Battle of Hämeenlinna

The local Civil Guard was established in October 1917 and the local Red Guard was also established in November 1917. When the declaration of Red Finland was made on the 26 January 1918, Hämeenlinna remained relatively peaceful and many working-class people attended a meeting following the declaration of the New Government in Helsinki with many people agreeing to be reserved and to wait for following events within the brewing Civil War, before declaring any allegiance to the new Red Government in Helsinki. This led to the Red Guard commander Eero Haapalainen urging people to rise up in the city on 29 January 1918, via a telephone call, however this resulted in no effects. Later prompting on the same day for the Turku Red Guard accompanied with some Hämeenlinna Red Guardsmen to take over the city, and set up their defenses at a hotel by Linnankatu and the Town Hall building. Later also taking over the Bank of Finland there and the telephone exchange.[1][2] Towards the beginning of April, the local Red Guardsmen began to practice terror within the city, leading to arrests and murders committed by the Reds.[3]

At approximately 1 o'clock on 26 April, the German Baltic Sea Division initiated the encirclement of the city, this caused panic amongst the local Red Guard, prompting many of them to flee to the east in hopes of reaching Soviet-Russia. The Germans began to bombard the city with artillery-fire, and the Germans entered the city at 5'o'clock in the afternoon, followed later by some Whites. The Red Guard surrendered and raised white flags on-top of the roof of the Town Hall later that same day. The Germans had committed major war crimes in the municipality of Vanaja, burning houses and killing unarmed refugees, women and children.[1][3]