Mannerheim!

Thanx Sami,

For your detailed answer.I think it leaves nothing left to ask on the subject...at least by me

[ 29. December 2002, 09:03 AM: Message edited by: Kai-Petri ]

 

Mannerheim´s cars...

http://www.mannerheim.fi/13_erity/e_auto2.htm

Mannerheim's Mercedes Benz 770 F-Cabriolet, which was also called Grosser Mercedes Offener Tourenwagen, was one of the most expensive and exclusive cars of the era. It is a 4,000-kilo, 230-horsepower armoured colossus, reaching the speed of 170 kilometres per hour. It was brought to Finland via Vaasa in December 1941, and delivered to the receiver in Mikkeli on 16 December, 1941.

Contrary to allegations made in public, the Mercedes was not Hitler's birthday present to Mannerheim. On his 75th birthday ond June 4, 1942, the Marshal was given three brand new Steyr jeeps as a present from Hitler.

As regards the armouring of the automobile, it is worth mentioning that the floor was made of 5.5-6 millimetre thick, and the other sheet metal parts of 3-millimetre thick specially hardened steel so that the automobile was strong enough to resist the explosion of small mines or the firing of light weapons in use at the time.The windows were made of 40-millimetre bulletproof material.

The inside of the Mercedes was luxurious. It was upholstered with leather with pull-up elbow rests between the seats. Three additional pull-up seats were fastened behind the front seats, which enabled the automobile to seat as many as nine passengers.

The fuel consumption was 27 litres per a hundred kilometres which required a large fuel tank holding 197 litres. The fuel, synthetic petrol, was imported from Germany specifically for this automobile.

The car was in frequent use, and not only for representative purposes. When the road conditions were favourable the car was also used for commuting.

In August 1944 Mannerheim was elected President of the Republic. He arrived at the inauguration in his sedan V12 Packard, not in his Mercedes any more. This may have been a sign of the change in the attitude towards the Germans. The Mercedes had always been associated with its donator, Adolf Hitler.

Although the Mercedes was one of Mannerheim's favourite automobiles, he avoided using it during his stay in the president's office for reasons of foreign policy. The car remained in the garage throughout his term in the office. In late 1946, after resigning from presidency for reasons of health, he decided to sell the car to Sweden. Servicing and driving the Mercedes was incredibly expensive in post-war Finland hampered by the shortage of goods. Furthermore, it would have been impossible to use it for political reasons and knowing the background history of the car.

Consequently, it was hauled to Stockholm by ship, and afterwards there are several observations of the car in the world. In Sweden the car changed owners several times within a short period of time and in 1948 a Swedish enterprise used it as a payment of a loan by selling it to the United States, where its historical value was made use of in different connections, for example in the film about Rommel (1951) in which it appeared as Hitler's automobile. In 1973 the car came into public notice again when it was sold in an automobile auction in Arizona as Hitler's Mercedes at a record price of 153,000 dollars (about 3.5 million current Finnmarks). Half a year later, it changed owners again at a record price of about 4,5 million current Finnmarks. On 13 January, 1973, the Finnish news agency STT informed the news agencies of the world that the automobile had belonged to the Marshal of Finland, not to Hitler.

This piece of news was quietly ignored and the car frequently changed owners due to its reputation. By the middle of the 1990s the car had become the property of a former US army general who had a private automobile collection, and it was restored to its original condition.





http://www.mannerheim.fi/13_erity/e_auto4.htm

 

Wow! What do you know...Someone has as well made small models of these Steyr jeeps that Hitler gave to Mannerheim for birthday presents...

http://www.missing-lynx.com/articles/other/jlpaint/jlpaint.htm

CASE 3: STEYR 1500 A

This project seemed a natural thing to do when Tamiya introduced their Steyr 1500 A Kommandeurwagen kit. Finnish C in C Marshall Mannerheim had received three cars of this type as a birthday present from Hitler in June 4, 1942. There were enough photos available and the painting scheme was a perfect test...

 

Mannerheim and hunting

Mannerheim learned hunting as a social rite and pastime in Russia.

On his journey in Asia Mannerheim hunted frequently, and during his stay in Poland he participated in par-foce hunting. In the 1920s and 1930s he hunted deer and elk in Central Europe. He also visited Hermann Göring’s hunting grounds while being chairman of the Defence Council.



On his first trip to India (from 24 November, 1927, till 20 April, 1928), Mannerheim hunted in the neighbourhood of the Indian and Nepalese border, with Colonel Faunthorpe as his host.
Eventually his hunting trips extended to Burma in Farther India, but the hunting of a rare species of deer was not successful.

On his second trip to India (from November 1936 till April 1937), Mannerheim’s hunting host was Colonel Bailey. A greater number of elephants were now available, and two tigers were surrounded. The next host was the Maharadja of Nepal, who had 200 elephants at his disposal. Mannerheim shot a tiger, 323 centimetres in length. After this event he once more managed to shoot a tiger, his fourth, in the company of Colonel Bailey.

Mannerheim’s Asian trips included mainly hunting of big game. In Finland Mannerheim occasionally participated in moose hunting, but mostly he hunted small game, such as hares, foxes or game birds



www.mannerheim.fi/valokuva/13/bf1.jpg

Mannerheim´s hunting cabin:

At the approach of the Field Marshal's 75th birthday, Major General Raappana, together with his division, decided to build a hunting cabin as a present for the Commander-in-Chief. The soldiers wished in this way to express their respect of and gratefulness to their Commander-in-Chief. The cabin was designed by architect, lieutenant Eino Pitkänen, who served in Raappana's troups. A place on the western shore of lake Lieksajärvi, close to the village of Repola, was chosen as a site. The place was east of the Finnish border.

The cabin was built by 60 men; each company of the division released two skilled workers for the construction and the artillery saw to the felling and transporting of the timber to the building site in connection with munitions transports. The felling of dead standing trees started in March 1942. Fifteen men and their horses transported the logs, whose length was 12-18 metres and diameter 18-25 centimetres. In the course of two weeks, 350 pine logs were brought to the side of the main road, from where they were carried by lorries to the building site some 100 kilometres away.

The cabin consisted of a spacious living room with a fireplace, the Marshal's bedroom, the aide-de-camp's room, a kitchen, rooms for the housekeeper and orderly and a veranda. A separate sauna including a fireplace room was also built. A fishing hut was built at the south end of lake Lieksajärvi.

The Marshal was able to visit the cabin only in September 1942. The retinue, joined by Major General Raappana, spent two days at the cabin. The programme included a hunting and fishing expedition. The Marshal was very pleased with the sauna sitting in a cove with a sandy bottom. Despite the war, the party could listen to the clear autumnal stillness outside the cabin. Afterwards, the Marshal recalled his days at the cabin with great warmth, planning a renewed visit there. However, the opportunity never arose.

At the end of the Continuation War, at the turn of the month July-August 1944, the decision was made to move the Marshal's cabin and its fittings to the Finnish side of the border. The buildings were pulled down and the logs carefully numbered. All material was transported to Pielisjärvi and stored there.

In spring 1945 Mannerheim purchased a piece of land for the hunting cabin on the shore of lake Punelia in Loppi.
Construction work in Loppi started in May 1945 and the erection of cabin, sauna and fishing hut took six weeks. The Marshal received the completed buildings on June 21, 1945.

The Marshal visited the cabin several times after it had been completed in Loppi. The last time was in early spring 1948. Some months earlier he had donated the cabin and its fittings to the Union of Hunters in Finland.

In 1959 the cabin was opened for the public. Later on a separate café building for the public was built. The Marshal's Cabin complex also includes a field guard museum.





http://www.mannerheim.fi/13_erity/e_maja.htm

 

Hmmm..it seems the Mercedes Benz 770 was sent by Hitler in the end but not as a birthday present!?

As well it is interesting that the SA 1 was not used in registers after Mannerheim´s death in 1951 to honour his memory.Instead SA 2 was used by the defence minister in Finland.

I think, SA=Suomen Armeija=Finnish Army
And SA 1 =Finnish Army Commander for short
( At the time Mannerheim had all the possible power over the Army )



[ 14. February 2003, 06:24 AM: Message edited by: Kai-Petri ]

 

Mannerheim was awarded the Sword of St George for his merits in the battle of Krasnik.

Mannerheim, who served in the Russian army, first commanded the Separate Cavalry Brigade of the Guard, consisting of the Uhlan Regiment of Life Guard, the Grodno Hussar Regiment and one artillery battery. The Brigade secured the manoeuvres of the 4th army in the area of Lublin, taking part in the battles of Krasnik, Gostseradov, Annopolis, Opole, the River Hodel and Zagrody-Nezluv, and was repelling the Austrian attack against Lublin in the ranks of the Guard Corps and chasing the Austrians during the great battle of Galicia, on this occasion participating in the battles of Zhlokievka, Tarnavka, Janov and Pikule-Momonta. In September 1914, the brigade was engaged in the protection of the manoeuvres of the army near the town of Opatov on the River Vistula in the ranks of Genral Delsal’s detachment, participating in the battle of Sloptov-Klimonotvi.

Mannerheim proved to be a brave leader. Serving in the ranks of the 4th Army in 1914, his actions in the defence battle of Krasnik earned him the Sword of St George. A little later he was awarded the Cross of St George.

 

Culture - Tuesday 19.3.2002

RECIPE: Mannerheim's favourite dish, Zander Walewska


Zander Walewska (for five people):

Skinless filets of zander, 750 g
Fish stock
White wine
Salt, white pepper

Sauce:
Chantarelles, 250 g
Chopped onions, 50 g
Wheat flour, 2 tbs.
Butter
Fish stock
White wine
Cream

Duchess potatoes:
Use one kilogramme of boiled potatoes to prepare a mash. Add butter and egg yolk to improve the taste. Season with salt and pepper.

1. Place the zander fillets in an oven dish and season with salt and white pepper. Let the salt soak in for 10 minutes. Pour in the white wine and the fish stock so that the fish fillets become covered.

2. Bake the dish in 200 degrees centigrade, until the fish is nearly done.

3. Prepare the sauce: use butter to fry the onions and the chanterelle mushrooms, add wheat flour. Add fish stock and let the sauce simmer until the flour is absorbed, then add a dash of white wine and some cream.

4. Pipe the mashed potato along the edges of an ovenproof serving dish. Lay the zander filets in the middle and coat them with the sauce, then gratinate in the oven. Decorate with fried giant prawn tails and dill.

http://www.helsinki-hs.net/news.asp?id=20020319IE18

 

FACTFILE: The table etiquette according to Mannerheim


The seating order at the dining table was carefully planned. Mannerheim chose the topics of conversation. The war was a strictly forbidden subject. No smoking was allowed at the table.

Before the meal, Marski's Tipple was served in glasses that were filled to the brim. The appetizers were drunk sitting down without toasting. Mannerheim disliked babbling.

Mannerheim started the meal when everyone had food on the plate. After he was done with eating he moved to the round coffee table and everyone stopped eating, whether they had finished or not. Some of the company were invited to join Marski at the coffee table. Despite the shortage of a lot of imported goods including coffee, in Marski's presence coffee surrogate was never served.

On weekdays the beverages consisted of mineral water and beer. On special occasions and for distinguished guests wine and cognac were served. Mannerheim always paid for the alcoholic beverages he offered his guests.

The venue was always Mikkelin klubi, the Mikkeli Club. This gentlemen's club that was over one hundred years old had rendered its premises to Mannerheim's use for the duration of the war.

The food was prepared - and still is - in the kitchens of Hotel Kaleva in the same building.

http://www.helsinki-hs.net/news.asp?id=20020319IE17

 

Great Stuff. Do you have any maps of defence during the winter war?

 

Thursday 30.8.2001

Putin to lay wreath at Mannerheim grave during visit to Finland


Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrives in Finland on Sunday for an official state visit, will lay a wreath at the grave of Marshall C.G.E. Mannerheim, Finland's wartime commander-in-chief. It will be the first time that any leader of Russia or the former Soviet Union has honoured Marshall Mannerheim in such a way.
Monday's ceremony is seen both as a show of respect to Mannerheim, and as a political gesture of reconciliation by the Russian leader.
At the same time the Russian president will be adopting a practice that has been followed by Western state visitors for decades: laying wreaths at the large cross at Helsinki's Hietaniemi cemetery marking the graves of the war dead, and the tomb of Mannerheim.

Finnish officials had suggested a visit to President Kekkonen's grave; laying a wreath at Mannerheim's grave was the idea of Putin and his aides.

http://www.helsinki-hs.net/news.asp?id=20010830IE5

 

Here you go Brad...have fun!!






http://www.winterwar.com/Sitemap.htm

http://www.sodatkuvina.cjb.net/images/Talvisota/Kartat/Talvisota_Kartat_cat.html

http://www.armscenter.com/kevos4/lun4historymap1.html



Interesting pics and stuff in the net on winter war:

http://www.tendens.se/nicolas/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=70



Viipuri castle ( Wyborg )

 

Mannerheim and guns:

He always carried a pistol with him. The following pistols he used can now be found in museums: Parabellum artillery pistol m/1914 (9 mm), and FN pistol m/1910 (7,65 mm). In 1937, when he was chairman of the Defence Council, he was given, as a present, a Suomi machine pistol m/31 (9 mm), a success product of the Finnish weapon industry of the time.




The famous Suomi machine gun!

Hunting was one of Mannerheim’s outdoor activities until the time of war. The following weapons are in his collection:

– A Berdan rifle, m/1870, 10,67 mm from the year 1882 and two from the year 1887,

– An infantry rifle, m/1896, 6,50 mm,

– A Steyr infantry rifle, m/95,8 mm,

– Two shotguns (William Powell & Son)

– A Mauser hunting rifle (Obendorf)

– A Mauser hunting rifle (Tiroler Waffenfabrik)

– A Mauser hunting rifle, .350 Magnum Rigby, half-stock (since 1936)

– A Mauser hunting rifle, Purdey & Sons

– A moose rifle (Sako 1943) and

– A Caucasian hunting rifle




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Mannerheim went on an expedition in October 1906 to Central Asian and China to investigate mountain and desert regions.
In Utaishan Mannerheim met the Dalai-Lama. He was handed a piece of white silk to give to the Tsar and he gave the Dalai-Lama his Browning pistol, explaining how it could be loaded with seven bullets simultaneously.

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The Marshal Mannerheim Trophy was donated in 1937 for the winners of the World Army Rifle (300m Standard Rifle) Team Championship. Through 1962 the Army Rifle of the host country was issued for use in this event. Starting in 1966 the competitors furnished their own rifles and starting in 1974 it was required to conform to the UIT Standard Rifle specifications, but with a 1.5 kg trigger pull.

 

This is something I was quite amazed about at one time:




Zaar Nicholas II and his spouse Alexandra were crowned in Moscow on 25 May, 1896, and Mannerheim participated in the celebration in the ranks of the Body Guard. In the procession he was right in front of the imperial couple.









[ 18. February 2003, 07:12 AM: Message edited by: Kai-Petri ]

 

A veteran remembers on meeting Mannerheim:

When Marshall Mannerheim was mentioned in a discussion, one of the veterans said "I even met him once." Once when in Kauhava Mannerheim had popped in for a visit, and the superior officer had ordered the closest boys to stand in attention by the road.

And of course Mannerheim noticed the boys when leaving, young fellows as they were. He ordered the driver to stop at them. Mannerheim had opened his window and asked something. "There we stood in awe and no one could say a word. Mouth wouldn't open, brain didn't work." The Marshall watched for a while, humphed and told the driver to continue.

http://www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/WW2History-OuluVeteransEnglish.html

 

The Mannerheim feast
Marshal C.G. Mannerheim was famous for his high demands, also for cuisines and restaurants visited by him. His table manners were well known everywhere, and they were often spoken of. He liked to eat with a company, which he carefully selected.
As a gourmet, he liked to choose his food and drink to go with it. His favourite dish was smoked piglet filled with buckwheat. The main chef cut the oven piglet himself. Mannerheim never rejected good wine; his absolute favourite was "Le Cardinal". C.G. Mannerheim combined his eating traditions considering both French and Russian cuisines. Many stories have been told of the marshal’s amply full liquor glass. Some people spilled it into their sleeves, the others on the table. If some people spilled it on the
food at their plate, the marshal was astonished and asked: "Do you think the food needs to be spiced with vodka or the dressing sauce to be thinned, or is there anything else wrong with the food?" He had no trouble coining up some minor wicked joke. There were many stories connected with the heap on the liquor glass. A general once asked Mannerheim about the origin of that habit. Mannerheim told him that when there were manoeuvres in the Russian army, and the officers were fed by the state, there was one glass of vodka to go with breakfast and two with supper. As the state paid for everything, they all had their glasses filled as much as possible.

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In his youth Mannerheim experienced a bitter disappointment in Paris, when the French cuisine and the Russian drinking tradition clashed in a fateful manner. When he was having dinner in the company of Russians and ordering vodka before the meal, his order was declined. The French butler regarded the schnaps as a barbarian custom and sacrilege, which numbs the taste nerves. Despite the emotional outburst the butler did not give in, and the dinner party had to go and drink the schnapses in the bar.

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Mannerheim and Poland

The 13th Uhlan Regiment of Vladimir had been stationed in Novominsk, Poland (40 kilometres from Warsaw). In early 1911, Mannerheim was appointed commander of the Uhlan Regiment of the Life Guard of his Majesty the Emperor. The regiment was stationed in Warsaw. When Emperor Nicholas II visited the hunting castle of Spala in Poland, Mannerheim was nominated "a general in the imperial entourage". This honorary title gave him a better opportunity, at least formally, to present his wish to the Emperor himself.

The Poles had been bloodily defeated in the rebellions of the 19th century, and the status of a Russian officer was not free from conflict. Being a Finn, Mannerheim’s position may have been easier than that of his colleagues, and he was able to state that one of his relatives had been living in Poland. He got to know the Polish societies, e.g. the Zamoyskis, Potockis, Krasinskis and Radziwills. Counts Maurice and Adam Zamoyksi and Prince Zdzislaw Lubomirski with his wife Marie Lubomirska were some of his best friends. Mannerheim’s friendship with Princess Lubomirska was deep and continued in correspondence and in personal encounters for a long time.

 

Absolutely love the Garde Du Korps helmet pics. That is about $30,000 for one of those.

 

Title of Marshal of Finland

http://www.mannerheim.fi/10_ylip/e_arvoni.htm

As early as in the 1920s the fraternity of the Finnish Cadet School had made a similar proposition, but it was not until the presidency of P.E.Svinhufvud that the project was carried out. The soldiers of the War of Independence had earlier given him an unofficial marshal’s baton, and he received the official baton in 1933.On 19 May, 1933, Mannerheim was awarded the title of Field Marshal in connection with the 15th anniversary of the end of the War of Independence.


When Mannerheim’s 75th birthday was approaching, a lot of consideration was given to how he could be shown the respect and appreciation he enjoyed. The idea of entitling him Marshal of Finland came up, as there were no ranks above the rank of Field Marshal in the Finnish army. In autumn 1940, a similar suggestion had been put forward to the President of the Republic by Professor Georg von Wendt, an ex-senator and MP. It was backed by the leaders of the defence battles of the Winter War, in which the nation had so loyally stood together, and inspired by the title of Reichsmarschall, awarded to Field Marshal Göring in Germany in summer 1940 after the defeat of France.

In their session in late May, 1942, the government made the decision to grant Mannerheim the new and unique title of Marshal of Finland on following grounds: "Your brilliant military operations place you in an honorary position as the greatest soldier in our history." This impressive congratulation is dated 6 June, 1942. The title, Marshal of Finland, which could not be shortened in any way, was used respectfully in its entire form regardless of length. The word "marski" lived on along with the title.

 

The latest news on the Mannerheim film is that it is expected to be ready for December 2007. So far the actors playing Mannerheim are not known but the financial problems seem to be settled. Unfortunately only European sources were found for the financing part so the film probably starts with Finnish/Nordic theatres first and probably only through DVD´s to wider audience.

 

Kummallinen, Kai!

How did the Bolshevik revolution affect Mannerheim?

 

Helsingin Sanomat - International Edition - Home

Monday of last week marked the 70th anniversary of the day when the then Field Marshal C.G. E. Mannerheim, Finland’s wartime commander-in-chief and the country’s first post-war President, donated the skin of an Indian tiger to the Finnish White Guard.

The animal was one of four he had shot in the previous year while on a trip to India that also included a tiger safari in Nepal with the King of Nepal.

Since 1937, the tiger-skin has led a rather colourful and well-travelled life. Until Monday, that is, when it finally found a place of honour on the wall of the trophy room at the Guard Jaeger Regiment’s HQ at the Santahamina army garrison, in the eastern suburbs of Helsinki.

The Director of the Mannerheim Museum Vera von Fersen was present at the ceremony. She was delighted that the pelt, which had for years been stored in the museum’s attic, could now be put back on display.

"And the only rightful place for it is in the premises upholding the traditions of the Finnish White Guard", she said.