Ernst Linder (25 April 1868 – 14 September 1943) was a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
general of Finnish descent who served in the
Swedish Army
The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces.
History
Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...
from 1887 to 1918, after which he participated in the
Finnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War; . Other designations: Brethren War, Citizen War, Class War, Freedom War, Red Rebellion and Revolution, . According to 1,005 interviews done by the newspaper ''Aamulehti'', the most popular names were as follows: Civil W ...
as the commander of the Satakunta and Savo army groups, whose responsibility stretched from Finland's western coast adjoining the
Gulf of Bothnia
The Gulf of Bothnia (; fi, Pohjanlahti; sv, Bottniska viken) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the Sweden's east coast (West ...
to
Näsijärvi
Näsijärvi () is a lake above sea level, in the Pirkanmaa region of southern Finland. Näsijärvi is the biggest lake in the Tampere area at in size. The city of Tampere was built along the Tammerkoski rapids, through which the lake drains in ...
.
[Ernst Linder](_blank)
mannerheim.fi Linder was friends with the White Commander, Marshal
Gustaf Mannerheim
Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as comma ...
. Following the war, he served as Inspector of Cavalry until retiring in 1920.
Linder was promoted into the rank of
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
on 13 April 1918,
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
in 1938, and
General of Cavalry in 1940.
In the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
, the 71-year-old Linder led the
Swedish Volunteer Corps
The Swedish Volunteer Corps ( sv, Svenska frivilligkåren) during the Winter War numbered 9,640 officers and men. Sweden was officially non-belligerent during the war, so the Corps was used by Finland. The Swedish volunteers were in the front l ...
from 6 January to 27 February 1940, after which he functioned as a commander of the
Salla
Salla (''Kuolajärvi'' until 1936) ( smn, Kyelijävri) is a municipality of Finland, located in Lapland. The municipality has a population of
() and covers an area of of
which
is water. The population density is
.
The nearby settlement of ...
area.
In addition to his military career, Linder was an accomplished
horse rider
Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...
who competed in the
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...
,
where he and his horse ''Piccolomino'' won the gold medal in
individual dressage.
[Ernst Linder]
sports-reference.com
Linder is buried at
Norra begravningsplatsen
Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Cemetery" in Swedish, is a major cemetery of the Stockholm urban area, located in Solna Municipality. Inaugurated on 9 June 1827, it is the burial site for a number of Swedish notables.
Nota ...
in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
.
References
1868 births
1943 deaths
People from Raseborg
People from Uusimaa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)
Swedish people of Finnish descent
Swedish dressage riders
Equestrians at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Olympic equestrians of Sweden
Swedish male equestrians
Olympic gold medalists for Sweden
People of the Finnish Civil War (White side)
Swedish Army major generals
Finnish military personnel
Finnish generals
Olympic medalists in equestrian
Volunteers in the Winter War
Swedish military attachés
Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics
{{Sweden-equestrian-bio-stub
Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen