Viena expedition
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The Viena expedition (Finnish: Vienan retkikunta) was a military expedition by Finnish volunteer forces to recapture White Karelia (Vienan Karjala) from the Bolsheviks in March 1918. It was one of the many Heimosodat.
The expedition was made up of two groups. One were the Finnish Jäger troops led by Lieutenant Kurt Martti Wallenius, who crossed the border at Kuusamo but got bogged down in fighting the Finnish Red Guards.
The other was led by Lieutenant Colonel Carl Wilhelm Malm and consisted of about 350 men. By April 10, this group had advanced as far as to the coastal town of Kem on the White Sea. Malm was unable to occupy the town and retreated to Uhtua and began defending western White Karelia. The Finns now switched tactics and adopted a village-by-village strategy of persuasion to the Finnish volunteer side.
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 and form an independent Karelia separate from Finland. Most would have been content with just some form of autonomy, which they thought they would get as part of the Soviet Union. A small minority wanted Karelia to be joined to Finland. For the great majority, practical issues (such as ensuring having enough food) were more important than ideological issues.
In the end, the proposal to join East Karelia to Finland received support in the White Karelian villages around Uhtua. Local Suojeluskunta militias were formed in over 20 villages in the area. In July, Malm 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 landing in Murmansk of 130 British Royal Marines on March 6 to prevent the Germans (and their Finnish allies) from gaining the White Sea coast and the Murmansk Railroad. By June 1918 an assortment of British Royal Marines, French artillerymen, part of a Serb battalion, Poles, Red Russians from the Murmansk Soviet and some Red Finns occupied the railway line from Murmansk south as far as Kem. The arrival of British reinforcements and an allied plan for them to link up with anti-Bolshevik units in Siberia prompted Trotsky, now at peace with the Germans, to send 3,000 red troops northwards. In July these were disarmed and seen off by the British, who advanced as far south as Sorokka. British-led forces defending the railway line included a battalion of 1,400 Red Finns and the Karelian regiment. Also a Karelian regiment of East Karelians was formed.
The situation of the Viena 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. Of these troops, 195 survived and made their way home; 83 were killed.
The British forces withdrew in October 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 all claims to East Karelia in the 1920 Treaty of Tartu.
