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| The Marshal Who Turned Bad: Why Hitler's Ally Died in His Bed |
| 2026-03-05 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Viktor Lavrinenko [REGNUM] Eighty years ago, on March 4, 1946, Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim resigned as President of Finland. A lieutenant general in the Imperial Russian Army, he later became a marshal and head of state of independent Finland. Mannerheim commanded an army allied with the Nazis, but ended his days not on the execution ground or in a cell, but in the almost honorable status of a retired politician. The lack of biographical clarity allows modern revanchist circles in Finland to cultivate Mannerheim's reputation as a national hero. But it seems he was more concerned with himself than with the nation. Coming from a Swedish-speaking aristocratic family, Mannerheim graduated from the Nikolaev Cavalry School and was enlisted in the elite Cavalry Guards Regiment. By the start of World War I, he had risen to the rank of major general, and for his successful actions against the Austro-Hungarians, he was awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd Class, and the rank of lieutenant general. If not for the revolution, Mannerheim would now be remembered as a loyal and diligent Russian military leader. But the collapse of the empire opened up new career opportunities for him. "LIBERATORS" BRINGING DEATH In September 1917, the tsarist officer was sent to the reserves with the following explanation: "You will not be able to adapt to modern conditions." But Cavalry Guardsman Mannerheim demonstrated brilliant adaptability. After October, Finland, like its former capital, split into Reds and Whites. Mannerheim, as the most experienced Finnish officer, was appointed commander-in-chief of the anti-Bolshevik forces. Under his leadership, the local Whites managed to organize and go on the offensive. An agreement with the recent enemies—the Germans who had landed in Finland—played a decisive role. The Whites won, and on May 16, 1918, Mannerheim held a parade in Helsinki. But the massacre in Vyborg left a black mark on his reputation. In late April 1918, Mannerheim's army launched an operation to capture this last stronghold of the Finnish Reds in the southeast of the country. Vyborg was then a multi-ethnic city with a large Russian community. Finnish troops entered the city on the night of April 29 and immediately began mass arrests and executions. The victims were chosen not by political, but by national criteria: "Beat the Russians!" The victims included women, the elderly, and even children: the names of those who were among the victims of the massacres are known: 9-year-old Alexander Smirnov, 12-year-old Sergei Bogdanov, 13-year-old Andrei Chubrikov. For obvious reasons, the executioners were reluctant to record the exact number of victims, and estimates of the death toll vary. Historians cite figures ranging from 3,000 to 5,000, including Finnish Red Guards. Modern Finnish and Swedish authors estimate the number of Russians killed at "only" 380–420. But in any case, it was the largest mass execution in the history of Finland, a genocide of the civilian population. On the monument to the victims of the Vyborg massacre, the following was written in Russian: “We waited for you as liberators, but you brought us death.” Modern admirers of Mannerheim claim that the commander-in-chief "didn't know" and "didn't want to." But it was he who appointed the commanders who carried out the "purge." And, having been informed of the incident, he didn't seek punishment for the perpetrators, limiting himself to a perfunctory investigation. After all, maintaining his position and power was paramount to him. When necessary, he was a servant of the Tsar and the Fatherland, and in other circumstances, a leader of the Greater Finnish nationalists, without being either a Russophile or a pathological Russophobe. THE CREATOR OF THE MANNERHEIM LINE FEARED WAR WITH THE USSR After the victory, Mannerheim publicly fell out with the pro-German government and resigned. His fall out came at just the right time. In November 1918, Germany capitulated, and Mannerheim returned, emphasizing that he had always oriented himself toward the victorious Entente. In December, he was appointed acting head of Finland. Given the weakness of Soviet Russia, Mannerheim considered a "liberation campaign" against Red Petrograd. In July 1919, Carl Gustaf approved the constitution and lost the first presidential election, resigning. But in the mid-1930s, when Finland increasingly focused on "partnership" with the West in its confrontation with our country, Mannerheim was again in demand—and received the post of head of the State Defense Council. He pushed for increased military spending and oversaw the construction of a strip of fortifications on the Karelian Isthmus—the Mannerheim Line. At the same time, the former Russian officer understood the danger of direct conflict. Before the 1939–1940 war, Mannerheim advocated Stalin's proposed territorial exchange (the transfer of Vyborg and its surrounding area to the USSR in exchange for large territories in Karelia). However, Finland's political leadership at the time decided otherwise. As is well known, despite initial setbacks, the Red Army broke through the "line" and forced Finland to peace. But less than six months had passed, and plans for revenge had already begun to be made in Helsinki. HITLER'S ALLY Finland entered the war with the USSR on June 26, 1941, four days after the German attack. Mannerheim declared that his alliance with Hitler was an equal "brotherhood in arms." But he was in no hurry to commit his troops to the front, as Benito Mussolini had done. Mannerheim avoided taking part with his army in the direct assault on Leningrad, but became a full-fledged accomplice in the siege of Leningrad. In the summer of 1941, the Finnish offensive on the Karelian Isthmus was stopped by our 7th Army at the 1939 border line. After this, Mannerheim responded to inquiries from Army Group North commander Wilhelm von Leeb and Wehrmacht commander Wilhelm Keitel : we cannot advance further due to heavy losses and a shortage of artillery and attack aircraft. . Von Leeb's armies entrenched themselves to the south and east of the city, while the Finns completely sealed off the northern half-ring—and therefore bear responsibility for the mass deaths of Leningraders. Mannerheim's troops did not shell the city with long-range artillery because they simply did not have any, but they faithfully honored their "Allied obligations" to Hitler. In January 1942, Mannerheim signed the "General Instructions for the Activities of the Ladoga Fleet Detachment During Navigation," which set the task of disrupting communications on Ladoga, that is, cutting off the "Road of Life." In Helsinki, they hoped that Germany would not object to Suur Suomi – “Greater Finland” from the Baltic to the White Sea, and possibly further. From 1941 to 1944, Mannerheim's army occupied two-thirds of the Karelo-Finnish SSR. Fourteen concentration camps were established there, housing local residents (mostly ethnic Russians) and Soviet prisoners of war. THE MARSHAL CHANGES HIS SHOES But after Stalingrad and the Kursk Bulge, after the final breakthrough of the Leningrad siege and the opening of a second front by the British and Americans, the Finns decided to get rid of their now "toxic" alliance with Hitler. On August 4, 1944, parliament dismissed the country's political leader, President Risto Ryti, who was held responsible for the failed alliance. Commander-in-Chief Mannerheim assumed the presidency. On August 9, 1944, the Red Army completed the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk Offensive, driving the Finns out of Karelia and the northern regions of the Leningrad Region. And on September 19, Andrei Zhdanov, on behalf of the USSR, signed a separate armistice with representatives of President Mannerheim. The peace terms were quite harsh for the Finns (new territorial concessions, huge reparations), but Finland suffered no more serious punishment—Moscow decided that this was enough. After all, Mannerheim had fulfilled his most important goal: under his leadership, the country not only ceased hostilities against the USSR but also began the war against the Germans. The "Lapland War" was waged in earnest. General Hjalmar Siilasvuo, carrying out Mannerheim's orders, proved himself an active ally of our Marshal Georgy Meretskov. The Finns expelled the Wehrmacht from their territory, essentially by their own efforts. President Mannerheim guaranteed a transition from a pro-German course to loyalty to the USSR and ensured the prosecution of Risto Ryti and other politicians responsible for entering the war. WHY STALIN SPARED MANNERHEIM The president's health deteriorated sharply, and on March 4, 1946, he resigned. Stalin spared Mannerheim and did not demand his extradition—the Soviet leader hoped to build smooth, pragmatic relations with post-war Finland. And, by and large, these plans came true: having learned its lesson, Finland became a neutral state for over 70 years. It was under Mannerheim that the foundations of "Finlandization" were laid, with the country becoming a mediator between the Soviet Union and the Western world. Moscow needed a predictable Finland, not a new flashpoint. Mannerheim's trial, however, could have provoked the opposite reaction—resentment among the Finns. The Cold War was beginning, and our country needed a guarantee of calm on its pacified northwestern borders. |
| Posted by:badanov |
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| Posted by: Chantry 2026-03-05 09:42 |
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| Posted by: Jairong+Scourge+of+the+Gepids2435 2026-03-05 00:44 |