Atlas of Battles

battle, major, First World War

Battle of Tampere

Battle of Tampere was a battle fought on 8 March 1918 at Tampere, in what is now Finland; it lasted 29 days. It was part of the Finnish Civil War. The recorded result: Finnish White victory. Recorded strength: 16,000; 400 Swedish volunteers against 14,000.

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Tammela district of the City of Tampere after the Finnish Civil War in 1918
Tammela district of the City of Tampere after the Finnish Civil War in 1918. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought8 March 1918lasted 29 days
WhereTampere, Finland61.500N, 23.750E
OutcomeFinnish White victory
BelligerentsFinnish Whites; Swedish BrigadeagainstFinnish Reds
Casualties and losses820 killedand2,000 killed or executed; 10,000–11,000 captured
Part ofFinnish Civil WarTavastia Front

Where it sits in the Finnish Civil War

Battle of Värtsilä, 1918Battle of Kämärä, 1918Occupation of Vaasa, 1918Battle of Kristiinankaupunki, 1918Battle of Oulu, 1918Battle of Tornio, 1918Battles of Joutseno, 1918Battle of Antrea, 1918Battle of Pellinki, 1918Battle of Varkaus, 1918Battle of Tampere, 1918Battle of Länkipohja, 1918Battle of Vilppula, 1918Battle of Ruovesi, 1918Battle of Rautu, 1918Battle of Anianpelto, 1918Battle of Viipuri, 1918Battle of Laitikkala, 1918Battle of Alvettula, 1918Battle of Naulasaari, 1918Battle of Mäkelä, 1918Battle of Oravala, 1918Battle of Jokela, 191819181918Battle of Tampere, 1918
35 placed engagements of the Finnish Civil War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date8 March 1918
to 6 April 1918
PlaceTampere, Finland
61.500N, 23.750E
KindBattle, First World War
Strength16,000; 400 Swedish volunteers14,000
Casualties and losses820 killed2,000 killed or executed; 10,000–11,000 captured
Commanders
  • Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
  • Hjalmar Frisell
  • Hugo Salmela
  • Georgy Bulatsel
  • Ali Aaltonen
  • Verner Lehtimäki
Battle of TampereBattle of TampereBattle of PälkäneBattle of KyröskoskiBattle of RuovesiBattle of AlvettulaBattle of LänkipohjaBattle of PälkäneBattle of KyröskoskiBattle of RuovesiBattle of AlvettulaBattle of LänkipohjaTurkuLahtiJyväskyläPorvooPoriHämeenlinnaKouvola100 km61.500N, 23.750E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Tampere
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Tampere today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-07-17. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 102 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 76 to 174 m, 98 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 51% water, 28% built-up, 19% tree cover.

water: 51%built-up: 28%tree cover: 19%water 51%built-up 28%tree cover 19%
west to east, 10.0 km76 to 160 mnorth to south, 10.0 km76 to 120 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1918

Battle of Tampere is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 121 in present-day Finland.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2043711, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Tampere, revision 1382504987, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.