| “ | White Guards! Old Medes tales tell of the battle between Ormuzd, the god of light, and Ahriman, the god of darkness. When Ormuzd gives sunshine and rain, so Ahriman brings darkness and frost, as well as the desert winds. When Ormuzd tries to protect the people and lead them to the path of truth and purity, so Ahriman lies in wait for a chance to seduce them to the path of human debauchery and falsehood. This battle between light and darkness is as old as mankind.
— Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finnish military leader and statesman
|
” |
The White Guard (Finnish:Suojeluskunta, plural: Suojeluskunnat, Finland-Swedish: Skyddskår, literary translated as Protection/Defense Corps) was a voluntary militia that emerged victorious over the socialist Red Guard as part of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918. The Finnish term Suojeluskunta has received many different approximations in English, including the literal translation Protection Corps, and Security Guard, Civic Guards, National Guard, White Militia, Defence Corps, Protection Guard, and Protection Militia. They were generally known as the White Guard in the West due to their opposition to the communist Red Guards. In the White Army of Finland many participants were recruitees, draftees and German trained Jägers and not part of the paramilitary as sometimes it's erroneously thought. Their central organization was named Suojeluskuntajärjestö, and the organization consisted of local chapters in municipalities.
Russian revolution of 1905 led to unrest and lack of security in Finland, which was then a Grand Duchy under the sovereignty of the Russian Czar. Citizen militias were formed as a response, but soon these would be formed along political (left-right) lines. The Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent independence of Finland also caused conflicts in Finland. On January 27, 1918, the Finnish government ordered the disarmament of remaining Russian garrisons with the forces of the White Guard, and on the same day, the Reds proclaimed revolution, leading to a bloody civil war. White Guards, led by General C.G.E. Mannerheim, constituted the bulk of the victorious White Army during the Finnish Civil War (1918). After the war, Finnish Defence Forces and a regular police service were founded. From 1919 up to 1934 White Guards were considered a voluntary part of the army, and separate Guard formations were in the reserve, but in 1934, all defence was consolidated into the regular army was and the Guard became a voluntary defence training organization only. Politically, it was neutral although anti-leftist, clearly anti-Communist and conservative and largely rejected by the labor movement and the political left. However, parts of it formed the main forces of the Lapua Movement's abortive coup d'état, the Mäntsälä Rebellion (1932). White Guardsmen served in the regular army during the Second World War. The White Guard was disbanded according to the terms of the Finno-Soviet peace treaty after the Second World War. (From Wikipedia)
Battle vs. Stormtrooper (German Empire) (by Samurai234)[]
No battle was written.
WINNER: GERMAN STORM TROOPERS
Expert's Opinion[]
Neither group was to far ahead of the other in terms of training, so this came down to who had the better arsenal. IN the end, the German Storm Troopers dominated at almost every range, giving them the win.
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.
Batle vs. Blackshirts (by El Alamein)[]
White Guard: 
Blackshirts: 
It was noon in the small coastal village. Scattered around a small central plaza marked only by a cracked fountain stood about a dozen or so aged houses. Before the start of the war they were hybrids--places of residence and places of business together in the same building. Now, though, they were simply deserted.
Five Finnish White Guard soldiers moved up into position through the square, splitting up and searching the houses. Poking in to one of the larger buildings, a White Guard stumbled upon five Italian Blackshirts sitting at a table, smoking and talking. There was the briefest of silences as the White Guard and the Blackshirts stared. Raising his rifle, the White Guard fired once, catching a seated Blackshirt square in the chest and sending him crashing to the ground. Before he could even attempt to work the bolt, though, a volley of fire from the four remaining Blackshirts tore through him in response. The Blackshirts jumped to their feet, grabbed their weapons, and scattered for the back door as the White Guardsmen turned their attentions to the source of the gunfire.
One of the White Guards moved up to the fountain and set up the bipod on his Lahti M/26 machine gun. He had a perfect view on the Blackshirts as they bolted out the building, but their scattered covering fire sent rounds slamming into the top of the fountain over the machine gunner's head, forcing him to duck. Peeking over the lip of the fountain, he angrily rattled off a long string of rounds to chase the Italians, but could do little more than hold his position. His three squadmates flew past in a battle frenzy, armed with submachine guns and pistols.
Crouching down behind a tree, a Blackshirt with a MAB submachine gun opened fire at the White Guards as they came into view, killing one. The bullets slammed right into the man's chest, sending him flying backwards in an arc of blood and ripped fabric and flesh. The two other White Guards dove for cover--one behind a parked and long-abandoned car, the other back behind the corner of a building. Behind the Italian submachine gunner, his teammates set up their Bredo machine gun on a demolished brick wall that now stood waist-high. The White Guard unleashed fury with their Suomi submachine guns, the rate of fire forcing the Blackshirts to duck down behind the wall. One of the rounds nicked the Blackshirt desperately trying to flatten himself against the tree, and as he jerked in pain, stumbling forward, the White Guards focused their fire on their unfortunate victim. Two of the Italian machine gunners opened fire in response as the White Guards stopped to change magazines. The third Blackshirt crept away, making sure to stay low behind the wall, and headed back around into the square.
The two White Guards tried to advance but were consistently forced back to cover by the Breda. Eventually one of the two turned around back into the square while the other remained, keeping himself suppressed to trick the Blackshirts into thinking they still had more than one soldier pinned. The Blackshirt in the square emerged low behind the fountain, where he spotted the White Guard lying in wait with the Lahti M/26 machine gun. Taking out his dagger, the Italian got close enough to wrap one hand around the White Guard's mouth and slice the man's throat with the knife. Looking up, the Blackshirt spotted the two White Guards near the corner of the building, just as the retreating White Guard spotted his squadmate being killed. Still in the process of a magazine change, the White Guard dropped his weapon and drew his pistol as the Blackshirt frantically scrambled forward, shoving the dead machine gunner out of his way, and aimed with the M/26 machine gun.
Meanwhile the two Blackshirts had exhausted their Breda's ammunition. With their rifles, they began to trade potshots with the White Guard behind the building, who had also switched to his rifle. As one of the Blackshirts stood and aimed to take another shot, a rifle round caught him in the neck and he fell, spurting blood. Looking down, his teammate ducked and put a hand over the wound in a futile attempt to stem the bleeding. The mortally wounded man was shaking involuntarily, one leg kicking frantically up and down, his hands fluttering as he lay on the ground. With a rattling gasp, the Blackshirt expired. Realizing that his was a futile effort, the other Blackshirt removed his now-soaked hand and stood back up only to find the White Guard mere feet away with a Puukko knife. Tackling his shocked opponent to the ground, the White Guard drew the tiny blade up to the Blackshirt's throat and slashed open his throat. Stabbing the Blackshirt a few more times in the face and neck to ensure he was dead, the White Guard stood up, looked wildly around, then ran back to where he had left his teammate.
The Blackshirt at the fountain pulled the trigger on the Finnish machine gun only to realize, to his horror, that the weapon was completely empty. He raised his head just in time to catch the White Guard's solitary pistol shot--the bullet entered right below the Blackshirt's left eye and exploded out the back of his skull in a pulpy shower of blood, brains, and bone. The Blackshirt slumped forward, one arm dangling over the lip of the fountain, his head resting on his shoulder. Just at that moment the other White Guard turned the corner. Making eye contact with his teammate, they raised their weapons into the air and shouted in victory.
Expert's Opinion[]
The White Guard did have several advantages with regards to weaponry (most notably, submachine guns), but, historically, they were also far more combat competent than the Blackshirts. The Blackshirts were certainly a formidable and fanatical opponent, but their relative inability to fight effectively and their logistical and tactical problems that plagued them later in the Second World War were obstacles that were too large ot overcome.
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.
Battle vs. Imperial Japanese Army (By Battlefan237)[]
IJA :
FWG :
During a mop-out operation, six Japanese soldiers marched through a snow-covered forest in an attempt to eliminate Chinese guerrillas rumored to be hidden inside these woods. Little did they realize that a group of men dressed in white coats were watching them from a distance, steadying their Mauser rifles and pistols for the upcoming ambush. Minutes later the Japanese squad arrived at an abandoned cabin set in the center of the forest. The squad leader ordered his team to rest inside the house, while one soldier was given the task to guard the cabin.
As the Japanese patrol man wandered around the house, he sensed something peculiar moving on the hill beside. Alerted, the man blinked his eyes and pointed his Arisaka to the spot. The moment he was about to open fire, a bullet thrust into his back, pinning him to the ground, coloring the winter ground in rouge. Watching his target collapsing down, the Finnish captain who fired the shot signaled all of his men to kick out.
Hearing the shot, the Japanese inside the room immediately grabbed up their weapons and headed for the door, but they weren’t fast enough to match with the Finnish soldiers, two of whom had already made their way to the cabin from their hiding spots nearby. The first Finnish soldier to arrive fired at the window. The Japanese man behind it managed to take a few bullets while still standing, but another shot from the Finnish captain’s Swedish Mauser was able to pull him down. The Japanese captain held the man from behind, preventing him from falling down and creating a human shield. Then he fired his Nambu at the Finnish soldier with a Suomi KP 3/1, putting an end to his life by poking a bloody hole on his chest. The rest of the Japanese soldiers aided their captain, roaring their Type-100 through the window and the door, with the KP 3/1 soldier dead, their sub machine guns managed to dominate the field temporarily. Another Finnish soldier broke through the door, only to provide the Arisaka soldier a chance to pump a shot right into his stomach. Dropping his rifle on the ground, the man struggled to reach for his pistol in haste, but the Japanese captain finished him by slicing his neck with the Gunto. Tossing his human shield aside, the captain commanded his men to go out and banish the enemies outside.
Hardly had the Japanese soldiers reached the broken door when an Model 24 Grenade was thrown into the room through the shattered window. Almost instantly the Type 100 soldier was turned into minces. The Japanese soldier beside was also severely injured, with a wood spike piercing his left leg, while what seemed to be twisted fingers were sprinkled on the floor around him. Another soldier’s head was hit by the broken fragment of the door. The impact wasn’t fatal, but sent him into temporary dizziness. As he struggled to get his vision cleared, the Japanese captain retreated upstairs alone. Seconds later a white phantom hopped into the room and capped him with Lahti L-35. However , little did the pistol soldier notice a click-click noise coming from a body lying on the floor behind.
“Yksi heistä ajoi yläkertaan kun taas muut ovat täällä. (One of them fled upstairs, while the others are all here.)” Reported a winter guard. However a string of groans dragged the captain’s attention away. The injured Japanese soldier kept on muttering and pointing at them, as if he had something to report as well. The captain noticed something peculiar gleaming inside the man’s eyes, something mysterious but dangerous, something that shouldn’t be shining in the eyes of a man with so many limbs missing. It reminded him of patients in Helsinki Mental Institution. He immediately demanded someone go up to the spot and check out what the man attempts to express.
One Finnish soldier went up to check, only to find the soldier holding an activated Kiska grenade with the remnants of his hand.
“バンザイ! (Banzai !)” The man managed to gobble out a single word before the bomb went off, tearing apart his eyes gleaming with sheer craze and the Finnish soldier frozen next to his body. The rest of the Finnish soldiers sheltered themselves behind the ruins and broken furniture scattered around the room. One of them wasn’t lucky enough to dodge a sharp segment, which was a part of the grenade that got sent flying across the room, poking into the Finnish man’s throat, twisting apart his artery. Blood gushed out of his neck and mouth as he knelt down, coughing in desperation and slowly becoming a silent corpse.
When the explosion was over, the Finnish captain and his last man got up. Before continuing to pursue the Japanese captain upstairs, they poked the body of every dead Japanese soldier in the room with their Pukkos and the butt of the rifle, so that they can make sure none of them would get up and attack.
The two climbed up the stairs, finding another door awaiting them. The last winter guard kicked it open and entered the room. Almost simultaneously, the Japanese captain charged out from a corner with a bayonet installed on an Arisaka rifle. The sheer force of insanity plunged the blade into the chest of the Finnish soldier, killing him instantly. To regard the Finnish captain, the Japanese captain let loose of the rifle and grabbed his Type-100 taken from the human shield downstairs, rushing out of the room, only to be met with the Finnish captain’s Finnish devil Suomi KP 3/1. He didn’t even have the chance to open fire before being transformed into a puddle of flesh and blood rubbed on the floor of the dilapidated cabin.
Mourning over his lost teammates, the Finnish Captain went back into the woods to contact other winter guards to capture the weapons left by the Japanese soldiers.
Winner : Finnish Winter Guards
Expert's opinions[]
Although the Japanese soldiers are better trained and known for their extreme measures, they're outgunned in almost every weapon category. With the addition of the guerrilla tactics which fits with the simulation used by the winter guards, the victory goes to the Finnish soldiers.