Consecration of the Finnish Jaeger flag at Liepāja Holy Trinity Cathedral

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Finnish Jaegers in the port of Vaasa, February 1918.

The first flag of the Independent Finland was consecrated in 1918 in Liepaja, at the Holy Trinity Church, where the Finnish Jägers took an oath of allegiance to the legitimate government of Independent Finland before going home.

The first flag of the troops of Independent Finland was consecrated on February 13, 1918, in Liepāja, in the Holy Trinity Church. The Finnish jaegers took an oath of allegiance to the legitimate government of Independent Finland.

The following night, the main contingent of the battalion set off for home. They arrived in Vaasa on February 25, 1918.

In Helsinki, the Jaeger flag was first raised on May 16, 1918, at a parade to celebrate the end of the War of Independence. The flag flew in front of the Finnish Jaeger Regiment. The regiment was commanded by the former commander of the battalion's main regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Erik Järnström.

In Finnish Defence Forces parades, the Jäger flag takes pride of place right behind the national flag. Independent Finland remembers its fighters.

Storyteller: Valdis Kuzmins; Wrote down this story: Valdis Kuzmins
Used sources and references:

https://maavoimat.fi/en/-/jaakareiden-tyo-elaa-puolustusvoimissa 

https://jp27.fi/auf-den-spuren-der-jaeger/die-jaegerfahne/?lang=de 

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Memorial plaque to the Finnish Jaegers in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Liepāja

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On 13 February 1918, the Battalion swore allegiance to Finland in the Holy Trinity Church in Liepāja. On 15 February 1918, the battalion left the port of Liepaja by ship to return home to the port of Vasa and take part in the Finnish Civil War against the Reds, who had staged a coup d'état on 27 January 1918. The well-trained and combat-experienced Jägers formed the core of the Finnish national army and a large number became commanders during the Second World War.

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