Memorial to Finnish Jaegers in Klapkalnciems
Memorialinis vieta
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The memorial site is located in Tukums municipality near the Sloka-Talsi highway between Ragaciems and Klapkalnciems in the coastal dunes of the Gulf of Riga. The memorial was unveiled in 1997 on the site where the Finnish Jägers were stationed during World War I. The Finnish Jägers were a German Army unit formed during World War I, consisting mainly of nationalist Finnish volunteers who had left the territory of Finland occupied by the Russian Empire. The unit was formed in secret as the 27th Royal Prussian Reserve Battalion of the German Army. In the German Army Jägers made up traditional and elite combat units. Their training focused on unit mobility, combat capabilities and refined and versatile skills. The overall goal of these soldiers was to gain Finland's independence from Russia. The unit was made of almost 2,000 men who were involved in military operations in the territory of Latvia. The Finnish Jägers did a lot in forming the Finnish state and army. Today in this place you can see trenches in a beautiful seaside forest overlooking the sea. The memorial is located next to the trenches. It is made of granite – a type of stone that was used in the fortifications of the Mannerheim Line of Defence in Finland during the Winter War (1939-1940).
Panaudoti šaltiniai ir literatūra:
Ciganovs, J. The course of Finnish Jaegers in Latvia. Guardian of the Fatherland, February 2018. Available: http://doc.mod.gov.lv/lv/ts/2018/2/30/ [accessed on February 17, 2021].
Lismanis, J. In Memory of Battles and Fallen Soldiers: 1915-1920. Riga: Nims, 1999.
Susijusi istorija
About Finnish Jaegers in Latvia
The history of Finnish Jaegers is interesting because it is extremely similar to the fate of Latvian soldiers in World War I and its great role in the formation of the nation state. For the Finns, World War I also provided an opportunity to lay the foundations for Finland's independence and the creation of its army. The source describes an event when a monument to Finnish Jaegers is unveiled in Latvia.
Consecration of the Finnish Jaeger flag at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Liepaja
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.