Battle of Vilppula

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Battle of Vilppula

The Battle of Vilppula was fought during the Finnish Civil War between the Whites and Reds from 31 January to 18 March 1918 in Vilppula and Ruovesi, Finland. Vilppula sits on the Tampere–Haapamäki railway, a key route into central Finland, so the Reds aimed to push toward Haapamäki and then Vaasa. The Whites defended the area and finally forced the Reds to retreat toward Tampere, giving the Whites a victory.

What happened
- The fighting began on 31 January when about 200 Reds attacked Mänttä, which was held by the White Guard. After intervention by a local priest, both sides were disarmed.
- On 1 February White forces from Keuruu entered the area and Reds were pushed back to Lyly station. A White unit led by Matti Laurila moved toward Lyly but a demolished railway bridge stopped them. A train carrying Romanian embassy staff happened to reach the other side of the bridge, allowing the Whites to continue for a time, but the Reds had damaged the rails and the Whites had to halt near Lyly.
- Russians became involved after Whites captured more than 2,000 surrendered Russian soldiers. A Russian force of about 500 volunteers under G. A. Stolbov fought with the Reds but soon moved to another nearby battle.
- The Reds launched several assaults starting on 2 February with Russian support and an armored train, but the Whites defended the two bridges at Vilppulankoski for days, and the attacks failed.
- Reinforcements from Helsinki and Saint Petersburg arrived for the Reds, yet a White artillery position prevented a breakthrough, and the Red offensive on 21 February did not gain ground.
- On 13 March the Reds sent a train packed with explosives toward Vilppula station, but the Whites defused the device and stopped the attack.
- In March the Reds tried to approach from the southwest via Väärinmaja, but the Whites held the line there as well.

Ending the battle
- On 18 March the Whites mounted a major counteroffensive, and the Reds began retreating south to help defend Tampere. The Red attempt to take Vilppula failed, and the Whites held the area as a gateway to central Finland.

Casualties
- About 60 White soldiers and around 125 Red soldiers were killed or wounded during the fighting.