Viena expedition
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The Viena expedition was a military expedtition by Finnish volunteer forces to liberate White Karelia (or Vienan Karjala in Finnish) from the Bolsheviks in March 1918.
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The expedition was made up of two groups. one, led by Jaeger Lieutenant Kurt Martti Wallenius crossed the border at Kuusamo, but got bogged down in fighting the Red Guards. The other group, led by Lieutenant Colonel Carl Wilhelm Malm consisted of about 350 men. By April 10 the group had advanced as far as to Kem, or Vienan Kemi, on the White Sea coast. Malm was unable to occupy the town and retreated to Uhtua and began defending western White Karelia. The Finns now switched tactics and tried to "enlighten" the population by going from village to village.
When the Finnish troops arrived in White Karelia they noticed that the population was divided. A part of the population wanted to secede from Russia, not necessarily to join Finland but to form an independent Karelia. Most would have been content with just some form of autonomy, which they thought they would get as part of Soviet-Russia. A small minority wanted Karelia to be joined to Finland. For the great majority getting food on the table was more important that politics.
In the end the thought about joining East Karelia to Finland got some support in the White Karelian villages around Uhtua. Local Suojeluskunta militias were formed in over 20 villages in the area. In July Malm was was recalled back to Finland and in his place captain Toivo Kuisma was placed in charge of the Finnish troops. The Finnish government couldn't decide whether to recall the troops or to send reinforcements.
The situation became more complicated with the arrival of the British intervention troops that had landed in Murmansk to prevent the Germans (and her Finnish allies) from gaining the White Sea coast and the Murmansk railroad. In August 1918 the British troops occupied the White Sea coast and disarmed the Russian troops in the area. The British were joined by escaped Finnish Red Guardista who formed the Murmansk legion and the Karelian regiment. Also a Karelian regiment of East Karelians was formed.
After the German defeat in World War I, the situation of the expedition began to deteriorate. The Karelian regiment stationed in Kem attacked the Finnish troops at Jyskyjärvi on August 27. 18 men were lost. The next attack came against Luusalmi on September 8 where 42 Finns were killed. The following battles were fought at Kostamus and Vuokkiniemi in September-October. The Finnish troops withdrew to Finland on October 2. 195 of the troops managed to get home, were 83 killed.
The British forces withdrew in 1919 and the situation of the Russian White Army collapsed. After the Viena expedition, the parish of Repola in East Karelia had held a vote to join Finland, but Finland gave up her claims on East Karelia in the Treaty of Tartu in 1920.
See also: Finnish Civil War, Aunus expedition, Pork mutiny, Metsäsissitfi:Vienan retkikunta