Kurt Martti Wallenius (25 July 1893 in
Kuopio
Kuopio (, ) is a Finnish city and municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia. It has a population of , which makes it the most populous municipality in Finland. Along with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic, and cult ...
– 3 May 1984 in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
) was a
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
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 ...
.
Jäger Movement
Wallenius was a member of the
Finnish Jäger troops
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
trained in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
prior to Finnish independence. In 1915, Wallenius travelled to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
where he enrolled in the
Royal Prussian 27th Jäger Battalion
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a c ...
. He took part in the battles on the
Misa River MISA may refer to:
*Maintenance of Internal Security Act, an act of Parliament in India
*Media Institute of Southern Africa
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) is a non-governmental organisation with members in 11 of the Southern Africa Dev ...
.
[Suomen jääkärien elämäkerrasto 1975]
Civil War
After returning to Finland, Wallenius took part 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 ...
of 1918 on the side of the
anti-Communist
Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
Whites
White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view.
Description of populations as " ...
. He commanded a
platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
in
Tervola
Tervola is a municipality of Finland.
It is located in the province of Lapland, Finland. The municipality has a population of
() and covers an area of of
which
is water. The population density is
.
Neighbour municipalities are Keminmaa, Ranua, ...
and
Tornio
Tornio (; sv, Torneå; sme, Duortnus ; smn, Tuárnus) is a city and municipality in Lapland, Finland. The city forms a cross-border twin city together with Haparanda on the Swedish side. The municipality covers an area of , of which is ...
. In
Lapland, Wallenius met reindeer herder
Aleksi Hihnavaara
Aleksanteri (Aleksi) Hihnavaara, (November 21, 1882 - January 8, 1938) better known by his nickname Mosku, was a famous Finnish frontiersman and reindeer herder in Sompio region, Northeastern Lapland (Finland), Lapland.
Pre World War I
Before Wor ...
, with whom he travelled around Lapland, and the two became good friends. Wallenius was later appointed commander of the troops around
Kuolajärvi and
Kuusamo
Kuusamo ( sme, Guossán; smn, Kuáccám) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .
T ...
. Here, he was given the command of the northern group in the failed March 1918
Viena expedition
The Viena expedition ( fi, Vienan retkikunta, sv, Vienaexpeditionen) was a military expedition in March 1918 by Finland, Finnish volunteer forces to annex White Karelia (''Vienan Karjala'') from Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Bols ...
, which tried to annex parts of
East Karelia
East Karelia ( fi, Itä-Karjala, Karelian: ''Idä-Karjala''), also rendered as Eastern Karelia or Russian Karelia, is a name for the part of Karelia that since the Treaty of Stolbova in 1617 has remained Eastern Orthodox under Russian supremacy ...
to Finland. He was also the leader of the second
Petsamo Expedition in May 1920.
Regimental Commander
After the Civil War Wallenius commanded troops in North-Western Finland: the Salla Regiment and the 1st Border Guard Regiment of Lapland. In the 1920s, he was briefly made a military attaché in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
.
Lapua Movement
In 1930, Wallenius was promoted to 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 ...
. However, he was forced to retire in that year when he was implicated in the
Kidnapping of Kaarlo Ståhlberg who served as the first
Finnish President though
Wallenius was eventually acquitted of all charges. In the 1930s, Wallenius became involved in right-wing activities, becoming the secretary-general of the
Lapua movement. In this capacity, he was involved in the so-called
Mäntsälä rebellion
The Mäntsälä rebellion ( fi, Mäntsälän kapina, ) was a failed coup attempt by the Lapua Movement to overthrow the Finnish government.
On 27 February 1932 some 400 armed members of the ''Suojeluskunta'' militia interrupted a meeting of ...
. Wallenius was imprisoned twice for a total of over one year.
Winter War
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 ...
, Wallenius commanded Finnish troops in Lapland. When 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 ...
began, the
Commander-in-Chief of Finnish troops
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 ...
appointed Wallenius as the commander of the
Lapland Group
The Lapland Group (''Lapin Ryhmä'') was a formation of the Finnish Army during the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. The group was formed on 13 December 1939 from troops of the North Finland Group. The group was placed under the ...
. The troops under his command, though outnumbered, repulsed
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
troops at
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 ...
and
Petsamo Petsamo may refer to:
* Petsamo Province, a province of Finland from 1921 to 1922
* Petsamo, Tampere, a district in Tampere, Finland
* Pechengsky District, Russia, formerly known as Petsamo
* Pechenga (urban-type settlement), Murmansk Oblast, Russi ...
. Once the front in Lapland had stabilized, Wallenius handed the command over to Swedish volunteers under
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 ...
Ernst Linder in February 1940. Wallenius and most of his troops were sent to the southernmost point of the front to western shore of the
Bay of Viipuri, where the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
had crossed the frozen gulf. Wallenius protested this new assignment, thinking he was being punished for his past sins. The situation was critical and terrain totally different from what Wallenius and his men were used to. Wallenius failed to prevent the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
from gaining a foothold from the western shore of the bay, and there were reports that he was drinking heavily. Wallenius was dishonorably discharged in early March 1940, after only three days in command, and replaced by
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 ...
Karl Lennart Oesch
Karl Lennart Oesch (8 August 1892 – 28 March 1978) was one of Finland's leading generals during World War II. He held a string of high staff assignments and front commands, and at the end of the Continuation War commanded three Finnish army cor ...
. Wallenius was removed from the Defence Forces officer lists.
Retirement
Once the
Continuation War
The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...
began in June 1941, Wallenius failed to get a command. He lived in retirement in
Rovaniemen maalaiskunta
Rovaniemen maalaiskunta () was a municipality of Finland. It merged with the city of Rovaniemi on January 1, 2006.
It was located in the province of Lapland. The municipality had a population of 21,803 and covered an area of 7,915.51 km² o ...
writing books and articles.
Notes
References
* Puolustusministeriön Sotahistoriallisen toimiston julkaisuja IV, ''Suomen jääkärien elämäkerrasto'', WSOY Porvoo 1938.
* Sotatieteen Laitoksen Julkaisuja XIV, ''Suomen jääkärien elämäkerrasto 1975'', Vaasa 1975 .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallenius, Kurt Martti
1893 births
1984 deaths
People from Kuopio
People from Kuopio Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)
Finnish major generals
German Army personnel of World War I
People of the Finnish Civil War (White side)
Finnish military personnel of World War II
Finnish anti-communists
Chiefs of Staff (Finnish Defence Forces)
Jägers of the Jäger Movement