The Viru Infantry Battalion ( et, Viru jalaväepataljon) is a

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 ...

. It is a part of the 1st Infantry Brigade and its primary task is to train conscription-based

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

and anti-tank units. The battalion has been previously known as the 4th Infantry Regiment and as the 4th Single Infantry Battalion. The battalion is currently based at

Jõhvi Jõhvi is a town in northeastern Estonia, and the administrative centre of the Ida-Viru County. The town is also an administrative centre of Jõhvi Parish. It is situated about 50 km west of the Estonia–Russia international border. ...

History

Formation

On 6 December 1917, Lieutenant colonel Jaan Soots, acting commander of the 1st Division, ordered Captain Hendrik Vahtramäe to form the 4th Infantry Regiment ( et, 4. eesti polk) in Rakvere. Following the

occupation of Estonia by the German Empire Estonia was under military occupation by the German Empire during the later stages of the First World War. On 11–21 October 1917, the Imperial German Army occupied the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), including the larger isla ...

, the 4th Infantry Regiment was disbanded on 5 April 1918. After the German occupation ended, the unit was re-established in

Narva Narva, russian: Нарва is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru county, at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia international border. With 54 ...

on 21 November 1918.

Estonian War of Independence

On 28 November 1918, the 6th Division of the

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 ...

attacked the positions of the 4th Infantry Regiment at Narva. The regiment had just 595 men in 2 battalions, and together with few hundred

Estonian Defence League The Estonian Defence League ( et, Eesti Kaitseliit) is the name of the unified paramilitary armed forces of the Republic of Estonia. The Defence League is a paramilitary defence organization whose aim is to guarantee the preservation of the indep ...

members, the regiment was forced to leave Narva and retreat west. On 4 January 1919, units of 4th Infantry Regiment managed to stop the advancing Red Army at Valkla. The regiment took part in the following

counter-offensive In the study of military tactics, a counter-offensive is a large-scale strategic offensive military operation, usually by forces that had successfully halted the enemy's offensive, while occupying defensive positions. The counter-offensive ...

and liberated Narva on 19 January 1919. By the end of the war, the regiment had 53 officers, and 1476 NCOs and soldiers in its ranks, and was commanded by

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Jakob Vende.

1920–1940

After demobilization the unit was renamed 4th Single Infantry Battalion, and was based at Narva-Jõesuu. On 1 April 1924, the battalion was added to the 5th Infantry Regiment at Narva. On 1 October 1928, most units of 4th Single Infantry Battalion were moved to

and Kurtna, while one infantry and one machine gun platoon took positions at

Vasknarva Vasknarva (russian: Сыренец, Syrenets; german: Neuschloss) is a village in Alutaguse Parish, Ida-Viru County in northeastern Estonia. Geography The settlement is located on the northern shore of Lake Peipus, on the left bank of the Na ...

. After the

Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into two different ...

in 1940 the battalion was disbanded.

1992–present

On 22 May 1992, the unit was restored as Viru Infantry Battalion in

. The battalion participates in training

conscripts Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...

for mechanized infantry and anti-tank units. The battalion is currently equipped with MILAN 2,

FGM-148 Javelin The FGM-148 Javelin, or Advanced Anti-Tank Weapon System-Medium (AAWS-M), is an American-made portable anti-tank missile system in service since 1996, and continuously upgraded. It replaced the M47 Dragon anti-tank missile in US service. Its fire ...

anti-tank missiles and Patria Pasi XA-188 APCs.

Current structure

Viru Infantry Battalion: * Battalion Headquarters ** 1st Training Company ** 2nd Training Company ** 3rd Training Company ** Staff and Combat Service Support Company

List of commanders

*Hendrik Vahtramäe 1917–1918 * Aleksander Seimann 1918–1919 * Jakob Vende 1919–1928 * Voldemar Koch 1928–1934 *August Tomander 1934–1940 *Peeter Prans 1992–1993 * Indrek Sirel 1993–1996 *Jüri Järveläinen 1996–2004 *Neeme Kaarna 2004–2006 *Urmet Reimann 2006–2010 * Janno Märk 2010–2012 * Eero Kinnunen 2013–2015 *Arno Kruusmann 2015–2019 *Tarvo Luga 2019-present

References

External links

Official website
{{Estonian Military Battalions of Estonia Military units and formations established in 1917 1917 establishments in Estonia Military units and formations disestablished in 1940 Military units and formations established in 1992 1992 establishments in Estonia