Invasion of Åland
The Invasion of Åland was a 1918 military campaign of World War I in Åland, Finland. The islands, still hosting Soviet Russian troops, were first invaded by Sweden in late February and then by the German Empire in early March. The conflict was also related to the Finnish Civil War including minor fighting between the Finnish Whites and the Finnish Reds.
| Invasion of Åland | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Finnish Civil War, Eastern Front of World War 1 and the Russian Civil War | ||||||||
Swedish, German and Soviet soldiers in Önningsby, Åland | ||||||||
| ||||||||
| Belligerents | ||||||||
|
Soviet Russia Finnish Reds | Sweden |
Central Powers: Germany Finnish Whites | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
|
Davidov Vatslav Vorovsky Harry Borg † George Boldt William Lundberg Johan Kock |
C. A. Ehrensvärd G. E. Ros Gustav V Erik Palmstierna Johannes Hellner |
Hugo Meurer August Schenck zu Schweinsberg R. Hess Rüdiger von der Goltz Hjalmar von Bonsdorff Johan Fabritius Pehr Evind Svinhufvud C. G. E. Mannerheim | ||||||
| Strength | ||||||||
|
2,000 Russians 150 Reds | 700–800 |
900–1,360 Germans 460-600 Whites | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||||||
| 46 killed | 1 dead due to suicide |
13 Germans dead 6 Whites killed | ||||||
As Germany took control over Åland in March 1918, Russian troops were captured and the Swedish troops left the islands by the end of the Finnish Civil War in May. The Germans stayed in Åland until September 1918. The Åland Islands dispute was then turned over to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 and the League of Nations in 1920. The Åland convention was finally signed in 1921 re-establishing the demilitarised status of Åland as an autonomous part of Finland.