Schadewitz's heroic act

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Landsturm
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Schadewitz's heroic act

#1

Post by Landsturm » 03 Nov 2006, 16:37

Many people know the story of Corporal Einar Schadewitz. Those who don't;
In February 1940 at Summa front (at Munasuo) Soviets attacked with 9 tanks against Finnish lines. Finns succeeded to destroy 8 tanks, but one of these tanks managed to survive into Finnish back. Corporal Einar Schadewitz (from JP3) saw situation and grabbed a shatchel charge and climb top of that tank. He started to knock tank´s hatch and he yelled in Finnish, Savo dialect: "Avvoo iivana, tiällä kuolema kolokuttaa" ("Open up, Ivan, this is death knocking"). Most likely the crew member of tank thought it was some of their own troops yelling and opened the hatch (noises of the battlefield made the situation confusing). Immediatelly when this happened, Einar dropped charge into tank and jumped off tank. Huge explosion was heard and last tank was destroyed.
Was Schandewitz really a Corporal, alikersantti? Or is this another misunderstanding in Finnish-English military language... One source said that he was korpraali, lance-corporal/private 1st class???

What type was the tank he destroyed?



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A typo corrected

/Juha

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Suomäki
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#2

Post by Suomäki » 06 Nov 2006, 13:19

He was a corporal (alikersantti) and a conscript of Jägerbattalion 3, later he became Knight of Mannerheim Cross number 110, issued to him 10th of february 1943 when he was staff sergeant

sorry, links in finnish only

http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannerheim-risti

http://www.juvanlehti.fi/vieraskyna2.htm (story of Summa incident and others)

http://jrseiska.net/5ritarit/110_schadewitz.html ( photo of staff sergeant Einar Schadewitz)


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Dmitry
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#3

Post by Dmitry » 07 Nov 2006, 13:19

Just curious Is Schadewitz a common Finnish surname? It looks like germanized Slavic surnames with ends -itz (e.g. Clausewitz, Wolfowitz etc).

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#4

Post by Harri » 07 Nov 2006, 14:45

Dmitry wrote:Just curious Is Schadewitz a common Finnish surname? It looks like germanized Slavic surnames with ends -itz (e.g. Clausewitz, Wolfowitz etc).
That kind of surname is very rare in Finland but not quite uncommon together with more common directly Swedish, Baltic, Slavic (Russian) and German surnames. Without doubt Schadewitz's ancistors have been immigrants. The surname does not prove if the person or his family is Finnish or Swedish speaking. German or Russian languages could be spoken within the family.

-----

Another interesting group are also "Latin" names derived from Sweden before the 17th Century (for example Petelius, Juselius, Kajanus etc.). Swedish surnames given to Finns were typically so called "war names" (name often mentioned some animal) given for soldiers who just had their first name and the mention that they were somebody's sons (for example "Paavo Matinpoika" [Paavo the son of Matti]). Genuine Finnish surnames usually ending with "-nen" were given mostly in eastern Finland.

Many of the current Finnish surnames are actually Finnished from the original foreign names by translating the original name directly or phonetically or by inventing something totally new. Surnames were Finnished particularly around the year 1906 and in the 1930's.

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#5

Post by Eisenfaust » 07 Nov 2006, 14:46

Dmitry wrote:Just curious Is Schadewitz a common Finnish surname? It looks like germanized Slavic surnames with ends -itz (e.g. Clausewitz, Wolfowitz etc).
The name Schadewitz is first mentioned in Finland in the 17th century. Lot of those names were "Finned".

In Finnish: http://www.genealogia.fi/genos/39/39_5.htm
https://192.49.222.187/Nimipalvelu/default.asp?L=3

Only 168 persons have had that name, so it is not very common.

=E=

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#6

Post by Esa K » 07 Nov 2006, 17:33

Harri wrote:German or Russian languages could be spoken within the family.
...or Polish. Depending when the first members of the family arrived to Finland, and from where. Theres some Finnish families that orginates from Poland and they arrived, during the 16:th to the 20:ieth centuries, to Finland directly from Poland, or via Sweden or via Russia, or the Baltics, so as Harri also pointed out, theres lot´s of possible options what languages was spoken in the family, and when.

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#7

Post by Bair » 07 Nov 2006, 21:57

Is there an exact day in February when this happened? Then it would be easy to check if this is a true story or just another legend of that war.

regards,

Bair

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#8

Post by Esa K » 08 Nov 2006, 12:15

Landsturm quoted in the first post and wrote:In February 1940 at Summa front (at Munasuo) Soviets attacked with 9 tanks against Finnish lines. Finns succeeded to destroy 8 tanks,
Bair, et al, could this confirm, or bust, it. Is there a loss report of 8 + 1 tanks in Soviet reports, war diaries etc from a day in February 1940 in the Munasuo area. Anyway, think Schadewitz actually destroyed a tank that had come thru the Finnish lines, but the question is if he really said those famous words: "Avvoo ..." and theres also different versions of how he destroyed it, like, was it a shatchel charge or a handgrenade, and so on...


best regards

Esa K

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#9

Post by Janne » 08 Nov 2006, 13:52

BTW has anyone bothered to trace the story in Finnish literature? The books where I've read it simply repeat one or another version of the story (which differ on what his exact words were and on whether it was a satchel charge or a handgrenade he dropped into the open hatch), assure the reader that the story is true, but give no sources.

The story about an anonymous "smallsized soldier from the Savo area" appeared immediately and several cartoons depicting the scene were published in newspapers in foreign press as well as in Finland - but when did the incident begin to be linked with Schadewitz?

FWIW I find it entirely credible that he destroyed a tank in the manner depicted in the story, but it could well be that the legendary words only appeared him later or that some Finnish or foreign journalist couldn't resist improving on the story. Did Schadewitz ever confirm the story himself?

He fought in JP3 at the time, so there might be something in its war diary - but to get proof we would of course need to have a testimony from a witness who actually heard what he said and some kind of assurance that the witness is credible and that his memory hasn't been corrupted by hearingor reading the famous story...

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#10

Post by Bair » 13 Nov 2006, 18:32

Hello,

it would be nice to check this story in war diaries of both Russian and Finnish units. The thing that confuses me is:

1. Russians did not use too many tanks on Munasuo, they all normally went into battle at Lähde road and west of it
2. In February the only BIG tank offensive that I know was Feb 11, 1940, and that was the breakthrough

Probably the situation describes battles at tukilinja 13-14.2.1940. Anyway, have to look at the archive documents.

with best regards,

Bair

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#11

Post by Janne » 14 Nov 2006, 15:33

Re your (1): I would agree; assuming there is a true story behind the story the location is suspect, but placenames were/are often used fairly freely, so it doesn't have to mean much. OTOH if it really was Schadewitz, the location is patently wrong, because JP3 fought in the Summankylä sector and Munasuo was located in the Lähde sector. That is a big difference that should've created suspicion.

Re your (2): if it really happened, there were sufficient numbers of tanks involved in combat on the Summankylä sector on several days before the breakthrough. JP3 was deployed there on the night of February 5th. If it really was Schadewitz, it would IMHO have to be there and during the next few days. From what I've gathered about the battles in the tukilinja(s) there, I'm not sure too many tanks were destroyed (but I'm not fit enough to carry your books on the subject here, if I say so).

FWIW if I began to research this, I'd have a look at the newspapers first and then in the volumes of "Kansa taisteli" because that is the aspect that interests me the most: how it became and was turned into the story we all know.

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#12

Post by Juha Tompuri » 15 Nov 2006, 00:08


Janne
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#13

Post by Janne » 15 Nov 2006, 11:05

Yes, that's one of the cartoons; IIRC there are ´more in Haataja's "Talvisotakirja". It's a pity, though, that there are no dates of publication.

Anyway, I've traced the Schadewitz connection back to 1968 and "Marskin ritarit" by Mauri Sariola. The author claims to have interviewed all of his subjects; Schadewitz was alive and well then, but, quite frankly, I wouldn't believe any claim made by Sariola.

Another writer of similar standard and repute, Aake Jermo, gave his version ten years later in his book about JR7: the story takes place on Munasuo, "near Kämärä station", Schadewitz has a Molotov cocktail -. and the date is "around New Year"...

There were a lot of writers, starting from Ilmari Turja, working for Finlandia News Service which was the main source of material for the foreign war correspondents. It could be worth looking into the available memoirs.

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#14

Post by Esa K » 16 Nov 2006, 13:05

Agree that Sariola is not allways the best source when it come to details like this, as beeing a novelist the artistic side in his texts is often more prominent than the, shall we say, critical historiograpic side.

But, as Schadewitz was a holder of the Mannerheim Cross, could there been something about it in this: Suomen puolesta : Mannerheim-ristin ritarit 1941-1945 / ed: Ilmari Hurmerinta & Jukka Viitanen, Helsinki 1994. If I remember it correct, was a while since I had it on my table, the book includes all of the text from the nominations to all of those who recived the award in question. And many of them, IIRC, contains a phrase wich starts: ”Jo talvisodan aikana X antoi näytteitä...” (Allready during the Winter War X showed proof of...” So, is there a mention of Schadewitz Winter War deeds in the nomination for his MHC, cause those nominations had to be founded in something else than hearsays?

Best regards

Esa K

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#15

Post by Janne » 16 Nov 2006, 15:40

Op.cit p.367: "Already during the Winter War Sgt Schadewitz had proven out to be a totally fearless fighter. This is exemplified by the anecdote known throughout the country "Open up, Ivan! It's death a-knocking!", which are specifically his words when he was standing atop a Russian tank and tried to get a crewman to open up a hatch."

The document quoted is dated in December 1942 - which answers the question I raised but unfortunately the questions regarding the exact date and the true location are still open.

This is a great step, though, and I suppose I don't have to worry too much that the quest will lead us to Capt R.W. Palmroth!

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