Weapons Cache Case

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The Weapons Cache Case (Finnish: Asekätkentä, Swedish: Vapengömmoaffären) was a Finnish military plan to continue battle after the ceasefire in 1944, if needed. It concerned a secret and officially unsanctioned military operation following the end of combat on the Soviet–Finnish theater of WWII known as the Continuation War, where a large amount of Finnish Army weapons and equipment was hidden in caches scattered around the country. Despite its non-political nature, the operation took on a right-wing and clearly anti-communist tone through those who participated in the plan.^[1]

Ultimately, 1,488 people were convicted for the operation, receiving prison sentences totaling nearly 400 years.^[2] Another suspect, Urho Lehtovaara, killed himself in custody. Dozens of Finnish soldiers, fled the country to avoid prosecution, with 21 of them, including Alpo K. Marttinen, later moving to the United States.