MILITARY PERSONNELS from Finland

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Finnish Military Personnels of all time. This list of famous Finnish Military Personnels is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Finnish Military Personnels.

1. Simo Häyhä (1905 - 2002)

With an HPI of 74.70, Simo Häyhä is the most famous Finnish Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 54 different languages on wikipedia.

Simo Häyhä (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈsimo ˈhæy̯hæ] ; 17 December 1905 – 1 April 2002), often referred to by his nickname The White Death (Finnish: Valkoinen kuolema; Russian: Белая смерть, romanized: Belaya smert’), was a Finnish military sniper during World War II in the 1939–1940 Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. He used a Finnish-produced M/28-30 rifle (a variant of Mosin–Nagant) and a Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun. Häyhä is believed to have killed over 500 enemy soldiers during the conflict, the highest number of sniper kills in any major war. Consequently, he is often regarded as the deadliest sniper in history. Häyhä estimated in his private war memoir that he shot around 500 Soviet soldiers. Written in 1940 (a few months after he was wounded), his Sotamuistoja (War Memoirs) describes his experiences in the Winter War from 30 November 1939 to 13 March 1940. Hidden for decades, the memoir was discovered in 2017.

2. Ernst Linder (1868 - 1943)

With an HPI of 56.30, Ernst Linder is the 2nd most famous Finnish Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Ernst Linder (25 April 1868 – 14 September 1943) was a Swedish general of Finnish descent who served in the Swedish Army from 1887 to 1918, after which he participated in the Finnish Civil War as the commander of the Satakunta and Savo army groups, whose responsibility stretched from Finland's western coast adjoining the Gulf of Bothnia to Näsijärvi. Linder was friends with the White Commander, Marshal Gustaf Mannerheim. Following the war, he served as Inspector of Cavalry until retiring in 1920. Linder was promoted into the rank of Major General on 13 April 1918, Lieutenant General in 1938, and General of Cavalry in 1940. In the Winter War, the 71-year-old Linder led the Swedish Volunteer Corps from 6 January to 27 February 1940, after which he functioned as a commander of the Salla area. In addition to his military career, Linder was an accomplished horse rider who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics, where he and his horse Piccolomino won the gold medal in individual dressage. Linder is buried at Norra begravningsplatsen in Stockholm.

3. Ilmari Juutilainen (1914 - 1999)

With an HPI of 55.55, Ilmari Juutilainen is the 3rd most famous Finnish Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Eino Ilmari "Illu" Juutilainen (21 February 1914 – 21 February 1999) was a fighter pilot of the Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), and the top scoring non-German fighter pilot of all time. The top flying ace of the Finnish Air Force, he led all Finnish pilots in score against Soviet aircraft in World War II (1939–40 and 1941–44), with 94 confirmed aerial combat victories (he himself claimed further kills for a total of 126 victories, but these were unconfirmed) in 437 sorties. He achieved 58 of his victories while flying a Messerschmitt Bf 109G and 34 with a Brewster Buffalo. One of the four double recipients of the Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class, Juutilainen was born in Lieksa, and died in Tuusula. His brother was the Finnish Army Captain Aarne Juutilainen, nicknamed "The Terror of Morocco".

4. Erik Heinrichs (1890 - 1965)

With an HPI of 53.58, Erik Heinrichs is the 4th most famous Finnish Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Axel Erik Heinrichs (21 July 1890 – 16 November 1965) was a Finnish military general. He was Finland's Chief of the General Staff during the Interim Peace and Continuation War (1940–1941 and 1942–1944) and Chief of Defence for a short time after the war (1945).

5. Carl Johan Adlercreutz (1759 - 1815)

With an HPI of 52.36, Carl Johan Adlercreutz is the 5th most famous Finnish Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Carl Johan Adlercreutz (27 April 1757 – 21 August 1815) was a Swedish (Finnish) general and statesman, born in Borgå, Finland on family estates. Entering the Swedish army aged 13 in the Finnish Light Cavalry Brigade, he was present when Gustav III launched his coup-d’etat. He studied military theory in Stockholm. In 1777 he joined the Savolax Brigade guarding the Finnish border against Russian aggression. Adlercreutz first saw action in the 1788-1790 Russo-Swedish War, where he distinguished himself. He was promoted Major in 1791 and Squadron Commander 1792. During the Anjala mutiny he remained faithful to the King, standing against the war with Russia, then took part in the trials against the conspirators. He was thereafter appointed the commanding officer of the Nyland Dragoons, holding this post until 1804, when he was made Ofverste (Colonel-in-Chief) of the newly raised Adlercreutz Regiment.

6. Hugo Österman (1892 - 1975)

With an HPI of 52.29, Hugo Österman is the 6th most famous Finnish Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Hugo Viktor Österman (5 September 1892, Helsinki – 17 February 1975) was a Finnish lieutenant-general during World War II. He was commander of the Finnish Army 1933–1939. When the Winter War started Österman was made commander of the Army of the Isthmus, but was dismissed on 19 February 1940 after the Finnish lines had been breached. Österman served as Deputy Minister of Defence from 10 June 1930 to 21 March 1931.

7. Paavo Talvela (1897 - 1973)

With an HPI of 51.67, Paavo Talvela is the 7th most famous Finnish Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Paavo Juho Talvela (born Paavo Juho Thorén; 19 February 1897 – 30 September 1973) was a Finnish general of the infantry, Knight of the Mannerheim Cross and a member of the Jäger movement. He participated in the Eastern Front of World War I, the Finnish Civil War, the Finnish Kinship Wars, the Winter War and the Continuation War. Talvela was also active in Finnish far-right politics, being involved in both the founding of the Academic Karelia Society and in the Lapua Movement. In 1940, he was also involved in talks with Germany about forming a Finnish Jäger battalion as part of the Wehrmacht.

8. Adolf Ehrnrooth (1905 - 2004)

With an HPI of 49.89, Adolf Ehrnrooth is the 8th most famous Finnish Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Adolf Erik Ehrnrooth (9 February 1905 – 26 February 2004) was a Finnish general who served during the Winter and Continuation wars. He also competed in two equestrian events at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

9. Woldemar Hägglund (1893 - 1963)

With an HPI of 49.60, Woldemar Hägglund is the 9th most famous Finnish Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Johan Woldemar Hägglund (August 10, 1893 – February 12, 1963) was a Finnish lieutenant general during the Second World War, and an early volunteer of the Jäger Movement. He participated in the Eastern Front of World War I, the Finnish Civil War, the Winter War and the Continuation War, commanding army corps in the latter two. In 1944 and 1945, he was in charge of a committee investigating Finnish war crimes, especially those committed against prisoners of war.

10. Kurt Martti Wallenius (1893 - 1984)

With an HPI of 49.46, Kurt Martti Wallenius is the 10th most famous Finnish Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Kurt Martti Wallenius (25 July 1893 in Kuopio – 3 May 1984 in Helsinki) was a Finnish Major General.