FORMATIONS (TO&E), PART 8

World War II, Antiaircraft Formations

 

Finnish antiaircraft training started in year 1925 and first AA-unit was 1. Ilmatorjuntapatteri (1st Antiaircraft Battery) established in August next year. Finnish coastal artillery had been the first part of Finnish armed forces to get interested about shooting air-targets with guns and machineguns. This can be seen quite natural considering the situation it found itself in mid 1920's: Coastal artillery had large static fortifications to which fast developing aircraft was seen as obvious threat. Finnish antiaircraft weaponry and methods were developed little by little, but amount of acquired AA-weaponry remained much too small. The acquisitions of new anti-aircraft guns obtained in late 1920's concentrated to 76-mm anti-aircraft guns acquired from Bofors (76 ItK/27 BK, 76 ItK/28 B and 76 ItK/29 B), while guns acquired in 1930's included 7.62 ItKk/31 VKT anti-aircraft machine guns, 76 ItK/34 V anti-aircraft guns and modification work of 76 ItK/02/34 guns. There were also plans in 1930's for mass-production of 13mm machine gun intended to be used as both anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapon, but it never got into mass-production and the unit type of Finnish Army intended to operate it (Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Company) was ultimately routinely equipped during World War 2 with 20mm anti-aircraft guns.

As noted the number of guns acquired for anti-aircraft use was much too small. Finnish military created its first development plan for equipping anti-aircraft units in year 1931. This development program named IP-kehitysohjelma 31 (Air Defence Development Program 31) required in total 90 million Finnish marks (comparable to about 41.2 million euros of year 2025) and contained acquisition of 38 pcs of 76mm anti-aircraft guns, 44 pcs 40mm anti-aircraft guns, 6 pcs 20mm guns, 125 pcs 13mm anti-aircraft machine guns and 125 pcs 7.62mm anti-aircraft machine guns. This was very modest number and grand majority of the 40mm guns were still missing when Winter War started in November of 1939 plus as noted 13mm anti-aircraft machine guns were never received. These were very modest numbers, but since limited funding did not allow larger number of guns to be acquired Ministry of Defence come up with creative solution.

Year 1937 Defence Ministry even sent circular letter to cities, towns, municipalities, industry and other communities offering them possibility to finance anti-aircraft weaponry for home front and promising to issue the financed weaponry to air defence of the geographic area where the financier was located. This project proved highly effective gathering in total about 222 million Finnish Marks (comparable to about 98.4 million euros of year 2025), which were used to finance buying of 35 pcs heavy (75 - 76mm) anti-aircraft guns, 44 pcs 40mm anti-aircraft guns, 18 pcs 20mm anti-aircraft guns, 40 pcs 7.62mm anti-aircraft machine guns plus mechanical fire control computers for the heavy anti-aircraft artillery batteries (*). These acquisitions came too late with only fraction of the guns being delivered before Winter War and the rest being received only during the war or after it.

(*) With availability of guns becoming poor due to starting of World War 2 some 90 million Finnish marks were left unused. They were used to buy radars for anti-aircraft artillery in 1950's.

When anti-aircraft units of Finnish Army were mobilised for wargames in summer of 1939 their weaponry situation was so poor that men of 34 units had to be sent home as there was no weaponry for them. Finland got more weaponry just before and during Winter War, but Finnish AA-defence remained so weak that almost all had to be concentrated for defending most vital areas of home front. This left Finnish frontline units with very little air-defence. New anti-aircraft units were created during Winter War and existing ones trained to use new guns acquired during the war. Basic method for training these units was first providing them basic training and then giving further training for them in military unit already using the weaponry and other equipment similar to one that would be equipped with. This allowed these newly armed AA-units to get battle-ready in minimal amount of time after guns they were to be issued became available. During early part of Continuation War the focus of Finnish air-defence was with Field Army (Army units in front), as war progressed more and more units were concentrated back to home front. As a rule the largest calibre AA-weaponry Finnish frontline units had defending them were 40-mm, anything bigger was almost always used further away from front. It is worth noting that during World War 2 Finnish inventory of anti-aircraft guns got extremely varied, with basically what ever was available being acquired also getting acquired and issued with older heavy anti-aircraft guns usually being allocated into coastal defence.

 

1st AA-Battery, 1929:

 Battery Commander

1st Fire Section (2 guns)
2nd Fire Section (2 guns)
Machinegun Unit (one or two 7.62-mm AAMG)
Supply Section

 

Antiaircraft Regiment, May/1934 - 1939:

Regimental Commander

Regimental HQ

NCO School (Reserve NCO School starting from 1937)

AA-Battalion

Repair Shop

HQ Battery (added in 1939)

 

AAMG Company, 1939- 1940:

3 AAMG Platoons

Example: 1. ItKkk (1st AAMG Company), 1939 - 1940:

1st Platoon (light)

2nd Platoon (heavy)

3rd Platoon (heavy)

(Notice: During Winter War units such as this mixed this organisation as combination of 20 mm AA-guns and 7,62 mm AAMG proved in same platoon proved more effective).

 

Light Battery, 1939 - 1940:

2 - 3 x 40 mm Bofors AA-gun

 

Heavy AA-Battery, 1939 - 1945:

2 - 4 x heavy AA-guns (75 - 88 mm)

1 - 2 x AA-machinegun 7,62 mm

Central fire control machine (mechanical fire control computer)

Generally speaking heavy AA-battery followed that TO&E. Amounts of guns used heavy AA-battery varies depending model of guns used. And amount of antiaircraft-machineguns varied. Crew size of fire-control computer also varied depending model of FC-computer. Here is one example of actual unit:

Example: Heavy AA-Battery with

Fire control Unit

Fire Battery (1 officer + 6 NCO + 30 men)

 

Heavy 4-gun AA-Battery (Homefront), 1941:

AA-Battery Commander (pistol) [Captain]

Driver (passenger car + rifle)

Fire Control (FC) Unit

AA-Gun Battery

Supplies Squad

Heavy 3-gun AA-Battery (Homefront), 1941:

AA-Battery Commander (pistol)

Driver (passenger car + rifle)

Fire Control (FC) Unit

AA-Gun Battery

Supplies Squad

 

Mobile Heavy AA-Battery of Field Army, 1941:

(Notice: Units of this type belonged to Finnish Army General HQ assets)

Battery Commander (pistol)

Driver/messenger (passenger car + rifle)

Fire Control (FC) Unit

AA-Gun Battery

Supplies Section

One of the two supply trucks does towing the field kitchen.

 

Light AA-Section (homefront), 1941:

Section Commander (pistol)

Distance Measuring Team

Observation and telephone Team

2 AA-Guns

AAMG Team

Supplies Team

(*) 2 of the men with anti-chemical weapons training.

 

Mobile Light AA-Section (homefront), 1941:

AA-Section Leader (pistol) [2nd Lieutenant/Lieutenant]

Distance Measuring Team

Observation and telephone Team

AA-Gun Section

Supplies Squad

Supply truck used for towing the field kitchen.

(*) 2 of the men with anti-chemical weapons training.

 

AAMG Platoon (homefront), 1941:

Platoon Leader (pistol)

Distance Measuring Unit

Observation and Telephone Team

2 AA-Gun Teams

2 AAMG Teams

Supplies Team

(**) Also anti-chemical weapons trained

 

Mobile Light AA-Battery of Field Army (1941):

Battery Commander (pistol) [Captain]

Driver (passenger car + rifle)

Signal Section

2 AA-Gun Sections, in each AA-Gun Section:

Supplies Section

(***) 2 of the men with anti-chemical weapons training.

 

AA-Machinegun Company of Field Army (1941): (****)

Company Commander (pistol) [Captain]

Driver (passenger car + pistol)

3 AA-Gun Platoons

Supplies Platoon

Strenght:

(*****) For some twisted reason Finnish Army liked to call 20-mm AA-Guns as heavy AA-machineguns in AA-organisations. I have changed this for other organisations, but kept it here not mix this organisations to other organisations. The reason behind this weard naming system might be in pre World War 2 plans of equipping units such as these with 13mm anti-aircraft machine gun, which was never placed in mass-production.

 

Light AA-Battery of Field Army, 1941 - 1943:

(Notice: This unit was Army Corps level asset)

2 Sections, in each section:

Notice: Around 1941 - 1943 each Finnish Army Corp had three of these light AA-batteries.

 

Light AA-Section, 1941 - 1945:

2 x 40 mm Bofors AA-gun

 

Divisional AAMG Company, 1941 - 1943:

6 x 20 mm AA-gun (divided in 3 platoons, each platoon had two AA-guns)

2 - 5 x 7,62 mm AAMG

 

Mixed Antiaircraft Battery, 1943 - 1945:

Battery Commander

Driver

Signal team

1st Section

2nd Section

OR

2nd Section

 

Total strength of mixed AA-Battery: 3 officers + 17 NCO + 66 men = 86 men

 

 

STRUCTURE OF AA-UNITS IN FINNISH FIELD ARMY:

ANTIAIRCRAFT UNITS 1941 - 1943:

Army Corps

WITH MIXED BATTERIES 1943 - 1945:

Army Corps

 

Last updated 18th of October 2025
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