Finnish Infantry Regiment 200 Infantry Regiment 200 ( , ) or soomepoisid was a unit in the Finnish army during World War II made up mostly of Estonian volunteers , who preferred to fight against the Soviet Union in the ranks of the Finnish army instead of the armed forces of Germany . Background . In September 1939 , the Soviet Union entered World War II by first invading Poland from the east and then " de facto " occupying the Baltic states . In August 1940 , the Republic of Estonia was officially annexed by the Soviet Union . During the following year , thousands of Estonians were arrested , executed , or sent to the Soviet concentration camp system in Russia . After war broke out between the Soviet Union and Germany on June 22 , 1941 , the Soviet authorities in occupied Estonia , in violation of the international law , coerced about 30 , 000 Estonians into service in the retreating Red Army . Although initially the Germans were perceived as liberators by most Estonians , it was soon realized that they were but another occupying power . However , with the Russian atrocities fresh in mind , during the early stages of German occupation many young Estonian men volunteered the Estonian units within the German Army to fight against the Soviet Union . In 1944 , Estonia , along with Latvia , became one of only two non - German speaking countries occupied by Germany where a general conscription - mobilization was carried out by the occupational authorities . Against this background , joining the armed forces of Finland , a kindred nation , appeared a reasonable alternative for those who wished to fight for the freedom of Estonia and against the advancing Red Army , but who for ideological reasons or historical grievances were unwilling to do it in the German uniform . During the Estonian War of Independence , some 2 , 000 Finnish volunteers under the leadership of their Estonian commander Hans Kalm had at a crucial moment helped to turn the tide of the war and rout the invading Red Army . The Estonian volunteers in the Finnish Army , to indicate a debt of honor , picked " For the freedom of Finland and the honor of Estonia " as their motto . Service in the Finnish armed forces . While there had been some Estonian volunteers in the Finnish Army already during the Winter War , the first men of JR 200 crossed the Gulf of Finland in early spring of 1943 . It was a dangerous journey to make , as the gulf was ablaze with war and ravaged by storms , and the German authorities did not allow Estonians to cross over to Finland , which also put the Finnish authorities in an awkward position . The first batch of volunteers formed the third battalion of Infantry Regiment 47 . In the autumn of the same year , when the German authorities called into service those born in 1925 , more volunteers arrived from Estonia . The volunteers made their way over the Gulf independently , or with the help of the " hawks " ( ) . The Hawks were Estonian volunteers working for the S - office which was part of the secret service of the Finnish headquarters . The hawks were equipped with speed boats and many of them had served in the reconnaissance unit Erna , also made up of Estonian volunteers , in the early days of Operation Barbarossa . On February 8 , 1944 , Finnish Field Marshal Mannerheim ordered the formation of the Estonian volunteer regiment , Infantry Regiment 200 . The regiment consisted of two four - company infantry battalions ( Companies 1 – 8 ) , the 13th Mortar Company and the 14th Anti - Tank Company . On May 4 , 1944 , there were 1 , 973 Estonians and 361 Finns in Infantry Regiment 200 , including 67 officers and 165 non - commissioned officers . The regiment took part in the defensive battles of summer 1944 on the Finnish front . They were sent to the front , on June 10 , 1944 , as part of the Finnish 10th Division , and they took up positions around the Bay of Viipuri . The regiment became known as " The Finnish boys " ( Finnish : " Suomen - pojat " , Estonian : " soomepoisid " ) . JR 200 in Estonia . In August 1944 , the Germans began their withdrawal from Estonia . The war in Finland was nearly over , and the men of Infantry Regiment 200 wished to return to Estonia and continue their fight . The regiment had been withdrawn from the front and had been following the developments south of the water anxiously . On August 1 , 1944 , it was broadcast over the Yleisradio that the Finnish government and President Ryti were to resign . On the next day , Aleksander Warma announced that the National Committee of the Republic of Estonia had sent a telegram , which stated : " Estonians return home ! " On the following day , the Finnish government received a letter from the Estonians . It had been signed in the name of " all national organisations of Estonia " by Captain Karl Talpak , minister Aleksander Warma and several others . In the letter , the Finnish government was asked to send the Estonian volunteer regiment back to Estonia fully equipped . It was then announced that JR 200 would be disbanded and that the volunteers were free to return home . An agreement had been reached with the Germans , and the Estonians were promised amnesty if they were to return . The men wanted to return armed and as a unit , but if their wishes would be followed was another question . The uncertainty of situation made the decision difficult , but 9 out of 10 decided to return . As soon as they landed , the regiment was sent to perform a counter - attack against the Soviet 3rd Baltic Front , which had managed a break - through at the Tartu front and was threatening the capital Tallinn .