Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim led tiny Finland’s stand in several wars against the Goliath that was the Soviet Union, earning him considerable admiration among the Swiss.

2 comments

1. Thing Finland and Switzerland share is that both of our countries have been made into fortresses. Using different methods due to geography, but still fortresses

2. Mannerheim is actually an interesting character. Fought for Russia and Finland. He had trouble with authority, booze, money, depression and many others. He got kicked from cadet school and generally had trouble with schooling and getting into the schools he wanted to. He bred horses. He married into a rich Russian family but divorced. He rode horseback from Finland to China on an undercover spy mission that was marketed as a journey of exploration. He took the cover story seriously and did actually significant ethnological work sending 1200 items to Finnish national museum. Met Dalai Lama on this trip, only the 3rd western bloke to meet him no biggie. This trip paved the way to become a general and proved his prowess as a leader. Fought well in WW1 for Russia. Preferred Russians over the Germans until the whole Soviet thing. Did *things* in Civil War (lets not get into that debate). Was a bit of a war monger after the Civil War and lost a lot of support. Was the commander in chief during WW2. Took a chill pill after WW2.

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