On Friday, January 25, 1918, Mannerheim ordered the civil guard forces to begin disarming Russian garrisons by surprise attack in five locations – Vaasa, Lapua, Ylistaro, Seinäjoki, and Ilmajoki. On Sunday, January 28th, the Civil Guards and troops from the Vöyri War School disarmed 400 Russian soldiers in Ylistaro. All Russian garrisons in South Ostrobothnia were disarmed in four days. The documentary film directed by Ilkka Vante, written by Antti Tuuri, and produced by Marko Röhr provides background on the reasons and conflicts leading up to the Sunday. It connects local events to the pressures of newly independent Finland, the chaos in Russia weakened by revolution, and the events of a world ravaged by war. The documentary film “Tammisunnuntai 1918” sheds light on the events of the early days of independence that have long been silenced.
