Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

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alpinoinMT
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Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

#1

Post by alpinoinMT » 12 Dec 2018, 19:30

I know the Finnish military was given German awards in WW2 [as well as WW1'pre-Finland']
I know fellows like Lauri Törni was proud of his service for Germany, even after joining the US Army.
Also, that Jews in the Finnish Army refused German Iron Crosses.

What I ask is what awards were given to Finnish troops, and what type?
Or is this too big a question?
Were Infantry Assault Badges given?
Thanks-Kiitos
a reporter once asked me, after an awards ceremony
"are purple hearts for soldiers & bronze stars for officers?'

Lotvonen
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Re: Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

#2

Post by Lotvonen » 15 Dec 2018, 08:17

Iron Cross 2nd Class was awarded afaik occasionally.
Known cases:
Cpl. Viljam Pylkäs of JR 8 (for his dexterious use of SMG in a battle at Pertjärvi in 1942)
Fighter pilots:
"Illu" Juutilainen
"Hasse"Wind
"Eikka" Luukkanen
Urho Lehtovaara
"Oippa" Tuominen
etc.
I deduced that the pilots had been awarded the EK by checking their portrait photos in the opus "Suomen Ilmavoimien Historia 11, Finnish Fighter Aces". The German decoration is never mentioned in their personal list of awards.


Swing
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Re: Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

#3

Post by Swing » 15 Dec 2018, 09:19

In fact, list of awarded persons is very long...
P:
Pakkala Karlo, submarine "Vetehinnen" commander - RR1 and RR2 (RR=Rautaristi=Iron Cross)
Pakkala Eero , his brother, submarine "Iku-Turso" commander - RR2
Palmroth Carl, company commander, JR 27 - RR2
Palko Yrjö (Poljakoff), radio intelligence - KtR2 (KtR=Kotkan Ritarikunta=German Eagle Order)
M:
Miettinen Arno, Finnish SS-battalion – RR1 and RR2
Miettinen Lauri, batallion commander, JR 56 – RR2
Miettinen Martti, coastal artillery – RR2

etc
MynttiVi_3.jpg
Last edited by Swing on 15 Dec 2018, 12:57, edited 2 times in total.

Seppo Koivisto
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Re: Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

#4

Post by Seppo Koivisto » 15 Dec 2018, 09:42

There is a list of Finnish receivers of the Iron Cross, first column is WW1 and second column WW2:
https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luettelo_ ... malaisista
Few Finnish Generals received the German Cross in Gold and Ola Olin as SS volunteer:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsches ... er_Staaten
There are so many Sturmabzeichen for sale in auctions, that it was probably awarded quite few times.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen

Swing
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Re: Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

#5

Post by Swing » 15 Dec 2018, 10:29

Seppo Koivisto wrote:
15 Dec 2018, 09:42
There is a list of Finnish receivers of the Iron Cross, first column is WW1 and second column WW2:
Unfortunately, this list is not complete. For example, L:
Lehvä, Väinö, KTR 14 - RR2
Leimu, Jorma, also artillery - RR2
Leinonen, Jorma, company commander, JR9 - RR2 etc

all my data from "Kadettikunta Jäsenet 1921-1950", Turku, Kirjapaino Polytypos, 1951. (Members of Cadet's Club 1921-1950)

Seppo Koivisto
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Re: Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

#6

Post by Seppo Koivisto » 15 Dec 2018, 12:34

Swing wrote:
15 Dec 2018, 10:29
Unfortunately, this list is not complete.
Yes I know, my uncle received RR2 and he is not in that list.

Swing
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Re: Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

#7

Post by Swing » 15 Dec 2018, 13:00

Seppo Koivisto wrote:
15 Dec 2018, 12:34
Yes I know, my uncle received RR2 and he is not in that list.
Is he awarded for fighting at Rukajärvi?

MikeF
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Re: Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

#8

Post by MikeF » 16 Dec 2018, 16:27

Lieutenant-General Karl Lennart Oesch received the following German awards:

1914 Prussian Iron Cross, Second Class - issued on 4 August 1916
Grand Cross of the German Meritorious Order of the Eagle w/Breast Star - issued on 6 October 1939
German 1939 Clasp to the 1914 Prussian Iron Cross, Second Class - issued on 5 October 1941
German 1939 Iron Cross, First Class - issued 21 December 1941
War Order of the German Cross, Gold Class issued 5 August 1944
image.jpg
image.jpg (31.21 KiB) Viewed 6360 times


Source - Itsenaisen Suomen kenraalikunta, p. 291

Mikko H.
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Re: Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

#9

Post by Mikko H. » 16 Dec 2018, 18:16

In January 1944 Finnish GHQ made calculations to determine how many German decorations Finns had received. The result was:

- 71 EKI
- 2225 EKII
- 510 crosses of Deutscher Adlerorden
- 88 medals of Deutscher Adlerorden

Source: Kunnian ruletti by Antti Matikkala, p. 388

Numbers of the higher orders are well known:

- RK & EL 1 (Mannerheim)
- RK 2 (Mannerheim & Heinrichs)
- DKiG 6 (Heinrichs, Oesch, Laatikainen, Talvela, Lundqvist, Valve) + SS volunteer Olin

Seppo Koivisto
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Re: Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

#10

Post by Seppo Koivisto » 17 Dec 2018, 12:26

Swing wrote:
15 Dec 2018, 13:00
Seppo Koivisto wrote:
15 Dec 2018, 12:34
Yes I know, my uncle received RR2 and he is not in that list.
Is he awarded for fighting at Rukajärvi?
Yes. :)

Net_Skater
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Re: Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

#11

Post by Net_Skater » 04 Mar 2019, 15:21

alpinoinMT wrote:
12 Dec 2018, 19:30
Also, that Jews in the Finnish Army refused German Iron Crosses.
In 2012 book by Polish historian Piotr Zychowicz "Pakt Ribbentrop-Beck" there is a information pertaining Finnish Jews:
Niezwykle ciekawy jest również casus Finlandii. Tamtejszy rząd nie tylko nie miał najmniejszej ochoty małpować chorych antysemickich ustaw III Rzeszy, ale jeszcze… wysłał około trzystu swoich Żydów w mundurach na front wschodni. Walczyli oni z Sowietami pod Leningradem ramię w ramię z Wehrmachtem. Na oczach niemieckich żołnierzy brali udział w nabożeństwach w polowej synagodze odprawianych przez rabinów polowych. Mało tego, trzech fińskich Żydów Hitler odznaczył Krzyżami Żelaznymi, których zresztą nie przyjęli.
(The casus of Finland is also very interesting. The government not only did not have the slightest desire to copy ill anti-Semitic acts of the Third Reich, but sent about three hundred of their Finnish Jews to the Eastern front. They fought with the Soviets near Leningrad side by side with the Wehrmacht. In front of the German soldiers, they participated in services in the field synagogue celebrated by field rabbis. Not only that, three Finnish Jews were honored by Hitler with Iron Crosses, which they did not accept.)
Anyone can give me some information about it ? For example names of those Finnish Jew soldiers who rejected Iron Cross ?
Thank you in advance.
N_S

Seppo Koivisto
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Re: Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

#12

Post by Seppo Koivisto » 04 Mar 2019, 19:06

Two earlier posts about Jews in the Finnish Army:
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=232173
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=206634

Dave Danner
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Re: Finnish troops awarded & wearing German awards

#13

Post by Dave Danner » 21 Nov 2021, 01:02

Came across this in an SS file. I have no idea if the Germans spelled the Finnish names correctly, and no units are given, but I assume some of you have far better resources for Finns that I do.
NS_19_3165_0019.jpg

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