Väinö Lahja Richard Valve (until 1915 Vähätupa; 28 December 1895 – 11 March 1995) was a Finnish

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

commander and the last living member of the Royal Prussian Jägerbattalion 27 formed from Finnish volunteers. Valve studied seven years in

Lappeenranta Lappeenranta (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of South Karelia. It is located in the southeastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lappeenranta is approximately , while the Lappeenranta sub-r ...

and after completing middle school, he worked in

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulat ...

, until went to study

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

Tampere Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...

. In 1916 he joined to

Jäger Movement The Jäger Movement () consisted of volunteers from Finland who trained in Germany as Jägers during World War I. Supported by Germany to enable the creation of a Finnish sovereign state, the movement was one of many means by which Germany int ...

and travelled secretly to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. He was in military training until 1918 until he travelled as an

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

to newly independent Finland and fought in the

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War was a civil war in Finland in 1918 fought for the leadership and control of the country between Whites (Finland), White Finland and the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (Red Finland) during the country's transition fr ...

together with other jägers. In the 1920s Valve's military career was in upswing; he commanded first the

coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of ...

and in 1933 he became commander of the

Finnish Navy The Finnish Navy ( , ) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS", short for "Finnish Navy ship", but ...

, including the coastal artillery. Valve took part at developing military co-operation with Estonia. The

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

interrupted Valve's masterminded navy development plan, which had been approved just shortly before. During the Second World War the coastal artillery performed well in the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

and in 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 during World War II. It began with a Finnish declaration of war on 25 June 1941 and ended on 19 ...

Valve organised navy co-operation with the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

. After Finland made armistice with the Soviet Union, the navy took part in

Lapland War During World War II, the Lapland War (; ; ) saw fighting between Finland and Nazi Germany – effectively from September to November 1944 – in Finland's northernmost region, Lapland. Though the Finns and the Germans had been fighting together ...

in which the objective was driving off German troops from the country. Valve was defence minister of Finland in 1944–1945. He left army in 1946 as

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

and made career in

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

. He took actively part in jäger association activities. Valve was promoted

in 1992. He died in 1995 as the last Finnish jäger.

Early life and studies

Valve was born in

as Väinö Vähätupa. His parents were from Finland Proper; the father, Matti Vähätupa, worked as

farrier A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adju ...

in Finnish Dragoon Regiment and later he started his own business in

Lappee Lappee is an old parish and a List of former municipalities of Finland, former municipality of Finland in the South Karelia region, originally in the Viipuri Province and after the Second World War, the Kymi Province. It was consolidated with Lapp ...

. Väinö had six siblings. He studied in Lappeenranta coeducational middle school until 17-year old. He was interested in

and went for apprenticeship first to Helsinki City Electricity Works, then to

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...

Katajanokka Katajanokka (; ) is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland, with around 4000 inhabitants in 2005. The district is located adjacent to the immediate downtown area, though in the first major town plan for Helsinki from the mid-18th century, the area ...

and after that to State Railways repair depot. In 1914 Väinö Vähätupa started electrical engineering studies in Tampere Technical School. Valve vaino

Jäger Movement

In 1915 Vähätupa changed his surname to ''Valve'', "awake". He interrupted his studies in late winter 1916, when he decided secretly to join to the

, following example of many of his fellow students. He skied over frozen

Kvarken Kvarken ( (as opposed to South Kvarken); ) is the narrow region of the Gulf of Bothnia separating the Bothnian Bay (the inner part of the gulf) from the Bothnian Sea. The distance from the Sweden, Swedish mainland to the Mainland Finland, Finnish ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and arrived in Lockstedt camp in

on 1 May. The Royal Prussian Jägerbattalion 27 was formed from the Finnish volunteers. Valve was ordered to join

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

and in November he was sent to east front at

Gulf of Riga The Gulf of Riga, Bay of Riga, or Gulf of Livonia (, , ) is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. The island of Saaremaa (Estonia) partially separates it from the rest of the Baltic Sea. The main connection between the gulf and t ...

. Valve served in

howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...

battery of the battalion in 1916–1917. Following the service at the front, he was sent to Libau for training and promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. Subsequently, he returned to the newly independent Finland in February 1918.

Military career in Finland

Return and early career

The returned jägers took part in the

on the white side, and Valve fought in battles of

and Viipuri as an artillery officer. In spring 1918, after the war was over, Valve started as trainer in newly founded Finnish Artillery School in Lappeenranta. In the same autumn he became commander of Heavy Artillery Battalion, from spring 1919 Heavy Artillery regiment, based in the same town. Still in 1918 Valve was promoted

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, in 1919 he became

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

and lieutenant colonel in 1923.

Rise to Navy commander

In 1924 Valve started as commander of

and in the following year, just at the age of 29, he was promoted

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

; in the 1920s Valve was the fastest promoted member of the Jäger Movement. One reason for the quickly progressed career was the military leadership's aim to push aside the older officers served in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

, and place the jägers in the key positions. During 1925–1926 went through Commander Course in General Staff College. The coastal artillery and navy were put together into one organisation under the same military staff in 1927, and Valve became commander of the entire coastal defence of Finland. He completed

Naval Warfare Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. The Military, armed forces branch designated for naval warfare is a navy. Naval operations can be ...

Course in 1929. Valve's title was changed Navy Commander in 1933, and the then 37-year old Valve became major general. The coastal artillery was further enlarged and modernised both at sea coast and

lake Ladoga Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake located entirely in Europe, the second largest lake in Russia after Lake ...

. Valve took part at developing Finnish–Estonian defence co-operation. One part of it was a crisis plan of closing

Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland (; ; ; ) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg—the second largest city of Russia—to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. ...

in artillery co-operation between the two countries, and as a part of this, Mäkiluoto island close to

Porkkala Porkkalanniemi (), often referred to simply as Porkkala (), is a peninsula in the Gulf of Finland, located at Kirkkonummi (Kyrkslätt) in Southern Finland. The peninsula had great strategic value, as coastal artillery based there would be abl ...

peninsula was fortified. Rahola ja Valve

A large part of the Finnish fleet were vessels inherited from the Imperial Russian Navy and in the early 1930s the Navy was strengthened by five submarines and two Väinämöinen-class

coastal defence ship Coastal defence ships (sometimes called coastal battleships or coast defence ships) were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrifi ...

s; the decision about purchasing the two heavily armed floating fortresses was made without listening to Väinö Valve. After this, the Navy got just a narrow slice of the annual budget of national defence. The head of the Defence Committee,

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

C.G.E. Mannerheim was not familiar with naval warfare. The situation changed in 1938 when Valve became member in the committee; new plans for the Navy development were in place in 1939, but they could not be executed before outbreak of the

Second World War

During the Second World War, Valve led the Navy. Naval activity in the Winter War was low; the coastal artillery fought efficiently against the

Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...

and ground forces in Gulf of Viipuri. After the war ended to bitter

Moscow Peace Treaty The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on 12 March 1940, and the ratifications were exchanged on 21 March. It marked the end of the 105-day Winter War, upon which Finland ceded border areas to the Soviet Union. The ...

in 1940, Finland established close relationship with

. During the subsequent

the Finnish Navy co-operated with

, managing to block the Soviet Navy into the eastern bottom of Gulf of Finland. Valve was in a key role, because he had created good relations with the Kriegsmarine already before the war broke out. After signing the

Moscow Armistice The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on 19 September 1944, ending the Continuation War. The Armistice restored the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, with a number of modi ...

with the Soviet Union in autumn 1944, Finland was obligated to drive off the German army from its area. Valve experienced the situation personally hard to bear; his troops took the first military action against Germany in Operation Tanne Ost in Suursaari island. This was the starting point of the

Defence minister

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 s ...

fell ill in late 1944. On 1 December president Mannerheim called Valve, whom he greatly respected, to take the place of Walden in J.K. Paasikivi's cabinet. Apolitical Valve, however, could not readjust himself to work efficiently in the government. After the end of his term in April 1945 he led

demining Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing land mines from an area. In military operations, the object is to rapidly clear a path through a minefield, and this is often done with devices such as mine plows and blast waves. By cont ...

of sea areas. He left the army as

in spring 1946.

Later career

Valve started a new career in banking sector. He worked as bank manager for KOP in

Saarijärvi Saarijärvi () is a List of cities and towns in Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland located in the Central Finland regions of Finland, region. The municipality has a population of , as of , and covers an area of ...

1950–1954 and in

Pitäjänmäki Pitäjänmäki (, ) is a district located on the westernmost district of Helsinki, Finland, near the border with Espoo. There are many IT and machine manufacturing companies in the area, especially around the Valimo railway station. Such comp ...

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

in 1954–1959. Valve was promoted General in 1992. He died in 1995 as the last member of the Jägerbattalion 27. A street in Lappeenranta was named ''Väinö Valveen katu'' and in 2007 city of Helsinki named a park after him.

Family

During 1921–1948 Valve was married to Margareta (Greta) Helena

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Cornér (1884–1968). The couple had three children: Mirja Margareta (b. 1922), Helena Mathilda (married Hänninen; 1925–2005) and Matti Sakari (1928–1975). In 1949 Valve married Aili Aune née Haahti (1907–1996).

Awards

* Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Liberty * Cross of Liberty, 1st Class with a grand star * Grand Cross of the White Rose of Finland with Collar * Commander of the White Rose of Finland, 1st Class * Cross of Liberty, 3rd Class * Cross of Liberty, 4th Class * Defence Corps Iron Cross of Merit * Commemorative Medal for War of Freedom * Commemorative Medal for

* Pro Benignitate Humana * Jaeger Medal * Grand Officer of the Crown of Italy (

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

) * Grand Officer of the Three Stars, 2nd Class (

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

) * Commander's Cross of Polonia Restituta, 1st Class (

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

) * Commander of the Sword (

) (1925) * Commander of Vasa, 1st Class (Sweden) (1934) * Grand Cross of the Order of the German Eagle (

) * Iron Cross, 1st Class (Germany) * Prussian Iron Cross, 2nd Class (Germany) * German 1st World War Commemorative Cross (Germany) * Commander of the Dannebrog (

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

) * Cross of the Eagle, 2nd Class (

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

) * Helsinki University Student Union presidium purple ribbon with badge (1993)

Boards and positions

* Military member in

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

(1927–1946) * Deputy Chairman of Finnish Officers' Association (1928–1929) * Chairman of Finnish Officers' Association (1929–1930; 1946) * Head of Navy Department in Ministry of Defence (1932–1934) * Chairman of Jäger Association (1934–1937) * Rapporteur of Defence Ministry Navy Department in State Council (1934–1946) * Member of Defence Council (1938–1940) * Chairman of State Shipyard executive board (1938–1944) * Chairman of Disabled War Veterans' Association (1943–1956) * Chancellor of

Order of the Cross of Liberty The Order of the Cross of Liberty (; ) is one of three official state Order (decoration), orders in Finland, along with the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The awards of the Order of the Cross of Liberty ...

(1945–1986) * Chairman of Freedom Warriors' Maintenance Foundation management board (1964–1989; honorary chairman in 1989)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valve, Vaino 1895 births 1995 deaths People from Lappeenranta Ministers of defence of Finland Finnish generals Finnish military personnel of World War II Jägers of the Jäger Movement Grand Crosses of the Order of the Cross of Liberty