The Order of the Cross of Liberty ( fi, Vapaudenristin ritarikunta; sv, Frihetskorsets orden) is one of three official state

orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

in Finland, along with the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland.

Organisation

The

President of Finland The president of the Republic of Finland ( fi, Suomen tasavallan presidentti; sv, Republiken Finlands president) is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the p ...

is the Grand Master of the Order of the White Rose of Finland and of the Order of the Lion of Finland, and usually of the Order of the Cross of Liberty as well, Grand Mastership of which is attached to the position of Commander-in-chief. All of these orders are administered by boards consisting of a chancellor, a vice-chancellor and at least four members. The orders of the White Rose of Finland and the Lion of Finland have a joint board.

History

The Order of the Cross of Liberty was founded on March 4, 1918, upon the initiative of

Carl Gustaf Emil 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 ...

. The Finnish artist

Akseli Gallen-Kallela Akseli Gallen-Kallela (26 April 1865 – 7 March 1931) was a Finnish painter who is best known for his illustrations of the ''Kalevala'', the Finnish national epic. His work is considered a very important aspect of the Finnish national ident ...

was commissioned to design the Order's insignia with the Old-Scandinavian Fylfot. At its foundation there were seven classes: grand cross, cross of liberty (1st to 4th Class) and the medal of liberty (1st and 2nd Class). The decorations of the Order of the Cross of Liberty were initially conferred only in time of war. A decree was issued on 18 August 1944 enabling the decorations to be awarded in peacetime. Also in 1944, Mannerheim (1867–1951) was designated as Grand Master for life. Decorations of the order were awarded in great numbers during the World War II, partly due to Marshal Mannerheim having issued an order that wounded soldiers were to be awarded for their sacrifice, and Finland has no separate decoration for wounded. The Cross of Liberty is usually reserved for commissioned officers, with the Medal of Liberty being awarded for soldiers of junior rank and NCOs. The Cross of Liberty has a red ribbon when it is granted in wartime and a yellow ribbon when it is awarded in peacetime. Associated with the Cross of Liberty is the Mannerheim Cross.

Classes

The classes of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, in descending order, with abbreviations are: *Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Liberty (VR SR) *Cross of Liberty, 1st Class with a grand star (neck order) (VR 1. rtk) *Cross of Liberty, 1st Class (neck order) (VR 1) *Cross of Liberty, 2nd Class (VR 2) *Cross of Liberty, 3rd Class (VR 3) *Cross of Liberty, 4th Class (VR 4) *Medal of Liberty, 1st Class (VM 1) *Medal for Merit, 1st Class (VR Am 1) *Medal of Liberty, 2nd Class (VM 2) *Medal for Merit, 2nd Class (VR Am 2) Other special decorations awarded during the Second World War include: *Medal of Liberty 1st Class on Rosette Ribbon (only awarded once, to Field Marshal Mannerheim)Tetri 1994, p. 47. *Gold Medal of Merit; only awarded once, to General Waldemar Erfurth, 13 June 1944 *Cross of Mourning (''VR sururisti''); given to the nearest relative of a soldier killed in actionTetri 1994, p. 49. *Medal of Mourning (''VM surumitali''); given to the nearest relative of a person killed in non-military duty of war industry or national defence. File:1st class of the Cross of Liberty.png, ''VR 1'' File:2nd class of the Cross of Liberty.png, ''VR 2'' File:3rd class of the Cross of Liberty.png, ''VR 3'' File:4th class of the Cross of Liberty.png, ''VR 4'' File:VR Mourning Cross.JPG, ''VR sururisti'' (Cross of Mourning) The awards above are for civilian accomplishments, signaled by the blue color in the 3rd and 4th Classes, and in peacetime, as shown by the yellow ribbon. Awards for military accomplishments in the 3rd and 4th Classes have a dark gray color replacing the blue, and are awarded with a red ribbon in wartime.

Notable recipients

Grand Crosses *

Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and marshal who presided over two successive wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister and ''Conducător'' during most of World War II. A Romanian Army career officer who made ...

* Walther von Brauchitsch * Eduard Dietl *

Karl Dönitz Karl Dönitz (sometimes spelled Doenitz; ; 16 September 1891 24 December 1980) was a German admiral who briefly succeeded Adolf Hitler as head of state in May 1945, holding the position until the dissolution of the Flensburg Government follo ...

* Adolf Ehrnrooth * Rüdiger von der Goltz * Hermann Göring * Tarja Halonen * Erik Heinrichs *

Kaarlo Heiskanen Kaarlo Aleksanteri (Aleksander) Heiskanen (28 October 1894 in Joroinen – 6 November 1962 in Hämeenlinna) was a Finnish general and Knight of the Mannerheim Cross. He was the Chief of Defence of the Finnish Defence Forces The Finnish Defe ...

* Heinrich Himmler * Paul von Hindenburg * Wilhelm Keitel * Urho Kekkonen * Mauno Koivisto *

Jarl Lundqvist Jarl Frithiof Lundqvist (August 15, 1896 in Helsinki – September 23, 1965) was a Finnish lieutenant general. Lundqvist was the Commander of the Finnish Air Force from 8 September 1932 to 29 June 1945. After World War II, he was the Chief of ...

Sauli Niinistö Sauli Väinämö Niinistö (; born 24 August 1948) is a Finnish politician who has served as president of Finland since March 2012, the 12th person to hold that office. A lawyer by education, Niinistö was Chairman of the National Coalition Part ...

* Juho Kusti Paasikivi * Karl Lennart Oesch * Erich Raeder * Lauri Kristian Relander * Risto Ryti *

Aarne Sihvo Aarne Sihvo (22 November 1889 – 12 June 1963) was a Finnish general and politician. Biography Sihvo was born in Virolahti to a family of school teachers: Antti Adolf Sihvo and Minna Elisabeth o.s. Nyman. He graduated from a high school in 1910 ...

Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg (, ; 28 January 1865 – 22 September 1952) was a Finnish jurist and academic, which was one of the most important pioneers of republicanism in the country. He was the first president of Finland (1919–1925) and a libera ...

Lauri Sutela General Lauri Johannes Sutela (11 October 1918, Äänekoski – 8 November 2011; surname until 1929 ''Schroderus'') was a Finnish military officer. He served as an officer in the engineer corps during World War II. Sutela worked his way up the F ...

* Pehr Evind Svinhufvud *

Jaakko Valtanen Jaakko Valtanen (born 9 February 1925) is a Finnish general. He is the former Chief of Defence of the Finnish Defence Forces from 1983 to 1990. He was the last Finnish Chief of Defence to have served in the Continuation War The Continuati ...

Väinö Valve Väinö Lahja Richard Valve (until 1915 Vähätupa; 28 December 1895 — 11 March 1995) was a Finnish general, navy commander and the last living member of the Royal Prussian Jägerbattalion 27 formed from Finnish volunteers. Valve studied seve ...

Rudolf Walden Karl Rudolf Walden (1 December 1878 in Helsinki – 25 October 1946) was a Finnish industrialist and a military leader. Education Walden received his military education at the Hamina Cadet School and graduated in 1900. He was dismissed from serv ...

1st Class with a Star * Ernst Busch * Wilhelm Canaris * Rolf Carls * Eduard Dietl * Waldemar Erfurth * Hans Jeschonnek *

Timo Kivinen Timo Pekka Kivinen (born 8 December 1959) is a Finnish general and the Chief of Defence since 2019. Kivinen began his career as a dragoon, and was eventually promoted to Brigade Commander of the Karelia Brigade in 2011, Deputy Chief of Staff, Str ...

* Günther Korten * Felix Steiner 1st Class * Karl Allmendinger * Hans Baur * Gottlob Berger * Wilhelm Berlin * Karl Bodenschatz * Franz Böhme * Kurt Böhmer *

Theodor Burchardi __NOTOC__ Theodor Burchardi (14 May 1892 – 12 August 1983) was an Admiral with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. He was responsible for organising the eva ...

* Leopold Bürkner *

Erich Buschenhagen __NOTOC__ Erich Buschenhagen (December 8, 1895 – September 13, 1994) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany who commanded the LII Corps during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Lea ...

Hans Bütow __NOTOC__ Hans Ernst Arnold Felix Bütow (28 December 1894 – 9 May 1974) was a German admiral during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards * Wehrmacht Long Service Award 1st Class (1 ...

Hans Degen __NOTOC__ Hans Degen (18 February 1899 – 8 November 1971) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Life and career Hans Degen was born in Rosenheim in Upper Bavaria in 1899. He ...

Karl Maria Demelhuber Karl Maria Demelhuber (26 May 1896 – 18 March 1988) was a German SS functionary during the Nazi era. Reaching the rank of ''Obergruppenführer'' (General) in the Waffen-SS during World War II, he commanded the 2nd SS Division Das Reich, SS- ...

Erwin Engelbrecht Erwin Engelbrecht (12 November 1891 in ''Wildpark'' Potsdam – 8 April 1964 in Munich) was a German military officer. Career In January 1939 Engelbrecht was promoted to General, in September 1942 to General of the Artillery. During 1939-1942 h ...

* Kurt Fricke *

William R. Furlong William Rea Furlong (May 26, 1881 – June 2, 1976) was United States Navy Rear admiral during World War II, who served as the Chief of Naval Ordnance from 1937 to 1941. After Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, Furlong was tasked with the salva ...

Herbert Gille Herbert Otto Gille (8 March 1897 – 26 December 1966) was a high-ranking German SS officer, and divisional & corps commander of the Waffen SS. He commanded the SS Division Wiking during World War II. Gille was a recipient of the Knight's Cro ...

* Władysław Grabski *

Wilhelm Hasse Wilhelm Hasse (24 November 1894 – 21 May 1945) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the 17th Army. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Hasse died on 21 May 1945 ...

* Georg Ritter von Hengl * Adolf Heusinger *

Otto Hoffmann von Waldau __NOTOC__ Otto Hoffmann von Waldau (7 July 1898 – 17 May 1943) was a German general during World War II who commanded the 10th Air Corps. He was killed in an air crash on 17 May 1943. Awards * Iron Cross (1914) 2nd and 1st Class * Clasp to Iro ...

Alexander Holle __NOTOC__ Alexander Holle (27 February 1898 – 16 July 1978) was a German general (Generalleutnant) in the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the German involvement in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross ...

Alfred Jodl Alfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl (; 10 May 1890 – 16 October 1946) was a German ''Generaloberst'' who served as the chief of the Operations Staff of the '' Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'' – the German Armed Forces High Command – throughout World ...

* Ferdinand Jodl * Heinrich Kittel * Philipp Kleffel * Matthias Kleinheisterkamp *

August Krakau __NOTOC__ August Krakau (September 12, 1894 – January 7, 1975) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 7th Mountain Division. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards ...

* Hans Kreysing * Karl von Le Suire * Fanni Luukkonen * Walter Nowotny * Friedrich Paulus * Georg Radziej * Elisabeth Rehn *

Herbert Rieckhoff __NOTOC__ Herbert Rieckhoff (25 December 1898 – 30 November 1948) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards and decorations * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ...

* August Schmidt * Hubert Schmundt * Ferdinand Schörner *

Hans-Georg von Seidel Hans-Georg von Seidel (11 November 1891Prisoners of Special Camp 11 Retrieved on 18 December 2009. – 10 November 1955) was a Nazi Germany, German military leader who served in the German Army (German Empire), German Army during World War I an ...

Karl Weisenberger __NOTOC__ Karl Weisenberger (29 September 1890 – 28 March 1952) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 June 1940 ...

Albert Wodrig __NOTOC__ Albert Wodrig (16 July 1883 – 31 October 1972) was a German general during World War II who commanded the XXVI. Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards and decorations * Knight's Cr ...

* Kurt Zeitzler *

Arthur Zimmermann Arthur Zimmermann (5 October 1864 – 6 June 1940) was State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the German Empire from 22 November 1916 until his resignation on 6 August 1917. His name is associated with the Zimmermann Telegram during World War ...

2nd Class * Eugen-Heinrich Bleyer * Eckhard Christian *

Gerhard Engel Gerhard Engel (13 April 1906 – 9 December 1976) was a German general during World War II who commanded several divisions after serving as an adjutant to Adolf Hitler. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. ...

* Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck * Nikolaus von Falkenhorst * Hermann Fischer * Bruno Frankewitz * Eberhard Kinzel * Mauno Koivisto * Rolf Nevanlinna * Carl Petersén * Erich Rudorffer * Jorma Sarvanto *

Karl Schnörrer Karl "Quax" Schnörrer (22 March 1919 – 25 September 1979) was a German military aviator who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he claimed 46 enemy aircraft shot down in 536 combat missions, eleven of which while ...

Reiner Stahel Reiner Stahel (15 January 1892 – 30 November 1955) was a German officer. He is best known for his retreat from Vilna and the command of the garrison of Warsaw during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. Arrested by the NKVD in Romania, he spent the r ...

* Alois Windisch 3rd Class * Simo Häyhä * Ilmari Juutilainen * Paul Klatt *

Einar Lundborg Einar Paul Albert Muni Lundborg (5 April 1896 – 27 January 1931) was a Swedish aviator. Biography He was born on 5 April 1896. In 1928 he rescued Umberto Nobile after Nobile's airship crashed on the ice north of Spitsbergen. He was later pro ...

* Carl Petersén * Jorma Sarvanto *

* Prince Wolfgang of Hesse Other or unknown classes *

Franz Augsberger {{Infobox military person , name = Franz Augsberger , birth_date = {{birth date, 1905, 10, 10, df=y , death_date = {{death date and age, 1945, 3, 19, 1905, 10, 10, df=y , birth_place = Vienna, Austria-Hungary , death_place ...

* Verna Erikson * John F. "Jack" Hasey * Olaf Helset *

Harry Järv Harry Järv (27 March 1921 – 21 December 2009Harry Järv Obituary
(in Finnish). Retrieved 4 July 2013.

* Kurt Kuhlmey * Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan * Leonard Mociulschi *

Bernhard Paus Bernhard Cathrinus Paus (9 November 1910 – 9 February 1999) was a Norwegian orthopedic surgeon and humanitarian. He participated in humanitarian work during the Winter War in Finland, during the 1940 Norwegian Campaign and during the Kor ...

Walter Schuck Walter Schuck (30 July 1920 – 27 March 2015) was a German military aviator who served in the Luftwaffe from 1937 until the end of World War II. As a fighter ace, he claimed 206 enemy aircraft shot down in over 500 combat missions, eight of w ...

* Hjalmar Siilasvuo * Arne Somersalo *

Jerzy Świrski Jerzy Włodzimierz Świrski (5 April 1882, Kalisz – 12 June 1959, London) was a Polish vice admiral and officer in the Russian Imperial Navy and later the Polish Navy. As Chief of the Polish Naval Command (1925-1947), he was a member of ...

Institutions

The statutes allow the order to be conferred collectively. The following have been awarded: *City of Vaasa * * * Guard Jaeger Battalion * * Field Artillery Regiment 1 * * * Pori Regiment * * * Jaeger Battalion 2 * * * University of Helsinki * * Reserve Officer School *Mothers of Finland *City of Mikkeli * * * Command School * Air Force Academy

References

Sources

* Tetri, Juha E: ''Kunniamerkkikirja''. Ajatus, 1994. .

External links

*{{Official website
Pictures of decorationsThe Office of the President of the Republic of Finland (Decorations)

Cross of Liberty, Order of the Wound decorations 1918 establishments in Finland Awards established in 1918