NoMommsen
Donor
Dear @FillyofDelphi , thx for your elaborate answer.
First about the finnish populace.
I have to apologize, as my notion seems to be over- or wrongly interpreted. I didn't mean, that the finn would "flock" towards the swedish troops and start an uprising against tsarist rule (at least not that early) or even support the swedish troops with food, lodging, etc..
Would be enough not to hinder what swedish troops might appear.
Then the harbor-problem.
At the eastern end of the Alands and the assumed "island-hopping" over rather shallow waters is the city of Turku ... and its harbour. Maybe not as big as Helsingfors at that time.
But such a "big", "major" port is not needed. Any harbor would suffice and be of help given the scale of amphibious operations in World War 1 (pls do NOT compare them with what was done and needed in World War 2, totally different beasts). I may remember, that the germans mastered landing a large, reinforced division in 1917 against a defending enemy without any harbor-facilities at all.
And ... as Turku was up to the 1st half of the 19th century THE major city (only after a large fire Helsinki/Helsingfors became the finnish "main hub"), the triangle of Turku-Helsinki-Tampere was rather well developed regarding i.e. traffic.
The russian baltic fleet
In 1914 a bunch of almost completly outdated pre-dreads. The modern, " superior" units of the Gangut-class were commissioned from 30.November 1914 onwards, becomming operational only in/after spring 1915. With a swedish landing going on and the russian fleet to be expected to probably/possibly trying to interfere, I would bet, that the germans would set up a ... "guarding force" at the mouth of finland to capture whatever might try to come out of it in terms of russian warships. ... "THE" opportunity Prince Heinrich and the german, marine in the baltics would almost pray for.
Or the russians might react as IOTL and draw back whatever force there is to protect precious Kronstadt and with it even more precious Petrograd. What would give the swedes a rather easyjob in sending ever more troops and support via as mentioned Turku or perhaps even Hanko
Russian troops
At the beginning the "finnish" XXII. russian army corps of St.Petersburg military district was hold back :
... to protect St.Petersburg ...
... as well as for "domesctic" finnish reasons ...
This however changed rather quickly with Tannenberg and the XXII. Corps was rushed south to inforce/reinforced northwest-front 9th, then 10th army against further german advances from East-Prussia.
Alraedy having the russian to have to decide where to deploy XXII. Corps ITTL helps the CP cause a lot, with its subsequent changes in shifting forces around the whole russian front. Whatever swedish forces might there be somewher in southern Finland :
they would act as landbased equivalent to a "fleet-in-being" ITTL.
First about the finnish populace.
I have to apologize, as my notion seems to be over- or wrongly interpreted. I didn't mean, that the finn would "flock" towards the swedish troops and start an uprising against tsarist rule (at least not that early) or even support the swedish troops with food, lodging, etc..
Would be enough not to hinder what swedish troops might appear.
Then the harbor-problem.
At the eastern end of the Alands and the assumed "island-hopping" over rather shallow waters is the city of Turku ... and its harbour. Maybe not as big as Helsingfors at that time.
But such a "big", "major" port is not needed. Any harbor would suffice and be of help given the scale of amphibious operations in World War 1 (pls do NOT compare them with what was done and needed in World War 2, totally different beasts). I may remember, that the germans mastered landing a large, reinforced division in 1917 against a defending enemy without any harbor-facilities at all.
And ... as Turku was up to the 1st half of the 19th century THE major city (only after a large fire Helsinki/Helsingfors became the finnish "main hub"), the triangle of Turku-Helsinki-Tampere was rather well developed regarding i.e. traffic.
The russian baltic fleet
In 1914 a bunch of almost completly outdated pre-dreads. The modern, " superior" units of the Gangut-class were commissioned from 30.November 1914 onwards, becomming operational only in/after spring 1915. With a swedish landing going on and the russian fleet to be expected to probably/possibly trying to interfere, I would bet, that the germans would set up a ... "guarding force" at the mouth of finland to capture whatever might try to come out of it in terms of russian warships. ... "THE" opportunity Prince Heinrich and the german, marine in the baltics would almost pray for.
Or the russians might react as IOTL and draw back whatever force there is to protect precious Kronstadt and with it even more precious Petrograd. What would give the swedes a rather easyjob in sending ever more troops and support via as mentioned Turku or perhaps even Hanko
Russian troops
At the beginning the "finnish" XXII. russian army corps of St.Petersburg military district was hold back :
... to protect St.Petersburg ...
... as well as for "domesctic" finnish reasons ...
This however changed rather quickly with Tannenberg and the XXII. Corps was rushed south to inforce/reinforced northwest-front 9th, then 10th army against further german advances from East-Prussia.
Alraedy having the russian to have to decide where to deploy XXII. Corps ITTL helps the CP cause a lot, with its subsequent changes in shifting forces around the whole russian front. Whatever swedish forces might there be somewher in southern Finland :
they would act as landbased equivalent to a "fleet-in-being" ITTL.