This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2011) |
Kainuu Brigade | |
---|---|
Kainuun prikaati | |
Active | 1966—: Kainuun prikaati (Kainuu brigade) |
Country | Finland |
Branch | Finnish Army |
Type | Readiness Brigade [1] |
Role | Defence of Northern Finland |
Size | 550 career personnel, 2,500 conscripts [2] |
Garrison | Hoikankangas, Kajaani |
Nickname(s) | Kaipeeär |
Colors | |
March | Hurtti-Ukko [3] |
Equipment | Sisu Nasu |
Commanders | |
Brigadier General | Ari Laaksonen |
Kainuu brigade (Finnish Kainuun prikaati) is a Finnish Army unit situated in Kajaani. The brigade is one of the biggest army units, training approximately 4000 conscripts annually. The Kainuu Brigade is one of the three readiness brigades in the Finnish Army. [1] The brigade trains troops for war-time Kainuu Jäger Brigade. [4]
The Brigade trains units suited for combat on the heavy snow and poor road-infrastructure areas of Northern Finland, and has several variations from normal Finnish Army training schedules and equipment to meet these demands, such as the light tracked all-terrain vehicles used for fast transportation of troops especially during wintertime. [4] The vehicles are also used by heavy (120 mm) mortar companies, who use mortars fixed on these vehicles. The equipment provides inexpensive, unopposed freedom of movement even in difficult off-road and snow conditions.
From 17.2.2023, the organisation of the brigade is the following:
All units of the Brigade train their own specialists and drivers, and all receive a basic infantry jaeger training. All units are equipped with at least light AT fire-and-forget weapons and 12.7 mm anti-air machine guns, that can also be mounted on APCs and is very effective against infantry and lightly armoured vehicles.
Note also that this is the training organisation, not the actual war-time organisation. In this training or peace-time organisation, the Brigade can hoist everything needed on a modern battlefield except for anti-air weapons other than the 12.7 mm machine guns. These units are trained in the Jäger Brigade.
The Kuopio battalion is responsible for training of drivers for various vehicles (for Supply mostly - other battalions train the drivers they need themselves), and supply and munitions personnel. The battalion is also responsible for the training of NCOs for recon and transportation.
The Jaeger battalion trains the main body of the brigade - the infantry. It also trains NCOs for infantry. The battalion is equipped with the tracked, non-armoured vehicles (telakuorma-auto) which make it very fast even off-road and in high snow. The battalion is equipped with state-of-the-art anti-armor weapons as well as other, lighter and cheaper AT-weapons. It also has modernized Russian 12.7 mm anti-air machine guns (as do other battalions) and the light 81 mm mortars. As all Finnish jaegers, these troops are taught to be deadly, fast, maneuverable, and silent if need to be. The Battalion also has some Sisu XA-185 "Pasi" APCs.
This battalion trains engineers and their NCOs. The Battalion includes the 1st Engineer Company, training of which is concentrated on usage and de-armament of mines and other explosives. The other Company of the Battalion, the Technical Company, focuses on "heavy engineering" such as trench- and bridge building.
The Artillery regiment uses 120 mm heavy mortars fixed on TeKa:s, 122 mm Soviet howitzers and modern 155 K 98 155 mm guns equipped with APU to provide (minor) movement without towing vehicles. It also trains all artillery NCO's, including forward observers and mortar leaders.
This battalion houses units that are responsible for the usage and building of brigade-scale signal systems. It also trains NCOs for this task. The battalion also has the HQ company (Esikuntakomppania, EK) that trains the military police for the brigade, which also uses the dogs trained by the Kainuu jaegar battalion. MP NCOs are not trained at the brigade, but in Rovaniemi. The recon and "sissi" NCOs specialiced in communications are also trained in Northern Finland signal battalion.
The brigade has its roots in the Savolax Infantry Regiment of the Thirty Years' War, and the battle of the River Lech on April 5, 1632, which is the traditional day of the brigade. It also holds up the traditions of the men that fought at Suomussalmi, Raate Road and Kuhmo during the Winter War as well as the Rukajärvi-directions 14. Division during the Continuation War. [5]
The honorary march of the brigade is Hurtti-Ukko by Carl Collan. [3]
The brigade's flag is the Kajaani Sissi Battalion's flag from 1920.
The Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) (Finnish: Puolustusvoimat, Swedish: Försvarsmakten) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy, and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime, the Finnish Border Guard becomes part of the Finnish Defence Forces.
The Finnish Army is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: the infantry, field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, engineers, signals, and materiel troops. The commander of the Finnish Army since 1 January 2022 is Lieutenant General Pasi Välimäki.
The Nyland Brigade is a brigade-level marine-type unit of the Finnish Navy stationed in Dragsvik in Raseborg in the province of Uusimaa. The brigade trains coastal jaegers and other troops for combat in coastal environments. It is the only unit of the Finnish Defence Forces where the instruction language is Swedish, one of the country's national languages alongside Finnish. The command language is, however, Finnish.
The Reserve Officer School, located in Hamina, Finland, near the southeastern border, is responsible for the training of most Finnish reserve officers.
The Armoured Brigade is a Finnish Army training unit located in Parolannummi, Hattula, in southern Finland. The brigade specialises in training armoured and anti-aircraft troops. In case of mobilization, the Finnish Defence Forces would field one armoured brigade. The war-time armoured brigade has a strength of around 5,700 men, and fields 63 main battle tanks, 110 infantry fighting vehicles, circa 100 armoured personnel carriers, mainly of Soviet origin, and roughly 70 other armoured vehicles. However, the remaining war-time armoured brigade is being phased out and replaced by smaller mechanized battle groups. The new mechanized battle groups will field the Leopard 2 MBTs that are not included in the organization of the contemporary war-time armoured brigades.
The Jaeger Brigade (Jääkäriprikaati) is a unit of the Finnish Army. The unit is located in Sodankylä and Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland, some 130 kilometres (81 mi) north of the Arctic Circle. The brigade trains 2,200 conscripts per year. The brigade has two main units: Lapland Jaeger Battalion in Sodankylä and Rovaniemi Air Defence Battalion at Rovaniemi air base.
Häme Regiment, was a unit of the Finnish Army located in Lahti. The regiment's main duty was to train conscripts and the personnel of the Finnish Defence Forces and the Finnish Frontier Guard.
Sissi is a Finnish term for light infantry which conducts reconnaissance, sabotage and guerrilla warfare operations behind enemy lines. The word sissi, first attested in the modern meaning "patrolman, partisan, spy" in 1787, comes to Finnish from Slavic and refers either to a forest bandit or his yew bow.
The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the U.S. Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver brigade, and its assigned support and fire units. A brigade is normally commanded by a colonel (O-6) although in some cases a brigadier general (O-7) may assume command. A brigade combat team contains combat support and combat service support units necessary to sustain its operations. BCTs contain organic artillery training and support, received from the parent division artillery (DIVARTY). There are three types of brigade combat teams: infantry, Stryker, and armored.
The military ranks of Finland are the military insignia used by the Finnish Defence Forces. The ranks incorporate features from the Swedish, German, and Russian armed forces. In addition, the system has some typically Finnish characteristics that are mostly due to the personnel structure of the Finnish Defence Forces. The ranks have official names in Finnish and Swedish languages and official English translations. The Swedish forms are used in all Swedish-language communications in Finland, e.g. in Swedish-speaking units of the Finnish Defence Force. The system of ranks in the Swedish Armed Forces is slightly different.
The Pori Brigade, based in Huovinrinne, Säkylä and Niinisalo, Kankaanpää is a Finnish Army unit directly under the command of Army headquarters. It comprises six battalion-level units and also trains soldiers for the Finnish Rapid Deployment Force.
Karelia Brigade is one of the three Finnish Army readiness brigades. It is currently based at Valkeala. With some three thousand soldiers it is the second largest brigade in Finland. It is the only Finnish brigade providing training in all Army branches and houses the Finnish Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal Centre of Excellence. As of 2023, its commander is brigadier general Jyri Raitasalo.
The Finnish Rapid Deployment Force (FRDF) is the spearhead international force of the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF). It can also be used for national defence.
The Regimento de Paraquedistas, based in Tancos, Portugal, is a unit of the Portuguese Army and serves as the instruction center for recruitment and training of the Portuguese paratroopers. This unit includes an entire battalion, acting as support and reserve for airborne units which contains for example, military war dogs and airborne pathfinders and an instruction battalion responsible for the forming of new paratroopers.
The Alpine Brigade "Taurinense" is a light Infantry brigade of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain Combat. Its core units are Alpini, the mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. The brigade's name "Taurinense" alludes to the Roman name Augusta Taurinorum for the city of Turin around which the brigade is based. Accordingly the brigade's coat of arms is modeled after Turin's coat of arms. The brigade carries on the name and traditions of the 1st Alpine Division "Taurinense".
Kainuu Artillery Regiment is an artillery unit of the Kainuu Brigade, which is the northernmost one of the three readiness brigades of the Finnish Defence Forces.
The Finnish Kuopio Battalion is responsible for training of a reconnaissance and ranger unit and a maintenance unit of the Kainuu Brigade. About 250 to 300 conscripts and 160 salaried professionals work in the battalion.
1 South African Infantry Battalion is a mechanized infantry unit of the South African Army.
The Mechanized Brigade "Legnano" was a mechanized brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were mechanized infantry battalions. The brigade's headquarters was in the city of Bergamo in Lombardy. The name of the brigade commemorates the Lombard League victory in the Battle of Legnano in 1176 and its coat of arms depicts the Monument to the Warrior of Legnano in the centre of Legnano.