14th Searchlight Battery ( Finland ) 14th Searchlight Battery ( Finnish : 14 . Valonheitinpatteri ( 14 . Vh . Ptri ) ) was a Finnish anti - aircraft searchlight battery formed from women of the Lotta Svärd organization ( " " searchlight lottas " , Finnish : valonheitinlotat " ) at the end of the Continuation War . The battery was formed to free men for other tasks and was used in the air - defence of Helsinki . The battery was the only armed unit in Finnish Army made up from women that was organized as a military unit fit for combat duty . The searchlight battery was operational from late summer 1944 to the end of the Continuation War but did not see action . Background . As the air - defences of Helsinki were improved in spring 1944 after the winter bombings it was decided to replace some of the personnel in searchlight units with women to ease manpower shortage . Three hundred women were selected from students working already in air surveillance duties , of whom 215 arrived for searchlight training . The trainees were mainly from Helsinki University of Technology , University of Helsinki and Ateneum , but also from schools in Turku and Tampere . The training began on 31 May 1944 in Laajasalo in Helsinki , but was suspended already on 9 June since there was no guarantee that the women would continue to serve after fall ( student work responsibility only covered summer months ) . The training continued after the women expressed interest in the task and pledged to serve for as long as the war demanded or a minimum of one year . After this the number of trainees was set at 145 and the training was concentrated to Anti - aircraft regiment 1 ( " Finnish : Ilmatorjuntarykmentti 1 ( ItR 1 ) " ) in Helsinki , while the training in 1st Independent Anti - aircraft Battalion ( " Finnish : 1 . Erillinen ilmatorjuntapatteristo ( 1 . Er . ItPsto ) " ) in Turku and 2nd Independent Anti - aircraft Battalion ( " Finnish : 2 . Erillinen ilmatorjuntapatteristo ( 2 . Er . ItPsto ) " ) in Tampere was discontinued . Captain K . H . Pentti led the training while Inkeri Simola acted as the Lotta leader . Simola was later succeeded by Aino Airamo . A voluntary written commitment to remain in service as well as passing a medical examination for continuous outdoor duty was required from the women who wished to serve in the searchlight battery . Training . The women completed their training successfully . They were divided into four groups : 25 searchlight team leaders , 30 acoustic locator operators , 63 searchlight operators and 29 generator operators . Three Second Lieutenants , 30 non - commissioned officers and nine soldiers formed the training staff . The course included several military subjects that had not been taught to Lottas before . Armed service caused a minor crisis for the Lotta Svärd organization , which had emphasized a principle of nonviolence . Because of Soviet agent and invasion danger the Lotta Svärd central committee had to consent to arming the women in the searchlight battery . The leader of the Lotta Svärd organization , Fanni Luukkonen , said that armed service for women meant the " death of womanhood " ( " Finnish : " naiseuden kuolema " " ) , but that the wartime situation demanded extraordinary measures . The weapon used by the women was an Italian Terni military rifle that was also used by other anti - aircraft units . Active service . As the training ended on 26 July the women were formed into 14th Searchlight Battery and attached to Anti - aircraft Regiment 1 . The battery operated as per normal military chain of command structure and in early August it was assigned to guard the least dangerous sector in the North - Western Helsinki . The battery did not see action and after armistice it was disbanded by the order of commander of the Airforce on 24 September .