25th Artillery Battalion ( et, 25. suurtükiväepataljon) of the 2nd Infantry Brigade is a reserve

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

of the

Estonian Land Forces The Estonian Land Forces ( et, Maavägi), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. It is currently the largest ...

. During peacetime, the unit is tasked with preparing reserve personnel through training exercises. During wartime, the unit is tasked with providing indirect fire support for combat units.

History

1919 - 1940

The battalion follows in the tradition of the 2nd Artillery Regiment, which was formed in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

on January 21, 1919, by captain

Herbert Brede Herbert Lorentz Brede (25 April 1888 in Püssi – 6 October 1942 in Norilsk) was an Estonian soldier and general. Brede fought in World War I as an officer of the Imperial Russian Army against the Central Powers. After World War I he fought ...

. On February 15, the headquarters moved to Tartu Karlova manor. By the end of February, the regiment had managed to form a headquarters and seven batteries. The 7th battery was initially assembled under the

Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion The Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion ( et, Kuperjanovi jalaväepataljon) is a battalion of the Estonian Land Forces. It is a part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade. Battalion headquarters is at Taara Army Base, Võru. History Estonian War of Independen ...

and then properly formed under the 2nd Artillery Regiment. The battery was also known as the "partisan battery" because of its roots in the Kuperjanov Battalion. On April 26, the headquarters moved to

Võru Võru (; vro, Võro; german: Werro) is a town and a municipality in south-eastern Estonia. It is the capital of Võru County and the centre of Võru Parish. History Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, according to the wish of the Empress Cather ...

. On August 1, 1919, captain Johannes Orasmaa (then Johannes Roska) was appointed the commander of the unit, he took up the position on August 19. On August 31, while inspecting the units of the 2nd Artillery Regiment, he led a successful defence in Pechorsky district against

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

units, which had managed to break through the lines of the 7th regiment. The attack was held back purely by artillery fire. In September, the batteries were formed into two artillery groups. On October 15, 1919,

Podpolkovnik ''Podpolkovnik'' (russian: подполко́вник, lit=sub –, junior – , or lower regimentary) is a military rank in Slavic and nearby countries which corresponds to the lieutenant colonel in the English-speaking states and military. ...

(Lt.Colonel) Georg Feofanov became the commander of the unit. By January 1920, the regiment consisted of seven field batteries (number 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13), with 27 artillery guns, 519 rifles, 3 machine guns, 35 officers, 3 doctors, 10 officials and 1190 soldiers. On May 20, 1920, the unit was reformed into the 2nd Field Artillery Division, and on January 1, 1921, renamed back to the 2nd Artillery Regiment. In 1940, the Soviets occupied Estonia and all military units were disbanded.

2014 - present

The Artillery Battalion was formed together with the 2nd Infantry Brigade on August 1, 2014. The battalion received its flag on January 24, 2017. On August 8, 2017, major Meelis Laanemets replaced major Marko Tomentšuk as the battalions commander. The unit is equipped with 122 mm D-30 howitzers and has been participating in exercises since at least 2016. The 122 mm D-30 howitzers will be replaced by

K9 Thunder The K9 Thunder is a South Korean 155 mm self-propelled howitzer designed and developed by the Agency for Defense Development and civil contractors including Dongmyeong Heavy Industries, Kia Heavy Industry, Poongsan Corporation, and Samsung Aer ...

self-propelled howitzers.

References

{{Estonian Military Military units and formations established in 1919 Military units and formations disestablished in 1940 Artillery units and formations of Estonia Battalions of Estonia

History

1919 - 1940

2014 - present

See also

References