1942 into a Wehrmacht group called Finnische Sicherheitsgruppe 187 (Finnish Security Group 187). Within a year of its establishment, it included 27th, 28th, 29th, and 30th. Hundertschaft, each consisting of 170 men. The name of the group was later changed to Ost-Bataillon 664 ('664th Eastern Battalion') in the fall of 1942. The main task of the battalion was to protect the Leningrad–Dno-and Luga–Novgorod- railway lines. The battalion headquarters were located in Batetskaya, an important crossroads.[2][3][4]
Atrocities
[edit]
According to an Iltalehti article by Boris Salomon, the Ingrians were responsible for multiple atrocities, and shocked even their German officers. "The national feeling is strong and the hatred of Russians runs deep. The German sergeant complained that these Finns do not understand that the Germans have to be friendly to the Russians because of the current situation" wrote Juhani Jääskelainen, a military chaplain, in his report. In the opinion of the Germans the Russophobia of the Ingrian Finns ran too deep. In a report by Sicherheitsdienst a soldier in the 664th Eastern Battalion Mikko Fedotow was separated because "Fedotow says he hates Russians deeply and is always easy to anger. Since Fedotow thinks every Russian is a communist and has often threatened his friends with a gun, he is not qualified for military service". In one example of extreme cruelty, a unit consisting of Ingrians and Estonians carried out a massacre of Roma residents of the village of Filippovsshina in February 1942. They forced the villagers to dance for their own amusement in minus 30 degree weather and then shot them with three machine guns.[5] In another case, the Ingrians and Germans hanged a group of Jews and Romas in the town center in Krasnogvardeisk. The Ingrians were least present when a whole Roma family was hanged in a village near Luga.[3]
End of the Battalion
[edit]When Ingrian civilians began to be transferred to Finland in March 1943 from areas occupied by Germany, some Ingrian men who served in the German army also expressed wishes for a transfer to Finland. After the negotiations between the Germans and Finns, it was decided to move the battalion to Finland and merge it to the Finnish Army. The transfers were made from Estonia by ship in early December.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Various authors: Jatkosodan historia, osa 1 (The History of the Continuation War, Vol. 1) Sotatieteen laitos (Institute of Military Science)
- ^ a b c Pekka Mutanen: Vaiennetut sotilaat. Ruotsi: Ajatus-Kirjat, 1999. ISBN 951-9440-87-9
- ^ a b Selective Memories: Finnish State Policy toward Roma in the 1930s and 1940s in Its European Context and Post-War Perception - Malte Gasche, University of Helsinki. Martin Holler, Humboldt University of Berlin http://hdl.handle.net/10138/338347
- ^ Toinen maailmansota Inkerissä, Finnish Literature Society, 10 January 2025
- ^ Sotapäiväkirjat paljastavat hirvittävät julmuudet: Suomen riveissä taistellut inkeriläispataljoona ampui säälimättä siviilejä. Boris Salomon. Iltalehti. 10 January 2025