This year it will be 100 years since the combat engineer company of the Royal Prussian Jaeger Battalion 27 successfully fought in the Battle of Schmarden. The Finnish Defence Forces will honour the 100th anniversary of the battle by organising an unveiling of a memorial at the original location of the battle in the village of Schmarden in Latvia on 25 July 2016.
The battle of Schmarden has a pivotal role in the history of the combat engineers. The jaeger engineers who fought in the battle were in a central role when establishing the engineer branch of the Finnish Defence Forces.
Approximately 50 people from the Finnish Defence Forces will participate in the unveiling. The Army is responsible for the preparations of the event together with the Finnish Embassy in Latvia and the Municipality of Engure. The Schmarden Memorial Committee is responsible for erecting the memorial of the battle.
The Finnish Army will arrange a colour guard for the event with the Jaeger Flag and the Engineer School Flag. The event also features a performance by a detachment of the Finnish Guards band with opera singer Heikki Aalto as a soloist.
The Inspector of the Engineers, Colonel Jouko Rauhala acts as the senior of the Finnish Defence Forces’ detachment.
Follow the event online:
Facebook.com/maavoimat #Schmarden100
Twitter.com/maavoimat @Maavoimat
Instagram.com/puolustusvoimat.fi
