The Mannerheim Cross ( fi, Mannerheim-risti, sv, Mannerheimkorset), officially Mannerheim Cross of the Cross of Liberty ( fi, Vapaudenristin Mannerheim-risti, link=no, sv, Frihetskorsets Mannerheimkors, link=no) is the most distinguished Finnish military honour. A total of 191 persons received the cross between 22 July 1941 and 7 May 1945, with six of the recipients receiving a cross twice. Available in two classes, the 1st class medal has only been awarded twice, with both recipients also having received the medal in the 2nd class. Although still active ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...

'', no crosses have been awarded since 1945.

Tuomas Gerdt Kaiho Tuomas Albin Gerdt (28 May 1922 – 1 November 2020) was a Finnish soldier and Knight of the Mannerheim Cross, numbered #95. He was born in Heinävesi. Gerdt, serving as a junior runner officer in the infantry regiment 7, was awarded the M ...

, the last living Knight of the Mannerheim Cross, died on 1 November 2020.

Description

The honour, proposed by and named after

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Gustaf Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as comm ...

, was introduced after the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

on 16 December 1940. Associated with the

Order of the Cross of Liberty The Order of the Cross of Liberty ( fi, Vapaudenristin ritarikunta; sv, Frihetskorsets orden) is one of three official state orders in Finland, along with the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. Organisatio ...

, the decoration was awarded to soldiers for exceptional bravery, for the achievement of crucially important objectives by combat, or for especially successfully conducted operations. Unlike other awards associated with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the awarding of either class of the Mannerheim Cross was not influenced by the military rank of the recipient. The cross is awarded as either Mannerheim Cross of Liberty 1st Class or as Mannerheim Cross of Liberty 2nd Class. No special requirements differing from 2nd class were laid out for The Mannerheim Cross 1st Class. Within the

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state o ...

of Finnish awards, the Mannerheim Cross 1st Class ranks 5th and the Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class ranks 9th. A recipient of the cross is called "Knight of the Mannerheim Cross". Like the crosses of the

, the design of the Mannerheim Cross displays the Old Scandinavian

Fylfot The fylfot or fylfot cross ( ) and its mirror image, the gammadion are a type of swastika associated with medieval Anglo-Saxon culture. It is a cross with perpendicular extensions, usually at 90° or close angles, radiating in the same directi ...

, albeit in different colors and with added decorative elements. The 1st class cross is worn as a

necklet A necklet is a type of decoration which is designed to be worn and displayed around a person's neck, rather than hung (draped) from the chest as is the standard practice for displaying most decorations. In the Middle Ages most order's insignias ...

, while the 2nd class cross is worn on the chest. The award was associated with a monetary prize in 1943. Originally planned to be a lifetime pension, the prize was eventually set at 50,000

Finnish mark The markka ( fi, markka; sv, mark; sign: Mk; ISO code: FIM, typically known outside Finland as the Finnish mark) was the currency of Finland from 1860 until 28 February 2002, when it ceased to be legal tender. The mark was divided into 100 p ...

s, approximately equivalent to a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

's annual salary.

Knights of the Mannerheim Cross

The Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class has been awarded to 191 persons. The first cross was awarded to

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Ruben Lagus on 22 July 1941. The first

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

to be awarded the cross was Vilho Rättö, who was awarded his cross on 3 August 1941 for destroying four enemy tanks with a sightless anti-tank gun taken from the enemy, by aiming the gun through its bore. The last cross was awarded to

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

on 7 May 1945. A total of four persons have been awarded the Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class twice. Both

General Major Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Aaro Pajari and Colonel Martti Aho received their second crosses on 16 October 1944. They were followed by '' Lentomestari''

Ilmari Juutilainen Eino Ilmari "Illu" Juutilainen (21 February 1914 – 21 February 1999) was a fighter pilot of the Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), and the top scoring non-German fighter pilot of all time. The top flying ace of the Finnish Air Force, he led all Fi ...

and

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Hans Wind Hans Henrik "Hasse" Wind (30 July 1919, Ekenäs – 24 July 1995, Tampere) was a Finnish fighter pilot and flying ace in World War II, with 75 confirmed air combat victories. He is one of the four double recipients of the Mannerheim Cross 2n ...

, who both received their second awards on 26 June 1944. These double-awardees were given a small clasp, consisting of two crossed

marshal's baton The ceremonial baton is a short, thick stick-like object, typically in wood or metal, that is traditionally the sign of a field marshal or a similar high-ranking military officer, and carried as a piece of their uniform. The baton is distinguis ...

s, to be worn above the cross. The first recipient of the Mannerheim Cross 1st Class was its namesake,

C. G. E. Mannerheim, who accepted it together with a Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class from President of the Republic

Risto Ryti Risto Heikki Ryti (; 3 February 1889 – 25 October 1956) served as the fifth president of Finland from 1940 to 1944. Ryti started his career as a politician in the field of economics and as a political background figure during the interwar perio ...

on 7 October 1941 after all the previous awardees had requested him to accept the award. The only other recipient of the Mannerheim Cross 1st Class is

General of Infantry General of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Im ...

Erik Heinrichs Axel Erik Heinrichs (21 July 1890 – 16 November 1965) was a Finnish military general. He was Finland's Chief of the General Staff during the Interim Peace and Continuation War (1940–1941 and 1942–1944) and commander-in-chief for a shor ...

, who received it on 31 December 1944, following an earlier Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class on 5 February 1942. The awardees of the Mannerheim Cross were predominately young, with 72 % of the awardees being 35 years of age or younger. Only 7 of the recipients were 51 or older, with the oldest recipient being Mannerheim himself. The crosses were awarded primarily to personnel from the army, with 159 recipients in the infantry. Five crosses were awarded to navy personnel, and a further 19 to air force personnel. Crosses were rarely awarded posthumously, with only six citations noting that the award was posthumous. Starting from the presidency of

Martti Ahtisaari Martti Oiva Kalevi Ahtisaari (; born 23 June 1937) is a Finnish politician, the tenth president of Finland (1994–2000), a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a United Nations diplomat and mediator noted for his international peace work. Ahti ...

, all surviving recipients of the Mannerheim Cross were invited annually on 6 December to Finland's Independence Day Reception. By tradition they were the first guests to enter and greet the president.

, the last living Knight of the Mannerheim Cross, died on 1 November 2020.

Foundation of the Knights of the Mannerheim Cross

The first gathering of the Knights for the funeral of Mannerheim on 4 February 1951, where eight knights acted as

pallbearer A pallbearer is one of several participants who help carry the casket at a funeral. They may wear white gloves in order to prevent damaging the casket and to show respect to the deceased person. Some traditions distinguish between the roles o ...

s, resulted in a founding of the Foundation of the Knights of the Mannerheim Cross. The founding documents were signed on 5 March 1954, with the

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Justi ...

assenting to the founding and accepting the rules of the foundation on 8 March 1954. The purpose of the foundation, as laid out in its rules, is to support activities intended to keep up the nationalistic spirit of sacrifice and the national defensive will, while also supporting the Knights of the Mannerheim Cross and their relatives.

Notable Knights

Carl Gustaf Mannerheim Carl Gustaf Mannerheim may refer to: * Carl Gustaf Mannerheim (naturalist) (1797–1854), Finnish entomologist and governor * Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish ...

, Field Marshal, Commander-in-Chief – 1st and 2nd Class on 7 October 1941 *

, General of Infantry, army commander and Chief of General Staff – 2nd Class on 5 February 1942, 1st Class on 31 December 1944 * Martti Aho, Colonel, infantry regiment commander – 2nd Class on 1 March 1942, again on 16 October 1944 *

, , fighter pilot – 2nd Class on 26 April 1942, again on 28 June 1944 * Aaro Pajari, Major-General, infantry division commander – 2nd Class on 14 September 1941, again on 16 October 1944 *

, Captain, fighter pilot – 2nd Class on 31 July 1943, again on 28 June 1944 * Aksel Airo, Lieutenant-General, Chief Quartermaster General chief of operations at the GHQ – 18 November 1944 *

Adolf Ehrnrooth Adolf Erik Ehrnrooth (9 February 1905 – 26 February 2004) was a Finnish general who served during the Winter and Continuation wars. He also competed in two equestrian events at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Early life Born in Helsinki, Ehrnroo ...

, Colonel, infantry regiment commander – 4 December 1944 * Ruben Lagus, Colonel, infantry brigade and division commander – 22 July 1941 *

Vilho Nenonen Vilho Petter Nenonen (6 March 1883 – 17 February 1960) was a Finnish general. Nenonen was born in Kuopio. He received his military education in the Hamina Cadet School 1896–1901, in the Mihailov Artillery School in St Petersburg 1901� ...

, General of Artillery, Inspector of Artillery – 8 January 1945 * Lennart Oesch, Lieutenant-General, Commander of the Isthmus Forces – 26 June 1944 *

Erkki Raappana Major General Erkki Johannes Raappana (June 2, 1893 – September 14, 1962) was the commander of the 14th Division of the Finnish Army during the Second World War. Raappana was born in Oulujoki. From 1916 to 1918, he served in the 27th Jäg ...

, Colonel, division commander – 3 August 1941 *

Hjalmar Siilasvuo Hjalmar Fridolf Siilasvuo (born Hjalmar Fridolf Strömberg, 18 March 1892 – 11 January 1947) was a Finnish lieutenant general ( fi, kenraaliluutnantti, link=no), a knight of the Mannerheim Cross and a member of the Jäger Movement. He participa ...

, Lieutenant-General, army corps commander – 21 December 1944 * Paavo Talvela, Major-General, army corps commander – 3 August 1941 *

Lauri Törni Lauri Allan Törni (28 May 1919 – 18 October 1965), later known as Larry Alan Thorne, was a Finnish-born soldier who fought under three flags: as a Finnish Army officer in the Winter War and the Continuation War ultimately gaining a rank of ca ...

, Lieutenant, later Captain, infantry company commander – 9 July 1944 *

Rudolf Walden Karl Rudolf Walden (1 December 1878 in Helsinki – 25 October 1946) was a Finnish industrialist and a military leader. Education Walden received his military education at the Hamina Cadet School and graduated in 1900. He was dismissed from se ...

, General of Infantry, Minister of Defense – 2 December 1944 * Vilho Rättö, Private, later Staff Sergeant *

Olavi Alakulppi Olavi Eelis Alakulppi (17 July 1915 – 19 August 1990) was a Finnish military officer and cross-country skier. Life and career Alakulppi was born in Rovaniemi, Finland, to Elis and Senja Alakulppi (née Törmänen). Alakulppi served in the F ...

, Captain *

, Captain, he was Knight of the Mannerheim Cross number 95 and last living of the 191 knights

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

Information about the decoration
(Mannerheim.fi)
List of all Knights of the Mannerheim Cross
{{Highest Awards for gallantry Awards established in 1941 Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Military awards and decorations of Finland