Misplaced Pages

#35964

133-658: According to historians Oula Silvennoinen, Marko Tikka and Aapo Roselius, the leadership of the Front Soldier League consisted mainly of people described as fascists, and the association was Finland's most important background organization for “nationalist radicalism” throughout its existence. The War of Independence Front Soldiers' League was founded in February 1929 in Tampere . It already expanded nationwide in May of

266-616: A Grand Duchy of Finland , Tampere still had less than a thousand inhabitants. In the 19th century, Tampere grew into an important market town and industrial centre ; the industrialisation of Tampere was greatly influenced by the Finlayson textile factory, founded in 1820 by the Scottish industrialist James Finlayson . By 1850, the factory employed around 2000 people, while the city's population had grown to 4000. Other notable industrial establishments that followed Finlayson's success in

399-579: A regiment -strength unit of 2,000 to 2,400 men, which the Finnish government rejected in May 1941. After entering the war on Germany's side, Finland sought the transfer of the Finnish volunteers into the German Army, back to Finland, or to the SS ;Division Nord alongside Finnish forces. Germany denied these requests. A second round of recruiting was held from 3 to 27 July 1942 and

532-576: A "post-myth research situation [which] allows for the history of the Finnish SS-men to be inspected more realistically and from more points of view". Commentators such as the president of the SS heritage association noted that the reports were not absolutely definite in their statements that the Finns themselves committed atrocities. Historian Antero Holmila interprets these types of views as stemming from

665-549: A 2019 report by the National Archives of Finland concluded that "at least some of the cases show that Finnish volunteers did participate in carrying out atrocities against Jews and civilians". International sources say that the Finnish soldiers were likely involved in atrocities. By June 1941, when Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa , the invasion of the Soviet Union (USSR), Finland had come to regard

798-532: A Finnish company. According to docent Lars Westerlund, many Finns were motivated by the belief that Finland was on the brink of destruction: ”If we have to fight, it's best to fight to the end.” The company was disbanded in May 1945. Helmer Kalas , Claes Purjo and Mikko Laaksonen were famous members of the Finnish SS-Company. The first book written on the Finnish battalion was Sakari Lappi-Seppälä  [ fi ] 's memoir in 1945, which

931-480: A Nazi, but the conservative journal Suomalainen Suomi  [ fi ] called his claims "laudable, for it is clear that many former SS men were treated unfairly after the war". However, the liberal paper Helsingin Sanomat was more critical, and the reviewer was left disappointed. Ylioppilaslehti , a student magazine, called the memoir "full of nonsense". Historian Mauno Jokipii , in his 1968 study of

1064-746: A few days with the SS garrison at the city of Stralsund . The 429 men aboard the first three ships, known in post-war Finnish historiography as the "division men" as opposed to the "battalion boys" that followed them, were sent to the Heuberg Training Area and the Vienna-Schönbrunn training center for a brief training period. Afterwards they joined various units of the SS ;Division Wiking in Silesia , ahead of Operation Barbarossa. Unfamiliarity with German tactics and weapons and

1197-532: A formal note being filed by Johan Wilhelm Rangell , the Finnish prime minister , which Berger forwarded to Himmler on 9 February 1942. The battalion took leave in Ruhpolding , and on 1 June 1943 returned to Hanko, Finland , where a parade was held. On 2 June, the men celebrated at Tampere , and were given one-month's leave. Germany's original plan was for the Finns to continue their service in

1330-647: A huge scale." Sakari Lappi-Seppälä describes how Parvilahti, a "National Socialist", destroyed a chapel in Złoczów. However, there is no concrete evidence regarding the involvement of Finnish soldiers in atrocities, so it is commonly assumed, according to Parvilahti's standard narrative, that the troops saw "unpleasant excesses" of German warfare but the war was very much conventional. The Nordic Resistance Movement along with other nationalist organizations organizes an annual torch march demonstration in Helsinki in memory of

1463-726: A language barrier complicated the cohesion of the division men with the rest of SS Division Wiking. The 768 "battalion boys", meanwhile, were all sent to the Schönbrunn training center where, on 15 June they were formed into the SS-Volunteer Battalion Northeast (motorized) ( German : SS-Freiwilligen-Battalion Nordost (mot.) ), under the command of German Waffen-SS officer Hans Collani . The battalion returned to Stralsund in July and then in August

SECTION 10

#1732794084036

1596-612: A long time, although after 2008 growth came to a virtual standstill. The average living space at the end of 2012 was about 36.8 m per inhabitant, compared with about 19.2 m in 1970 and about 31.8 m in 1990. The average dwelling had about 1.8 inhabitants in 2012. For more than ten years, Tampere has been one of the most migratory municipalities, as more than 1,930 new residents moved to Tampere in January–September 2021. Nokia , Kangasala and Lempäälä , which are among Tampere's neighbouring municipalities, have also been identified as

1729-676: A lot of Swedish-language activities. The League's organs were the Rintamamies (Front Man), published in 1930, and the Frontmannen, in Swedish, published in 1934. VRL's political agenda included, above all, opposition to the activities of the left and the labor movement. Its program called, among other things, for the electoral laws to be amended so that the Communists were completely removed from parliament and councils and more weight

1862-503: A market town in 1775 by Gustav III of Sweden and four years later, on 1 October 1779, Tampere was granted full town rights . At that time it was a rather small town, founded on the lands of the Tammerkoski manor, while its inhabitants were still mainly farmers. As farming was forbidden within the city limits, the inhabitants began to rely on other means of earning a living, mainly trade and crafts . In 1809, when Finland became

1995-496: A month later that Pavel Orlov, a representative of the Supervisory Commission, forced the Finnish government to take action. The leadership of the Front Soldier League was still offered the opportunity to dissolve the organization itself, but Chairman Lindh and a majority of the federal government refused, so the association was dissolved by a government decision on October 19, 1944. After its dissolution, members of

2128-443: A more modern direction since the 2010s, and the city aims to have the centre in its future form by the 2030s. In particular, plans have been drawn up for the area around the central railway station in the form of the "Tampere Deck" project, which includes a new multi-purpose arena and high-rise buildings in the area. A light rail network has also recently been built in the city centre. Artificial island projects are planned on

2261-546: A narrative of the Finnish Waffen-SS volunteers being "elite troops". This narrative surrounds the character of General Felix Steiner , first commander of the SS-Wiking Division, who "recognized and acknowledged the combat skills of his Finnish soldiers". The focus on how elite the soldiers were has taken away from the investigation of the ideologies within the volunteers. The conventional narrative today

2394-438: A problem in "its distance from the experiences of those who lived through the chaos". Holmila uses the example when Jokipii, describes the aftermath of the death of Westland regiment commander Hilmar Wäckerle and the atrocities committed (burning of a nearby village, Russians and Jews executed without trial for being accused of collaborating with the sniper who killed Weckerle), said that no Finns "were there", which goes against

2527-608: A pulp mill on the banks of the rapids, and a second pulp mill was opened in 1868 near the neighbouring town of Nokia , where there were better hydroelectric resources. Tampere was the centre of many important political events in the early 20th century, such as the 1905 conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), led by Vladimir Lenin , held in the Tampere Workers' Hall during their flight from Russia, where it

2660-416: A report for the National Archives of Finland , Finnish historian Lars Westerlund found that antisemitism was not among the primary motives for the Finnish volunteers. As the goal of the Finnish government with regard to the volunteer unit was to confirm Finland's alliance with Germany and create a group of Finnish soldiers with German training rather than confirm Finnish allegiance to Germany or to Nazism,

2793-762: A total of 33 million cubic meters of wastewater was treated in Tampere. The Viinikanlahti treatment plant treats more than 75% of wastewater. The new central treatment plant in Sulkavuori will open in 2025. It is a joint project of Tampere, Kangasala, Pirkkala, Ylöjärvi, Lempäälä and Vesijärvi, with a treatment capacity of 100 000 cubic metres of wastewater per day. Pirkanmaan Jätehuolto handles waste management in Tampere. It has waste treatment facilities in Nokia 's Lake Koukkujärvi and Tampere's Lake Tarastenjärvi. The city of Tampere has 260,051 inhabitants, making it

SECTION 20

#1732794084036

2926-583: A visit to Helsinki on a secret assignment with the German Foreign Office and reported to Berger his belief that around 700 Finns would join the SS. Heinrich Himmler , head of the SS, approved expanding recruitment into Finland on 30 January, as did Adolf Hitler on 20 February. On 1 March 1941, Berger presented a request to recruit Finns for the Waffen-SS to the Finnish ambassador to Germany Toivo Mikael Kivimäki , who forwarded

3059-572: Is surface water and 25% groundwater . 58% of the water was diverted to economic use and 13% to industrial use. In addition to Tampere, Tampereen Vesi manages water in Pirkkala . Almost all surface water comes from Lake Roine . In addition, Tampereen Vesi has three surface water plants in Lake Näsijärvi and five groundwater intakes. Tampereen Vesi is 96% responsible for the wastewater of Tampere, Kangasala , Pirkkala and Ylöjärvi . In 2023,

3192-462: Is accompanied by a piled hammer , and below a caduceus ; all gold". The colours of the coat of arms are the same as in the coat of arms of Pirkanmaa. The hammer, which looks like the first letter of the city's name, T, symbolises Tampere's early industry , the caduceus its commercial activities, and the wavy counter-bar the Tammerkoski rapids that divide Tampere's industrial and commercial areas. The city received its first seal in 1803, depicting

3325-477: Is also an important transit route for three Finnish highways : Highway 3 ( E12 ), Highway 9 ( E63 ) and Highway 12 . The Tampere light rail had two lines when it started operating in 2021. Tampere is ranked 26th in the list of 446 hipster cities in the world and is often rated as the most popular city in Finland. The positive development of Tampere and the Tampere metropolitan area has continued into

3458-701: Is surrounded by three lakes, Näsijärvi, Pyhäjärvi and the much smaller Iidesjärvi. The Tampere region lies in the basin of the Kokemäki River, which flows into the Bothnian Sea through Pori, the capital of the Satakunta region . Tampere's bedrock consists of mica schist and migmatite , and its building stone deposits are diverse: in addition to the traditional granite, there is an abundance of quartz diorite , tonalite , mica schist and mica gneiss . One of Tampere's most striking geographical features

3591-473: Is that the Waffen-SS soldiers were "apolitical". Many loyalist authors focus on this narrative. Until at least 2013, much of the Finnish discussion of the early months of the war had been positive, with only some references to the atrocities. Within Finnish historiography, the absence of "things which cannot be written here" – atrocities and the realities of war hinted at but not explicitly stated – supports

3724-662: Is the Särkänniemi amusement park , which had about 552 000 visitors in 2023. In addition, in 2023, 1,4 millions overnight stays were made in Tampere hotels and 300 000 in other commercial accommodations. The number exceeded the previous record year 2022 with seven percents. All that makes Tampere the second most popular city in Finland after Helsinki in terms of hotel stays. Leisure tourism accounted 865 000 of overnight stays and occupational tourism for 551 000. The income from accommodations were 116,9 million euros (+7,2 million comparing to 2022). Tampere's financial result in 2023

3857-624: Is the Pyynikki Ridge ( Pyynikinharju ), a large esker formed from moraine during the Weichselian glaciation . It rises 160 m (520 ft) above sea level and is said to be the largest gravel esker in the world. It is also part of Salpausselkä , a 200 km (120 mi) long ridge system left over from the Ice Age . The centre of Tampere ( Keskusta ) and the districts of Pyynikki , Ylä-Pispala and Ala-Pispala lie on

3990-704: Is the only example of medieval architecture. Neoclassicism from the early 19th century is represented by the Old Church of Tampere and its bell tower . The Gothic Revival buildings in Tampere that evolved from Neoclassicism are the New Church of Messukylä and the Alexander Church , while the Renaissance Revival buildings are Hatanpää Manor , Tampere City Hall , Ruuskanen House and Näsilinna . Romantic nationalism can be seen in

4123-811: The Commerce house , the Tirkkonen House, the Palander House, the Tampere Cathedral , the Tampere Central Fire Station and the Tampere National Bank building. The use of red brick as a building material in the industrial buildings along Tammerkoski, such as the Finlayson and Tampella factories, has left a strong imaginary mark on the city. The Post- Art Nouveau was largely Nordic, with

Front Soldier League - Misplaced Pages Continue

4256-612: The Ember Days of the Western Christian liturgical calendar . The Finnish word for oak , tammi , has also been suggested, although Tampere is outside the natural range of the European oak . The first coat of arms of Tampere was designed by Arvid von Cederwald in 1838, while the current coat of arms, created in 1960, was designed by Olof Eriksson. Changing the coat of arms was a controversial act, and even after

4389-662: The Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (FSWR) during the Finnish Civil War (28 January - 15 May 1918); the city was the most important industrial city in Finland at the beginning of the 20th century, with a huge working population . Tampere was a Red stronghold during the war, commanded by Hugo Salmela. White forces led by General Mannerheim captured the city after the Battle of Tampere , taking about 10,000 Red prisoners on 6 April 1918. During

4522-518: The Finnish military . As the recruitment of volunteers for the Waffen-SS violated Finnish neutrality, recruitment was carried out discreetly and without the official involvement of the Finnish government. To form a committee to manage recruitment in Finland, Paul Dahm  [ de ] , the SS representative for recruitment in Finland, approached Lieutenant Colonel Ragnar Nordström  [ fi ] , who declined. In Nordström's stead, Esko Riekki  [ fi ] , former chief of

4655-545: The Hämeensilta bridge. Also along Hämeenkatu is the longest street in the city centre, Satakunnankatu , which runs from Rautatienkatu to Amuri and crosses Tammerkoski via the Satakunnansilta bridge. Tampere's central square is located on the western bank of Tammerkoski, near Hämeensilta. The traffic centre of Tampere is the junction of Itsenäisyydenkatu , Teiskontie , Sammonkatu , Kalevanpuisto park road and

4788-463: The Kaleva and Liisankallio districts. The city of Tampere is divided into seven statistical areas , each of which includes the many districts and their suburbs. In total, there are 111 statistical areas in Tampere. However, the statistical areas created for Tampere's statistics do not fully correspond to the division of Tampere's districts or to the way residents perceive the districts. For example,

4921-514: The Naistenlahti power station accounted for about 65% of the total electricity production and the Lielahti power station for about 30%. The Naistenlahti and Lielahti units accounted for 57% and 23% of district heating production, respectively. The ten heating centres in Tampere accounted for 21%. In 2023, the share of renewal energy in the district heating production was around 80%.Aim

5054-665: The Red Army near Ternopil and then along the Dnieper River and then in the fighting north of Rostov-on-Don in October. These operations exhausted the division's manpower and essentially reduced it to an infantry unit. After retreating in early November, the division dug in along the Mius River . Soviet and British propaganda claimed that the division – including its Finnish contingent – had been destroyed, prompting

5187-677: The SS-Junker Schools at Bad Tölz . Sonderkommando Nord organized espionage training at Heringsdorf on the coast of Pomerania , among other places. A detachment of Finnish SS men was formed in Major Otto Skorzeny 's regiment Jagdregiment in Neustrelitz . With the help of his assistants, among others SS Obersturmführer Antti Aaltonen and Georg H. Hayen, SS-Hauptsturmführer Jouko Itälä managed to recruit enough defectors, prisoners of war and interned sailors to form

5320-904: The Second World War was the Brothers-in-Arms Axis ( aseveliakseli ), which consisted mainly of the National Coalition Party and the Social Democrats . While the Centre Party was the largest political force in the Finnish countryside, it had no practical relevance in Tampere. After the Second World War, Tampere was enlarged by the incorporation of some neighbouring areas. Messukylä was incorporated in 1947, Lielahti in 1950, Aitolahti in 1966 and Teisko in 1972. Already in 1937

5453-668: The Simon Wiesenthal Center to request from Finnish president Sauli Niinistö an inquiry into the possible participation of the Waffen-SS volunteers in the Holocaust. In response to the request, Finnish authorities announced a committee of inquiry into the activities of the battalion. The committee's work, including that by researchers from the National Archives of Finland , concluded at the end of 2018. The resulting 2019 publication drew significant media coverage, including demands for "correction" by close relatives of

Front Soldier League - Misplaced Pages Continue

5586-635: The Tammerkoski rapids (both the city and the rapids are called Tammerfors in Swedish ), the origin of the Tammer- part of the name has been the subject of much debate. Ánte accepts the "straightforward" etymology of Rahkonen and Heikkilä in Proto-Samic *Tëmpël(kōškë) , *tëmpël meaning "deep, slow part of a stream" and *kōškë "rapids" (related to the Finnish koski ), which has become

5719-740: The Winter War , Tampere was bombed several times by the Soviet Union . The reason for the bombing of Tampere was that the city was an important railway junction and was also home to the State Aircraft Factory and the Tampella Factory, which produced ammunition and weapons, including grenade launchers . The most devastating bombing took place on 2 March 1940, when nine people were killed and 30 wounded. In addition, ten buildings were destroyed and 30 damaged that day. The dominant force in Tampere's municipal politics after

5852-602: The Winter War , which cost Finland 25,000 casualties and 10% of its territory. Despite receiving no aid from Germany during the Winter War, and the German invasions and occupations of Norway and Denmark in mid-1940, Finland grew closer diplomatically to Germany. Finally, by early 1941, the Finnish government expected a military conflict between Germany and the USSR, and the Finnish public expected Finland would go to war again with

5985-422: The province of Häme from 1831 to 1997; over time, it has often been considered a province of Tavastia. For example, in Uusi tietosanakirja , published in the 1960s, the Tampere sub-region is presented as part of the then province of Tavastia. However between 1775 and 1870 Tammerkoski rapids was a border between regions Häme and Turku and Pori. The city were located at the eastern side of the rapids. The west bank

6118-433: The state police , was selected to form the committee. Riekki's committee started organizing recruitment on 25 March and opened an office in Helsinki on 7 April 1941. The office was dubbed the Engineering Agency Ratas ( Oy Insinööritoimisto Ratas ), ostensibly to recruit workers for the Reichswerke Hermann Göring industrial conglomerate. Further negotiations delayed the beginning of recruiting to mid-April, as

6251-410: The subarctic climate zone ( Köppen climate classification Dfc ). Winters are cold and the average temperature from December to February is below −3 °C (27 °F) and it can reach to −30 °C (−22 °F) . Summers are cool to warm. The average snow cover lasts 4–5 months from late November to early April. Given the high latitude and inland location, winters are on average quite mild for

6384-420: The 1800s were the Tampella blast furnace , machine factory and flax mill , the Frenckell paper mill and the Tampere broadcloth factory. Tampere's population grew rapidly at the end of the 19th century, from around 7,000 in 1870 to 36,000 in 1900. At the beginning of the 20th century, Tampere was a city of workers and women, with a third of the population being factory workers and more than half women. At

6517-405: The 21st century, largely due to the fact that Tampere is one of the most attractive cities in Finland. In 2023, Tampere won the first prize at the Smart City World Congress in Barcelona , competing in the category of enabling technologies, while also receiving recognition for the use of technological solutions for the benefit of residents and businesses. Although the name Tampere derives from

6650-464: The 3rd most populous municipality in Finland and the tenth in the Nordics . The Tampere region , with 422,917 people, is the second largest after the Helsinki metropolitan area . Tampere is home to 5% of Finland's population. 10% of the population has a foreign background, which is above the national average. However, it is lower than in the major Finnish cities of Helsinki , Espoo , Vantaa or Turku . The demographic structure of Tampere shows that

6783-511: The Amurinlinna building and the Pyynikki swimming pool. The rationalist buildings of the modernist period are represented by the University of Tampere , Tampere Central Hospital , Sampola, the School of Economics, Ratina Stadium and Kaleva Church . The modernist buildings include the Metso Main Library , the Hervanta Operations Centre, the Tampere Hall , the university extension and the Nokia office building in Hatanpää . The centre of Tampere and its western parts have been developed in

SECTION 50

#1732794084036

6916-585: The Field Grays of the Freedom War, a rival organization that was at least as political and radical. Lieutenant-Colonel Carl Lindh, who was in charge of the field grays, later became VRL's director. The activities of VRL were temporarily banned in 1932 after the Mäntsälä rebellion under the Republican Protection Act, but it was not permanently abolished. After the Mäntsälä uprising, the union's open politics diminished and it focused on social work. The Union's most prominent activities were financial assistance, advocacy and traditional activities for white war veterans and

7049-428: The Finnish SS Battalion on the Finnish independence day , which ends at the Hietaniemi cemetery where members visit the tomb of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim and the monument to the Finnish SS Battalion . The event has been protested by antifascists, which has led to counterdemonstrators being violently assaulted by the NRM members who act as security. The demonstration attracts close to 3000 participants according to

7182-432: The Finnish and German governments to reach compromises over certain sensitive issues for the battalion such as an oath of allegiance. Eventually, the volunteers were transported to Germany and split up into two groups – one group of experienced men who went straight to the Eastern Front to join Wiking, and one group that stayed in Germany for training, later becoming the Finnish Volunteer Battalion. In late 1941 and early 1942,

7315-414: The Finnish government had certain concerns to settle with the SS. Helsinki first wanted Finnish volunteers to serve in the German Army , but eventually consented to the formation of an all-Finnish unit in the Waffen-SS . Helsinki also desired that Finnish volunteers not swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler or be deployed against any country other than the USSR and, in case Finland found itself at war with

7448-636: The Finnish government supervised recruitment. Helsinki and Riekki, seeking to diminish the influence of Finnish far-right groups in the unit and Finnish politics, recruited in all areas of Finland and carried out background checks on all applicants. Communists and members of far-right groups were excluded, and Riekki broke up attempts by far-right Finnish groups such as the Organisation of National Socialists and Front Soldier League to interfere in recruitment. Nevertheless, about two thirds of recruits came from those groups; according to Finnish historian André Swanström  [ fi ] , at least 45.1% of

7581-435: The Finnish military attaché in Berlin, Walter Emil Ferdinand Horn  [ fi ] , to assuage Finnish concerns about the division. After a month of delay brought about by heavy railroad traffic, the Volunteer Battalion began transfer to SS Division Wiking on 3–5 December 1941 and joined it along the Mius River on 8 January 1942. The battalion was first assigned to Wiking's Nordland Regiment , though it

7714-478: The Finnish volunteers Panttipataljoona: Suomalaisen SS-pataljoonan historia , claimed to apply scholarly methods to their history, but a veterans' organization of former Waffen-SS volunteers commissioned the work. Panttipataljoona is, according to scholar Antero Holmila, "an embodiment of the positivist historical tradition ". In his work, Jokipii uses a narrative order to provide a sense of coherence and totality. Holmila Antero criticizes Jokipii, saying his work has

7847-433: The Finns were at the very least aware of, and had witnessed, atrocities and war crimes. Swanström followed the article with a 2018 book Hakaristin Ritarit (Knights of the Swastika), which the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat described using the title (transl.) "The flawless image of 'normal Finnish boys' in the SS-troops is shattered in the most important military historical work of the year." Swanström's 2017 article prompted

7980-467: The Finns' enlistment was ending. 256 Finnish volunteers were killed in action or died of illness, 686 were wounded, and 14 went missing. According to the State Police Chief in Finland, Finnish officers and NCOs were being treated "like recruits" by their sometimes inexperienced German counterparts, and were angry that their commanders were German. A group of Finns on leave over Christmas even threatened to shoot their German officers. These complaints led to

8113-428: The German goal that two-thirds of the recruits who left to fight for Germany should be "right wing materiel". Based on archival material that surfaced in the 2010s, historians such as Oula Silvennoinen  [ fi ] and Marko Tikka  [ fi ] , among others, have shown that Jokipii sugar coated the number of right-wing radicals. Both the SS volunteers and the board that recruited them were much more in

SECTION 60

#1732794084036

8246-420: The Laikku House of Culture, the Hotel Tammer , the Tuulensuu House and the Viinikka Church built in Tampere. After Functionalism became the dominant style in the 1930s, Tampere Central Station , Tempo House, a bus station and Kauppi Hospital were built in Tampere. There is no single accepted term for the post-war style, but the main representatives of the reconstruction period are the Bank of Finland building,

8379-415: The Lapua movement became even closer in 1931–1932, when, in Siltala's words, it became the “subdivision” of the Lapua movement. In the 1930s, attempts were made to use the League as a tool in several plans for the coup of far-right activists, none of which progressed to the stage of implementation. In 1931, under the leadership of Aarne Runolinna and Ragnar Gröning, a number of VRL's Helsinki influences founded

8512-400: The League served in a pro-Nazi Pro-German resistance movement in Finland . Tampere Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa . It is located in the Finnish Lakeland . The population of Tampere is approximately 260,000, while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 423,000. It is the 3rd most populous municipality in Finland, and

8645-456: The League. The VRL was established as a veterans' organisation for the people who fought on the white side in the Finnish civil war . The founders were motivated by disappointing domestic political developments after the Civil War, and the idea that white veterans should organize themselves into political action to save the legacy of the 1918 victory. The union had more than 20,000 members. There were about 200 local chapters. The League also had

8778-409: The Moscow Armistice Agreement, to disband "all Hitlerite (fascist) political, military and military organizations operating on its territory, as well as other organizations engaged in hostile propaganda to the Allied Nations and especially the Soviet Union." On September 23, 1944, The Field Grays of the Freedom War and the SS-Comrades-in-Arms were among the very first to be abolished, but it was not until

8911-500: The Nazi armed forces. In 1945, communists Eino Pekkala and Hertta Kuusinen introduced the subject of the SS volunteers in the Finnish parliament, starting a campaign against them. From 1946 to 1948, Valpo , the Finnish State Police, arrested and released more than half of the volunteers. Many former SS volunteers were forced to resign from the army and police. Himmler had designated the 41th Waffen SS Division as Grenadier Division Kalevala in preparation for Finnish recruits for when

9044-424: The Red Army occupies Finland. However, this never materialized, and a modest amount of Finns defected, enough to be designated a company. Some of the Waffen SS veterans defected to the Germans after the Moscow Armistice and when open war broke out between Finland and Germany. In addition to those who had served in the SS, some Finnish officers without a background in the SS also joined the new Finnish Battalion that

9177-517: The SS by renewing their service agreements. However, on 27 June, Mannerheim proposed to Finnish leaders that the SS battalion be dissolved. They accepted the proposal because of changing opinions of Germany. Hitler approved it on 4 July. On 11 July 1943, the battalion celebrated at Hanko and joined the Finnish Defence Forces . Following the war, many Finnish Waffen-SS volunteers faced changes in attitudes towards Nazi Germany and consequent questions with regards to their participation in

9310-574: The SS-volunteers, which the National Archive of Finland refused. According to the report, the Finnish soldiers were well aware of the atrocities being committed, and sometimes had traumatic responses to them, which they tried to remedy through heavy drinking. The report's author, Lars Westerlund, concludes that "at least some of the cases show that Finnish volunteers did participate in carrying out atrocities against Jews and civilians", including specifically Olavi Karpalo and Parvilahti. According to Swanström, his publication and that of Westerlund resulted in

9443-406: The USSR alone, that Germany would repatriate its volunteers. Germany accepted these requests on 28 April, in particular changing the oath to be sworn by the Finnish recruits to not mention Hitler. Recruits were to serve in the Waffen-SS until June 1943 and would be sent to Germany for training. From March 1941, Germany desired the expansion of what became the Finnish Volunteer Battalion into

9576-594: The USSR with German assistance. In December 1940, the Schutzstaffel (SS) established the SS Division Wiking , a division -strength unit of the Waffen-SS , the SS's military wing. The division was to be composed of volunteers from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, but into mid-1940 recruitment disappointed the SS. In November 1940, Gottlob Berger , chief of the SS Main Office , began exploring

9709-631: The Waffen-SS From 1941 to 1943, 1,408 Finns volunteered for service on the Eastern Front of World War II in the Waffen-SS , in units of the SS Division Wiking . Most of these volunteers served as motorized infantry in the Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the Waffen-SS ( German : Finnisches Freiwilligen-Bataillon der Waffen-SS ; Finnish : Suomalainen Waffen-SS-vapaaehtoispataljoona ). The unit

9842-620: The Wiking Division, while marching to Złoczów , went "hunting for Jews" and shot "everything and anybody that looked even the slightest bit suspicious". Historian Peter Longerich wrote: "In Zloczow at the beginning of July, under the very eyes of Sonderkommando 4b and tolerated by the city commandant, Ukrainian activists had organized a massacre of the Jewish population in which members of the SS Viking Division took part on

9975-544: The World" because it has the most public saunas in the world. Helsinki is about 160 km (100 mi) south of Tampere and can be reached by Pendolino high-speed train in 1 hour 31 minutes and by car in 2 hours. The distance to Turku , the third most populous urban area in the country after Helsinki and Tampere, is about the same. The Tampere–Pirkkala Airport is the eighth busiest airport in Finland, with more than 230,000 passengers using it in 2017. Tampere

10108-549: The area is strong in mechanical engineering and automation, information and communication technologies, and health and biotechnology, as well as pulp and paper industry education. Unemployment rate was 9.2% in September 2023. 70% of the areas jobs are in the service sector. Less than 20% are in the manufacturing sector. 34.5% of employed people live outside the Tampere municipality and commute to Tampere for work. Meanwhile, 15.6% of Tampere's residents work outside Tampere. In 2014

10241-576: The attacks on Malgobek , part of the failed German drive on the Grozny oil fields. A company of replacement Finnish volunteers arrived and were trained briefly in Germany in September 1942 and then joined the SS Division Wiking on 23 November. The company was attached to the battalion on 8 December, but on 20 December the division was detached from the Caucasus front and sent into

10374-658: The battalion completed their training and was sent to the Front. They participated in Case Blue , and were pulled back for the Battle of Stalingrad in late 1942. In April 1943, the battalion was withdrawn because of the two-year service agreement, and Finnish authorities such as Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim , Commander in Chief of the Finnish Defense Forces , proposed their agreements not be renewed. The battalion

10507-605: The change left a huge amount of vacant industrial space in the city centre, in the early 2000s it was gradually put to other uses, and today's Tampere cityscape is mainly characterised by strong IT companies, most notably Nokia 's Tampere R&D units. Tampere is part of the Pirkanmaa region and is surrounded by the municipalities of Kangasala , Lempäälä , Nokia , Orivesi , Pirkkala , Ruovesi and Ylöjärvi . There are 180 lakes larger than 10,000 m (110,000 sq ft) in Tampere, and freshwater bodies cover 24% of

10640-401: The change there were occasional calls for the old coat of arms to be restored. The new coat of arms was also described in letters to the editor as Soviet -style because of its colours. The blazon of the old coat of arms has either not survived or was never made, but the description of the current coat of arms is explained as follows: "In the red field, a corrugated counter-bar, above which

10773-451: The city is a very popular place to study, as the number of young adults is significantly higher than in other municipalities in the region. At the end of 2012, the old-age dependency ratio was 45. 19.2% of the population was over the age of 64 in 2024. Just over half of the population is female, as in the country as a whole. The population is fairly well educated, with two-thirds of those over 15 having completed post-primary education. At

10906-517: The city's buildings of the time and Tammerkoski. The earliest known permanent settlements around Tammerkoski were established in the 7th century, when settlers from the west of the region began to farm land in Takahuhti , an area largely inhabited by the Tavastian tribes . The population remained small for many centuries. By the 16th century, the villages of Messukylä and Takahuhti had become

11039-509: The city's total area. The lakes were formed as separate basins from Lake Ancylus about 7500–8000 years ago. The northernmost point of Tampere is in the Vankavesi Fjard of Teisko , the southernmost at the eastern end of Lake Hervanta , the easternmost at the northeast corner of Lake Paalijärvi of Teisko, and the westernmost at the southeast corner of Lake Haukijärvi near the borders of Ylöjärvi and Nokia. The city centre itself

11172-573: The city. At the turn of the 1990s, Tampere's industry underwent a major structural change, as the production of Tampella and Tampere's textile industry in particular was heavily focused on bilateral trade with the Soviet Union, but when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 , the companies lost their main customers. As a result of the sudden change and the depression of the early 1990s , Finlayson and Suomen Trikoo had to scale down their operations drastically. Tampella went bankrupt . But although

11305-479: The disabled. In addition, it organized War of Independence celebrations and erected war memorials. The organization changed its name to the Front Soldier League in 1940, in order to allow veterans of the Winter War to join. However, the organization that carried the legacy of White Finland did not gain the trust of the majority of veterans, and most of them joined the Finnish League of Comrades-in-Arms, which

11438-405: The districts of Amuri , Kyttälä and Tammela are divided into two parts in accordance with the official district division, and Liisankallio and Kalevanrinne are often considered to belong to the district of Kaleva. Tampere has a humid continental climate Dfb with clearly defined four seasons. The climate of Tampere-Pirkkala Airport , which is located away from the city centre, borders on

11571-412: The end of 2018, there were a total of 140,039 dwellings in Tampere, of which 127,639 were permanently occupied and 12,400 were not permanently occupied. Of these, 74% were apartment buildings , 14% were detached houses , 10% were terraced houses , and 2% were other residential buildings. Between 2002 and 2020, more than 40,000 new dwellings will be completed in Tampere. Living space has been growing for

11704-585: The estimates of the police and hundreds of officers patrol Helsinki to prevent violent clashes. The march has been attended and promoted by the Finns Party , and condemned by left-wing parties, for example Green League characterized it as "obviously neo-Nazi" and expressed her disappointment in it being attended by such a large number of people. In between 2019–2022, Finns party MP and later Minister of Economic Affairs Vilhelm Junnila made four budgetary motions in order to support Veljesapu-Perinneyhdistys,

11837-513: The extension of the Helsinki - Hämeenlinna line (now part of the Main Line ) via Toijala was opened to the public on 22 June 1876.  The world-famous Nokia Corporation , a multinational telecommunications company, also had its beginnings in the Tammerkoski area; the company's history dates back to 1865, when Finnish-Swedish mining engineer Fredrik Idestam (1838–1916) established

11970-709: The first of the Nordic countries to receive a second television channel, after Sweden's SVT2 began broadcasting four years later. Tampere became a university city when the Social University moved from Helsinki to Tampere in 1960, becoming the University of Tampere in 1966. In 1979, the Tampere-Pirkkala airport was opened 13 km (8.1 mi) from the centre of Tampere on the Pirkkala side of

12103-543: The founding of the city of Tampere, the neighbouring parish of Pirkkala (from which the current region of Pirkanmaa takes its name) was the most administratively important parish in the area throughout the Middle Ages . This changed in the 18th century when Erik Edner, a Finnish pastor , proposed the establishment of a town on the banks of the Tammerkoski Canal in 1771–1772; it was officially founded as

12236-476: The hands of nationalist radicals, fascists and national socialists than Jokipii claims. According to Silvennoinen and Tikka, approximately 46 percent of the volunteers, i.e., over twice the number calculated by Jokipii, would have clearly expressed their support for fascist politics. One narrative of the Finnish Waffen-SS was that of rooting the Finnish Waffen-SS in the Jäger Movement. Publications across

12369-572: The highest amount among big cities. Government contributions were 58,3 millions. Due to the health and social services reform, the statements of municipal and corporation tax revenue or state contributions are not comparable with previous years. Tampere municipal tax rate in 2024 is 7,6%. In 2013, Tampereen Energiantuotanto, which is part of the Tampereen Energia (former Tampereen Sähkölaitos Group ), generated 1,254 GWh of electricity and 2,184 GWh of district heating . The two units of

12502-515: The ideas that these "things" never happened and that the Finns were not involved in atrocities. The Finnish public largely shunned the idea that Finnish volunteers would have taken part in atrocities. The topic saw renewed public attention in 2017, following the publication of Andre Swanström's article on the pastors of the Finnish SS-volunteers. The article cites several excerpts from diaries of Finnish SS-pastors and claims that

12635-633: The isthmus between Lakes Pyhäjärvi and Näsijärvi. The location of the city on the edge of the Tammerkoski Rapids between two long waterways was one of the main reasons for its foundation in the 1770s. The streets of central Tampere form a typical grid pattern. On the western edge of the city centre is a north–south park road, Hämeenpuisto ("Häme Park" or "Tavastia Park"), which runs from the shore of Lake Pyhäjärvi near Lake Näsijärvi. The wide Hämeenkatu road runs east–west from Tampere Central Station to Hämeenpuisto and crosses Tammerkoski along

12768-500: The largest employers were Kesko , Pirkanmaan Osuuskauppa, Alma Media and Posti Group . Tampere is headquarters for Bronto Skylift , an aerial rescue and aerial work platform manufacturer. According to a study carried out by the TAK Research, the total impact of tourism in the Tampere region in 2022 was more than 562 million euros. Tourism also brought 4,805 person-years to the region. The biggest single attraction in Tampere

12901-509: The largest settlements in the area. Other nearby villages were Laiskola, Pyynikkälä and Hatanpää. At that time there had been a market place in the Pispala area for centuries, where the bourgeoisie from Turku in particular traded. In 1638, Governor-General Per Brahe the Younger ordered that two markets be held in Tammerkoski every year, the autumn market on St Peter's Day in August and

13034-519: The latitude, as is the average annual temperature. Temperature records of Tampere and the near-by Tampere–Pirkkala Airport : Temperature Records of Tampere Highest temperatures at the Tampere–Pirkkala Airport by month since 1980: Lowest temperatures in Pirkanmaa : Lowest temperatures at the Tampere–Pirkkala Airport by month since 1980: Tampere has buildings from many architectural periods. The Old Stone Church of Messukylä

13167-587: The latter as a threat to its independence and the former as its best and only ally against the USSR. Following the Finnish Civil War of 1918, during which the German Empire and USSR intervened to support the White and Red factions respectively, anti-communism and ethnic hatred of Russians became popular sentiments in Finland. Then, in 1939–40, the USSR attacked and defeated Finland in

13300-594: The most accepted explanation in academia, according to the Institute for the Languages of Finland . Other theories include that it comes from the Swedish word damber , meaning milldam ; another is that it comes from the ancient Scandinavian words þambr ("fat-bellied") and þambion ("swollen belly"), possibly referring to the shape of the rapids. Another suggestion links the name to the Swedish word Kvatemberdagar , or more colloquially Tamperdagar , which refers to

13433-553: The most migratory municipalities, rising to the list of the 20 most attractive municipalities. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tampere has become Finland's most attractive area for internal migration, as Tampere gained the most migration gains in 2020. Population by mother tongue (2023) Tampere is the largest monolingual municipality in Finland. The majority of the population - 227,007 people or 89.0% - speak Finnish as their first language. In Tampere, 1333 people, or 0.5% of

13566-597: The most part of modern western Tampere, including PIspala, was annexed to the city from North Pirkkala (today Nokia). Tampere passed the 100,000 population mark in 1950. Tampere was long known for its textile and metal industries, but these were largely replaced by information technology and telecommunications in the 1990s. The Hermia technology centre in Hervanta is home to many companies in these fields. Yleisradio began broadcasting its second television channel, Yle TV2 , from Ristimäki , Tampere, in 1965, making Finland

13699-552: The narrative of Lappi-Seppälä. In its totalizing telling of the story "as it was", Holmila criticizes it as it "assumed its own innocence where the Holocaust was concerned." Holmila says that in doing so, Jokipii "shelters" the audience from the Holocaust. In Panttipataljoona , Jokipii claimed that, at most, one fifth of the Finnish SS-men would have been right-wing radicals, and that recruiters weeded out extremist applicants. As such, Finland would have purposefully been far from

13832-578: The ongoing Battle of Stalingrad . This transfer was not affected until January 1943, when the battalion was assigned to Army Group Don and its unsuccessful attempts to relieve the German ;6th Army trapped within. From 5 February to 7 February, the battalion retreated across the Don River and continued to fight in Ukraine until it was fully withdrawn from the front on 10 April as

13965-454: The political spectrum commonly framed the story in wartime in terms of the "Jäger legacy", not just within right-wing circles, where the story originated. In 1960, Jukka Tyrkkö's memoirs were published with the subtitle "SS volunteers following in the Jägers' footsteps". The Waffen-SS was known as an elite unit, and this is mentioned in most Finnish literature on the organization. This built up

14098-443: The population, speak Swedish in 2022. This is the second largest number of Swedish speakers in monolingual Finnish-speaking municipalities after Kaarina . Kaarina and Tampere are also the only monolingual Finnish-speaking municipalities with a separate Swedish-speaking community. In 1900, Swedish speakers made up more than six per cent of Tampere's population, and less than two per cent in 1950. Finnish Volunteer Battalion of

14231-536: The possibility of expanding recruitment for Nordland in Finland. Meanwhile, Finnish officers such as generals Leonard Grandell  [ fi ] and Paavo Talvela , who had served in the Imperial German Army as volunteers of the Jäger Movement , began seeking a Finnish volunteer force within the regular German armed forces . In January 1941, Swedish businessman Ola Vinberg made

14364-402: The public's "need to view war as a black-and-white either-or play", where the lack of a "smoking gun" is seen as a failure by the historian, and that the topic remains a "pain point in Finnish history culture". Many international perspectives take into consideration the fact that the Finnish volunteers were likely involved in atrocities. According to historian Bernd Boll  [ de ] ,

14497-456: The rapids that connect them, Tammerkoski , have been an important source of power throughout history, most recently for generating electricity. Tampere is known as the " Manchester of the North" because of its past as a centre of Finnish industry, which has given rise to its Finnish nickname "Manse" and terms such as "Manserock". Tampere has also been officially declared the "Sauna Capital of

14630-452: The recruits belonged to fascist groups. Reliable Finnish officers were also weeded into the volunteer unit to inform Finnish high command of activities within it. From 6 May to 5 June 1941, 1,197 Finnish recruits traveled to Germany in five ships – four from Turku to Danzig (now Gdańsk ) and one from Vaasa to Stettin (now Szczecin ) – for training and without passports. Upon arrival in Germany, each group of volunteers spent

14763-480: The request to Helsinki and to the German Foreign Office. The German Foreign Office sent Wipert von Blücher , the German ambassador in Helsinki, to obtain the Finnish government's consent on 9 March. Negotiations began 11 March and were concluded the following day with the unanimous approval the heads of the civilian Finnish government and Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim , Commander in Chief of

14896-522: The same people in the leadership of the League as in the delegation of the Lapua movement, and five of the seven members of the League's first board actively participated in the kidnappings of leftists. In Tampere, Helsinki and Turku , the Lapua movement's strike forces were VRL's local leaders and active members. For example, the violent abduction of Väinö Hakkila , Deputy Speaker of Parliament, in July 1930

15029-488: The same time, the area of the city increased almost sevenfold and impressive apartment blocks were built in the centre of Tampere between modest wooden houses. The stone houses gave Tampere a modern look. The construction of the sewerage and water supply networks and the introduction of electric lighting were further steps towards modernisation; Tampere was the first Nordic city to introduce electric lighting for general use in 1882. The railway connection to Tampere from

15162-470: The same year, but its original key people were almost all from Tampere. Lieutenant Colonel Onni Purhonen was elected the first President of the League. Other founders were journalist Eero Rekola, merchant KV Huhtala and captain Arvi Kalsta and Iivari Hyppölä, who had become businessmen. The background was also influenced by the manufacturer Rafael Haarla, whose son Eino Haarla later became the chairman of

15295-477: The second most populous urban area in the country after the Helsinki metropolitan area . Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries . The urban area has a population of approximately 340,000. Tampere is the most important urban, economic and cultural centre in the whole of inland Finland. Tampere and its surroundings are part of the historic province of Satakunta . The area belonged to

15428-498: The shores of the lakes, which would create new residential areas for several thousand people. The projects are estimated to cost several billion euros. The Tampere region, Pirkanmaa , which includes outlying municipalities, has around 509,000 residents, 244,000 employed people, and a turnover of 28 billion euros as of 2014 . According to the Tampere International Business Office ,

15561-482: The volunteers were Swedish-speaking. On average, the recruits were 21 years old, and held a collective ideology of Finnish nationalism , revanchism , and a Finnish form of Lutheran revivalism . The recruits' motives included a desire for German training, which belied possible economic advancement immediately through the SS and in the future through the Finnish Army, and pro-German, anti-Russian sentiment. In

15694-553: The winter market on Matias's Day in February. In 1708 the market was moved from the outskirts of Tammerkoski to Harju and from there to Pispala in 1758. The first industries in the Pirkanmaa region in the 17th century were mainly watermills and sawmills , while in the 18th century other industries began to develop, as several small ironworks , the Tammerkoski distillery and the Otavala spinning school were established. Before

15827-401: Was EUR 55.3 million. The result was heavily affected by one-off payments . In the city's economy, the largest revenues come from taxes and government contributions. In 2023, the city received 477,8 million euros in municipal tax revenue . In addition, 98 million euros came from corporate taxes and 105,3 million euros from property taxes . Increasing in municipal tax revenue was 6,9 percent,

15960-478: Was assigned its first combat duty with the Westland Regiment on 22 January. Thereafter, the surviving division men were gradually reassigned to the battalion, which was withdrawn from the front for additional training from 14 July to 9 August. The battalion rejoined SS Division Wiking at Maykop on 13 August and subsequently, in September and October, sustained heavy casualties in

16093-541: Was attached to the rest of the city in 1876. Around the 1950s, Tampere and its surroundings began to establish themselves as a separate province of Pirkanmaa. Tampere became the centre of Pirkanmaa, and Tammermaa was also used several times in the early days of the province, for example in the Suomi-käsikirja published in 1968. Tampere is wedged between two lakes, Lake Näsijärvi and Lake Pyhäjärvi , with an 18 m (59 ft) difference in water level, and

16226-529: Was being formed. The highest ranking defector was Captain Pentti Railio, who was commissioned as a SS-Hauptsturmführer. Most of those who defected either crossed the front lines to the other side, or stowed away on the last German ships that left Finland. SS-officer Lauri Törni and Lieutenant Jalo Korpela were brought to Germany by a German submarine. The Waffen-SS organized officer training for Finns who had defected to Germany or German-occupied Norway at

16359-509: Was critical of the Wiking Division and reported on German atrocities . In 1957, Niilo Lauttamus  [ fi ] published a novel about the experiences of the Finnish Waffen-SS volunteers. In it, he subscribes to the historical argument that the Finnish battalion was apolitical. Unto Parvilahti published his memoir in the mainstream press in 1958, claiming the Finnish volunteers were "not Nazis, they were heroic soldiers who simply defended their fatherland". Many accused Parvilahti of being

16492-663: Was decided, among other things, to launch an armed insurrection that eventually led to the October 1917 revolution in the Russian Empire . Also, on 1 November 1905, during the General Strike, the famous Red Declaration was proclaimed in Keskustori . After Finland gained its full independence, Tampere played an important role in the 1918 Civil War , being one of the most strategically important places for

16625-419: Was disbanded in mid-1943 as the volunteers' two-year commitment had expired and the Finnish government was unwilling to allow more men to volunteer. In 1944-1945 a company sized unit of Finnish defectors recruited to the SS continued fighting alongside Germany. The battalion was formed following the Winter War , as Finland grew closer to Germany with recruitment beginning in 1941. Negotiations took place between

16758-511: Was established at the same time. From 1940 to 1941, the Front Soldier League was very pro-German, and it recruited volunteers for the Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the Waffen-SS . SS-Comrades-in-Arms, founded in 1943, became a member organization of the Front Soldier League. At the end of the Continuation War , the Front Soldier League visibly opposed Finland's efforts for separate peace. In 1944, Finland undertook, under Article 21 of

16891-538: Was finally disbanded on 11 July 1943. Within historiography, the Finnish SS volunteers have been seen within Finland as an apolitical group, often connected to the Jäger Movement and the idea that the battalion was an elite unit. Finnish historiography has not mentioned many of the atrocities committed by SS Division Wiking, and only hinted at participation in atrocities. A series of high-publicity publications since 2017, however, have changed this. For example,

17024-520: Was given to the votes of the “patriotic people”. The union's statutes also mentioned the effort to "protect and revitalize patriotic activity." This meant working closely with the anti-communist Lapua movement and later the Patriotic People's Movement (IKL). Historian Juha Siltala has described the Front Soldier League as a precursor and “support structure” for the Lapua movement . There were

17157-636: Was led by VLR's chairman Eino Haarla, secretary Eero Rekola and board member Arvi Kalsta. Artturi Vuorimaa , who chaired the Helsinki Front Soldier League, led a local strike force, which abducted MPs Eino Pekkala and Jalmari Rötkö from a meeting of the Parliament's Constitutional Committee. The strike force in the Turku region was led by Eino Laitakari, chairman of the local Front Soldier League. The relationship between VRL and

17290-509: Was limited to 200 men of the Finnish Army under the direction of the pro-German mathematician Rolf Nevanlinna , who replaced Riekki. 239 soldiers were recruited and signed the same agreement as the first wave of volunteers and would be returned to Finland at the same time. 1,408 Finns were recruited into the Waffen-SS and, although recruitment had initially focused on the Swedish-speaking population of Finland , only about 12% of

17423-513: Was moved to the training grounds at Gross Born (now Borne Sulinowo ), where on 13 September, it was renamed the Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the Waffen-SS ( German : Finnisches Freiwilligen-Bataillon der Waffen-SS ). The unit's training was complicated by a lack of Finnish trainers and the battalion's training being reduced in August to 10 October. The battalion's members were sworn in on 15 October, but

17556-544: Was to get rid of using peat completely during that year. Hydropower , wood and nuclear power were also used as well as mixed waste, which of 50% is considered renewal. Emissions from energy production have decreased in the 21st century due to the growth of renewable forms of production and the modernisation of the Naistenlahti power plant. In 2013, about 669,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and 297 tonnes of sulphur dioxide were emitted. 75% of Tampere's domestic water

17689-592: Was two more weeks of training and was not deemed ready for transfer to the Eastern Front until November. The division men, as part of SS Division Wiking, fought against the USSR as part of Army Group South , tasked in Operation Barbarossa with conquering Ukraine. As the division was inexperienced, it was first withheld for a week after the start of Barbarossa and was then assigned as a rearguard unit. In July, elements of it fought against

#35964