Yesterday the Finnish nation stopped and payed its respects to the one true hero we still had: General of the Infantry Adolf Erik Ehrnrooth, born 9th February 1905 at Helsinki Finland, part of the Russian Empire, died 26th February at Turku, in the independent nation of Finland at age of 99 years.
General of the Infantry Adolf Erik Ehrnrooth 1999.
A highly respected figure, general Ehrnrooth had spent his life for protecting his nation. He joined the army in 1922 and since that has served under 10 different precidents, under times of peace and war.
During Winter War he served at the 7th division headquarters.
When Continuation War started he was appointed as the commander of Combat Group Ehrnrooth and he was wounded severely while leading his unit in a breakthrough attack.
In early 1942 he returned to service as lieutenant-colonel and worked as the temporary commander of infantry regiments JR28 and JR7. In January 43 he was appointed as regular commander of JR7. In this role he worked hard to train the unit, to enhance its defensive positions and to keep up the fighting spirit. He moved regularly in the front lines, and he was wounded again.
When the Soviet summer offensive, the "Fifth strategic offensive of the Red Army", begun in June 1944 colonel Ehrnrooth fought in the front lines, keeping up the spirit of the soldiers and letting them know, that their commander trusts them and fights with them. His actions and "leading from the front" were crusial aspects in the eventual success of the regiment, when JR7 stopped the Soviet juggernaut's spearhead and allowed the rest of the Finnish army forces regroup and counter-attack, halting the Soviet offensive. After the battles at Siiranmäki and Tali-Ihantala JR7 fought on at Äyräpää and Vuosalmi, following their leader into where-ever he took them.
Colonel Ehrnrooth in the front, 1944
After the war ended colonel Ehrnrooth was appointed as the commander of the "Marshall's Regiment" - the war-marshall Mannerheim's "own" unit. At the independence day of 4th December 1944 war-marshall Mannerheim awarded colonel Ehrnrooth the highest Finnish military award, Mannerheim cross, for skillful and fearless leading of this forces in combat.
After the war he worked in ever increasing positions in the Finnish army until he retired after 43 years military career at 1965. In the independence day of 1980 he was promoted to General of the Infantry- the 10th full stars general ever in the Finnish army.
Genera Ehrnrooth was also active sportsman and took part at the London Olympics in 1948. He has been in several important civic duties and has always taken care of his soldiers and the war veterans.
Even during the worst years, under heaviest communist pressure, the general always reminded that "if you want to live in peace, always be prepared for a war", that the only force to ever protect Finland was its own citizens; that Finland is a good place to be and live and it is worth protecting, as our fathers and forefathers have done.
These words might be clear today, but under the "red" times those were most politically non-correct, regarded as offensive right-wing rhetorics. Even then he always kept on his word and later commented that "I have never been a turn-coat". As years passed this fine gentleman, who was by now almost worshipped by the war veterans and especially those who had fougth under his command, rose to national figurehead and a general hero - even the Finnish youth and teens listened what this 90 years plus old gentleman said. In the independence day reception of teh president of Finland the General of the Infantry always came in first; and his independence day speech was always shown in the Finnish television's main news transmission.
Encyclopedia: Adolf Ehrnrooth
Adolf Erik Ehrnrooth (born February 2, 1905) is a Finnish general.
He led the 7th Infantry regiment (JR 7) during the Continuation War and received the Mannerheim cross.
Adolf Ehrnrooth is the face and voice most associated with rehabilitation of the fighters who secured Finland its independence. The long era during which it simply was not progressive to value the military, ended in the early 1990s, at which time his charismatic persona was at its height.
He became a figurehead for the whole veteran community - straight-talking and unapologetic. When he found out that many neo-Nazi youths cited him as an idol, he blasted them squarely by saying that he might have in his own youth held nationalistic views. He continued then to proclaim that Finland's path was now in the European Union, a view the neo-Nazis did not uphold.
Pundits have found his idiosyncratically-emphasized speech patterns and overheavily guttural snarls a rich ground to harvest. For them he is one of the indispensable voices.
Our general is now gone. But his words live on.
General of the Infantry Adolf Ehrnrooth
http://www.mil.fi/jalkavaenkenraali/285.dspPhotographs from the burial
http://www.mil.fi/jalkavaenkenraali/281.dspVideo from the burial - 2 minutes 7 megabytes
http://www.mil.fi/jalkavaenkenraali/media/Hautajaiset.mpg
General of the Infantry arriving to the president's reception, Finnish independence day 1999.
The general's last journey - last stop in front of the status of his old commander, War-Marshall Mannerheim, commander of the Finnish Armed Forces and his supreme commander in three wars. The general was buried to same burial ground as the War-Marshall Mannerheim.
