Aksel Fredrik Airo (1898–1985) was a Finnish lieutenant general and main strategic planner during the Winter War and the Continuation War. He was the virtual second-in-command of the Finnish army under Field Marshal C.G.E. Mannerheim. Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Combatants Finland Soviet Union Commanders Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Kliment Voroshilov, later Semyon Timoshenko Strength 250,000 men 30 tanks 130 aircraft[1][2] 1,000,000 men 3,000 tanks 3,800 aircraft[3][4] Casualties 26,662 dead 39,886 wounded 1,000 captured[5] 126,875 dead... Combatants  Finland Germany  Soviet Union Commanders Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Strength 250,000 (total 530,000) Finns[1] + 100,000 (total 220,000) Germans 650,000 (total ???) [2] Casualties 58,715 dead or missing 158,000 wounded 1,500 civilian casualties[3] 200,000 dead or missing 385,000 wounded... C.G.E. Mannerheim wearing the rank insignia of sotamarsalkka, Finnish field marshal. ... This article is about the Finnish statesman and Commander-in-Chief. ...

As a young man in the 1890s he became a supporter of Finnish independence. His father changed the original, Swedish, family name Johansson to Airo (lit. "oar"). A family name, surname, or last name is the part of a persons name that indicates to what family he or she belongs. ...

During the Civil War in Finland (1918), Airo served in the artillery on the White side, taking part in battles near Viipuri. At the end of the war he was a lieutenant. Afterwards he was trained as an officer in Lappeenranta artillery school and was sponsored to the French military academy, École militaire in St.-Cyr in 1920. In 1921 he was accepted into École Supérieure de Guerre, the French officer training academy, from which he graduated as a captain in 1923, at the age of 27. Mannerheim invited him to join Finland's Defense Council as a secretary. The Civil War in Finland was fought from January to May 1918, between the Reds (punaiset), i. ... Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... The White Guards is one translation of the Finnish term Suojeluskunta (plural: Suojeluskunnat, Finland-Swedish: Skyddskår) that unfortunately has received many different translations to English, for instance: Security Guard, Civil Guard, National Guard, White Militia, Defence Corps, Protection Guard, Protection Corps and Protection Militia. ... Not to be confused with the Danish town and county of Viborg in Jutland Viapori, a Finnish transcription of Sveaborg, better known as Suomenlinna castle Vyborg from the tower of the castle Vyborg (transcription of Russian Выборг) is a town with 70,000 inhabitants at... Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ... Lappeenranta (or Villmanstrand in Swedish) is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about 30 km from the Russian border. ... Cadets parading in dress uniform A cadet in formal uniform The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, Special Military School of St Cyr) is the foremost French military academy. ... The village of Saint-Cyr-lÉcole in the département of Yvelines in France used to host the training school for officers of the French army, the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM). ... Captain is a nautical term, an organizational title, and a rank in various uniformed organizations. ...

Airo rose swiftly in rank, mainly because newly-independent Finland needed suitable officers for the fledgling army. He had, however, some professional challenges because he was neither a Germany-trained Jaeger officer, nor one of the officers trained in the Tsar's army during Russian rule. Still, by 1930 he had become a colonel. The Jäger troops were volunteers from Finland in Germany trained as Jägers (elite light infantry) during World War I. It was one of many means by which Germany intended to weaken Russia and to cause Russias loss of western provinces and dependencies. ... Tsar (Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian цар, Russian  , in scientific transliteration respectively car and car ), occasionally spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English, is a Slavonic term designating certain monarchs. ... Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ...

In the beginning of the Winter War, Mannerheim appointed Airo as Quartermaster-General, and he was promoted to major general, and two years later to lieutenant general. On November 18, 1944, Marshal Mannerheim made him a Knight of the Mannerheim Cross in Order of the Cross of Liberty. Combatants Finland Soviet Union Commanders Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Kliment Voroshilov, later Semyon Timoshenko Strength 250,000 men 30 tanks 130 aircraft[1][2] 1,000,000 men 3,000 tanks 3,800 aircraft[3][4] Casualties 26,662 dead 39,886 wounded 1,000 captured[5] 126,875 dead... A Quartermaster general is the staff officer in charge of supplies for a whole army. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The Mannerheim Cross of the Cross of Liberty (Mannerheim-risti / Mannerheimkorset) is a Finnish military decoration introduced after the Winter War and named after Marshal Mannerheim. ... There are three official orders in Finland: the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

Airo was in the Mikkeli headquarters during the war and rarely went to the field. He was responsible for operational planning and the presentation of operations, or, as he allegedly said, "The Marshal leads the war, but I lead the battles". They had many differences in opinion but still managed to work well together. Mikkeli (or St. ...

After the Continuation War, the now Communist-dominated Valpo (the Finnish State Police) arrested him for his alleged involvement in the so-called Weapons Cache Case (hiding weapons in preparation for a guerilla war in case of Soviet takeover, which, according to the Finnish Communists, was a breach of the armistice). He was imprisoned from 1945 to 1948 without being sentenced, until president Juho Kusti Paasikivi released him. He said little about the affair afterwards and earned the moniker "the silent general". The President relieved him of his duties with special permission to wear a military uniform. Combatants  Finland Germany  Soviet Union Commanders Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Strength 250,000 (total 530,000) Finns[1] + 100,000 (total 220,000) Germans 650,000 (total ???) [2] Casualties 58,715 dead or missing 158,000 wounded 1,500 civilian casualties[3] 200,000 dead or missing 385,000 wounded... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Valparaiso University Valparaiso University is a university located in Valparaiso, Indiana. ... At the end of the Continuation War two Finnish officers in HQ, Col. ... Look up guerrilla in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Soviet redirects here. ... A white flag is traditionally used to represent a truce. ... The President of Finland (Suomen Tasavallan Presidentti; Republiken Finlands President) is the Head of State of Finland. ... Juho Kusti Paasikivi (November 27, 1870 – December 14, 1956) was President of Finland from 1946 to 1956. ... A moniker (or monicker) is a pseudonym, or cognomen, which one gives to oneself. ...

In his later life Airo was a member of the parliament for the Kansallinen Kokoomus party and a presidential elector. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he never wrote memoirs about his war experiences. In 1982 President Mauno Koivisto awarded Airo with the membership of the Finnish Order of the White Rose. He died in 1985 at his home farm. The Eduskunta (in Finnish), or the Riksdag (in Swedish), is the Parliament of Finland. ... The National Coalition Party (Kansallinen Kokoomus or Samlingspartiet) is a political party in Finland. ... The President of Finland (Suomen Tasavallan Presidentti; Republiken Finlands President) is the Head of State of Finland. ... A memoir, as a literary genre, forms a sub-class of autobiography. ... Mauno Koivisto 1987 Mauno Henrik Koivisto (born November 25, 1923) was the President of Finland from 1982 to 1994. ... There are three official orders in Finland: the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the Order of the White Rose of Finland (Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta) and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

Airo was known for some recklessness and sarcastic humor. He also had taste for liquor, tobacco, and women. Sarcasm from Greek sarkasmos, to tear flesh is sneering, jesting, or mocking a person, situation or thing. ... Spirits redirects here. ... Species Nicotiana acuminata Nicotiana alata Nicotiana attenuata Nicotiana benthamiana Nicotiana clevelandii Nicotiana excelsior Nicotiana forgetiana Nicotiana glauca Nicotiana glutinosa Nicotiana langsdorffii Nicotiana longiflora Nicotiana obtusifolia Nicotiana paniculata Nicotiana plumbagifolia Nicotiana quadrivalvis Nicotiana repanda Nicotiana rustica Nicotianasuaveolens Nicotiana sylvestris Nicotiana tabacum Nicotiana tomentosa Ref: ITIS 30562 as of August 26, 2005...

External link

• Mikkeli Headquarters museum about Airo