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			{{Infobox Military Award
	The '''Mannerheim Cross of Liberty''' (Mannerheim-risti / Mannerheimkorset) is a ] military decoration introduced after the ] and named after ]. The award was introduced into the ] and a bearer of the cross is called a Knight of the Mannerheim Cross. While the 1st class is the 5th and the 2nd class the 9th in the order of precedence of Finnish awards, the Mannerheim Cross 2nd class has become the most distinguished military award in Finland.
			\|name=Mannerheim Cross of Liberty
			\|image=Mannerheimkruis der Eerste en Tweede Klasse.jpg
			\|image_size=100px
			\|caption=Mannerheim Cross 1st Class (above) and 2nd Class (below). Crossed batons indicate a second award of a 2nd class cross.
			\|presenter=]
			\|type= Medal, two classes
			\|awarded_for="Exceptional bravery, for the achievement of crucially important objectives by combat, or for especially successfully conducted operations."
			\|eligibility=Military personnel
			\|status=Still active '']''{{sfn\|Huhtanen\|2020}}
			\|description=
			\|clasps=
			\|established=
			\|firstawarded= July 22, 1941
			\|lastawarded= May 7, 1945
			\|total_awarded= 197
			\|total_awarded_posthumously=
			\|total_recipients=191
			\|individual=
			\|higher=
			\|same=
			\|lower=
			}}
			The '''Mannerheim Cross''' ({{langx\|fi\|Mannerheim-risti}}, {{langx\|sv\|Mannerheimkorset}}), officially '''Mannerheim Cross of the Cross of Liberty''' ({{langx\|fi\|Vapaudenristin Mannerheim-risti\|link=no}}, {{langx\|sv\|Frihetskorsets Mannerheimkors\|link=no}}) is the most distinguished ] military honour.{{Dubious\|reason=Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Liberty is higher, and Cross of Liberty 1st Class with star is higher than Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class. Mannerheim Cross can be said to have the most popular appeal and be the highest gallantry award though\|date=September 2024}} A total of 191 people received the cross between 22 July 1941 and 7 May 1945, with six of the recipients receiving a cross twice. Available in two classes, the 1st class medal has only been awarded twice, with both recipients also having received the medal in the 2nd class. Although still active '']'', no crosses have been awarded since 1945. ], the last living Knight of the Mannerheim Cross, died on 1 November 2020.

			==Description==
	The Second Class of the award was instituted as the universal award for extraordinary bravery, for the achievement of extraordinarily important objectives by combat, or for especially well conducted operations. The Cross could be awarded to any soldier of the Finnish Defence Forces, regardless of rank. The lack of a rank requirement, the emphasis on individual bravery, and the prize of 50,000 ] to each recipient attracted considerable public attention to the award during the war. In ], the sum was equivalent of a ]'s annual salary. As the Mannerheim Cross was awarded most often in the 2nd class, this is usually meant when referring to the Mannerheim Cross.
			The honour, proposed by and named after ] ], was introduced after the ] on 16 December 1940. Associated with the ], the decoration was awarded to soldiers for exceptional bravery, for the achievement of crucially important objectives by combat, or for especially successfully conducted operations. Unlike other awards associated with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the awarding of either class of the Mannerheim Cross was not influenced by the military rank of the recipient.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|pp=9–10}}

			The cross is awarded as either Mannerheim Cross of Liberty 1st Class or as Mannerheim Cross of Liberty 2nd Class. No special requirements differing from 2nd class were laid out for The Mannerheim Cross 1st Class. Within the ] of Finnish awards, the Mannerheim Cross 1st Class ranks 5th and the Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class ranks 9th.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|pp=9–10}} A recipient of the cross is called "Knight of the Mannerheim Cross".{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994}}{{sfn\|Kivimäki\|Strömberg\|2020}}
	No special requirements differing from the Mannerheim Cross 2nd class were laid out for the Mannerheim Cross 1st class. It has been awarded only twice, to the Commander-in-Chief, Marshal ] and general ].

			Like the crosses of the ], the design of the Mannerheim Cross displays the Old Scandinavian ], albeit in different colors and with added decorative elements. The 1st class cross is worn as a ], while the 2nd class cross is worn on the chest.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|pp=19–20}}
	Mannerheim Cross Second Class has been awarded to 191 persons, all during ]. Four persons have been awarded it twice. '']'', the decoration is still active and can be awarded to any Finnish soldier, although it is highly unlikely that this would be done during peacetime or even in a minor conflict. (Decree 550/1946 on the Order of the Cross of Liberty)

			The award was associated with a monetary prize in 1943. Originally planned to be a lifetime pension, the prize was eventually set at 50,000 ]s, approximately equivalent to a ]'s annual salary.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|pp=9–10}}
	Since the presidency of ], all surviving recipients of Mannerheim Cross have been invited to the Independence Day Reception, hosted by the president. By tradition they are also the first guests to enter.

	== ~~Notable~~ Knights of the Mannerheim Cross ==		==Knights of the Mannerheim Cross==
			{{main\|List of Mannerheim Cross recipients}}
	* ], ], Chief Quartermaster General (chief of operations at the GHQ) - (] ])
			] hands the Mannerheim Cross to cadet ] in September 1942.]]
	* ], ], infantry regiment commander - (], ])
			The Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class has been awarded to 191 persons. The first cross was awarded to ] ] on 22 July 1941.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|pp=13–17}} The first ] to be awarded the cross was ], who was awarded his cross on 3 August 1941 for destroying four enemy tanks with a sightless anti-tank gun taken from the enemy, by aiming the gun through its bore.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|p=13}}{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|p=352}} The last cross was awarded to ] {{ill\|Viljo Laakso\|fi}} on 7 May 1945.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|p=17}}
	* ], ], army commander and Chief of General Staff - (] ])
	* ], ], Inspector of Artillery - (] ])
	* ], ], Commander-in-Chief - (] ])
	* ], ], infantry brigade and division commander - (] ])
	* ], ], Commander of the Isthmus Forces - (] ])
	* ], ], army corps commander - (] ])
	* ], ], infantry company commander - (] ])
	* ], ], defence minister - (], ])
	* ], ], army corps commander - (] ])

			A total of four persons have been awarded the Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class twice. Both ] ] and Colonel ] received their second crosses on 16 October 1944. They were followed by '']'' ] and ] ], who both received their second awards on 26 June 1944.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|p=17}} These double-awardees were given a small clasp, consisting of two crossed ]s, to be worn above the cross.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|p=10}}
	== People who were decorated twice ==
	Both 1st and 2nd Class crosses
	* ], ], Commander-in-Chief - both on ] ]
	* ], ], army commander and Chief of General Staff - 2nd Class on ] ], 1st Class on ] ]

			The first recipient of the Mannerheim Cross 1st Class was its namesake, ] ], who accepted it together with a Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class from President of the Republic ] on 7 October 1941 after all the previous awardees had requested him to accept the award.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|p=10}} The only other recipient of the Mannerheim Cross 1st Class is ] ], who received it on 31 December 1944,{{sfn\|Åkerblom\|1959}}{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|p=13}} following an earlier Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class on 5 February 1942.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|p=74}}

			The awardees of the Mannerheim Cross were predominately young, with 72 % of the awardees being 35 years of age or younger. Only 7 of the recipients were 51 or older, with the oldest recipient being Mannerheim himself. The crosses were awarded primarily to personnel from the army, with 159 recipients in the infantry. Five crosses were awarded to navy personnel, and a further 19 to air force personnel.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|pp=453–454}} Crosses were rarely awarded posthumously, with only six citations noting that the award was posthumous.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|p=21}}
	Two 2nd Class crosses
	* ], ], infantry division commander - first on ] ], second on ] ]
	* ], ], infantry regiment commander - first on ] ], second on ] ]
	* ], Warrant Officer, fighter pilot - first on ] ], second on ] ]
	* ], ], fighter pilot - first on ] ], second on ] ]

			Starting from the presidency of ], all surviving recipients of the Mannerheim Cross were invited annually on 6 December to Finland's ]. By tradition they were the first guests to enter and greet the president.{{sfn\|Kivimäki\|Strömberg\|2020}}{{sfn\|Huhtanen\|2020}}
	==See also==
	*]

			], the last living Knight of the Mannerheim Cross, died on 1 November 2020.{{sfn\|Kivimäki\|Strömberg\|2020}}
	== External link ==

			==Foundation of the Knights of the Mannerheim Cross==

			The first gathering of the Knights for the funeral of Mannerheim on 4 February 1951, where eight knights acted as ]s, resulted in a founding of the Foundation of the Knights of the Mannerheim Cross.{{sfn\|Huhtanen\|2020}}{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|p=487}} The founding documents were signed on 5 March 1954, with the ] assenting to the founding and accepting the rules of the foundation on 8 March 1954.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|p=487}}

			The purpose of the foundation, as laid out in its rules, is to support activities intended to keep up the nationalistic spirit of sacrifice and the national defensive will, while also supporting the Knights of the Mannerheim Cross and their relatives.{{sfn\|Hurmerinta\|Viitanen\|1994\|p=487}}

			==Notable Knights==
			], Captain {{ill\|Juho Pössi\|fi}}, and Corporal ]]]
			], Finland.]]

			* ], Field Marshal, Commander-in-Chief – 1st and 2nd Class on 7 October 1941
			* ], General of Infantry, army commander and Chief of General Staff – 2nd Class on 5 February 1942, 1st Class on 31 December 1944
			* ], Colonel, infantry regiment commander – 2nd Class on 1 March 1942, again on 16 October 1944
			* ], {{lang\|fi\|Lentomestari}}, fighter pilot – 2nd Class on 26 April 1942, again on 28 June 1944
			* ], Major-General, infantry division commander – 2nd Class on 14 September 1941, again on 16 October 1944
			* ], Captain, fighter pilot – 2nd Class on 31 July 1943, again on 28 June 1944
			* ], Lieutenant-General, Chief Quartermaster General chief of operations at the GHQ – 18 November 1944
			* ], Colonel, infantry regiment commander – 4 December 1944
			* ], Colonel, infantry brigade and division commander – 22 July 1941
			* ], General of Artillery, Inspector of Artillery – 8 January 1945
			* ], Lieutenant-General, Commander of the Isthmus Forces – 26 June 1944
			* ], Colonel, division commander – 3 August 1941
			* ], Lieutenant-General, army corps commander – 21 December 1944
			* ], Major-General, army corps commander – 3 August 1941
			* ], Lieutenant, later Captain, infantry company commander – 9 July 1944
			* ], General of Infantry, Minister of Defense – 2 December 1944
			* ], Private, later Staff Sergeant
			* ], Captain
			* ], Captain, he was Knight of the Mannerheim Cross number 95 and last living of the 191 knights

			==Notes==
			{{Reflist}}

			==References==
			* {{Cite news\|author-last=Huhtanen\|author-first=Jarmo\|title=Erinomaisesta urheudesta\|trans-title=For Exceptional Bravery\|date=8 November 2020\|url=https://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/art-2000007606528.html\|work=]\|language=Finnish\|url-access=subscription}}
			* {{cite book\|title=Suomen puolesta: Mannerheim-ristin ritarit 1941–1945\|trans-title=For Finland: Knights of the Mannerheim Cross 1941–1945\|editor1-last=Hurmerinta\|editor1-first=Ilmari\|editor2-last=Viitanen\|editor2-first=Jukka\|year=1994\|isbn=951-9440-28-3\|publisher=Ajatus\|language=Finnish}}
			* {{Cite news\|author1-last=Kivimäki\|author1-first=Petri\|author2-last=Strömberg\|author2-first=Jari\|title=Viimeinen Mannerheim-ristin ritari Tuomas Gerdt on kuollut\|trans-title=The last Knight of the Mannerheim Cross has died\|date=1 November 2020\|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11625359\|work=]\|language=Finnish}}
			* {{Cite AV media \|people=Åkerblom, Olle (cinematography) \|title=Kunniamerkkien esittelyä \|publisher=Yle \|work=Yle Areena \|date=6 September 2011 \|orig-date=24 March 1959 \|access-date=11 December 2020 \|url= https://areena.yle.fi/1-50096206 \|language=fi\|time=2:15\|ref={{harvid\|Åkerblom\|1959}}}}

			==External links==
			{{Commonscat\|Mannerheim Cross}}
	* (Mannerheim.fi)		* (Mannerheim.fi)
	*		*

			{{Highest Awards for gallantry}}
	]
	]

	]		]
			]
	]
			]
	]
			]

Latest revision as of 11:55, 30 October 2024

Award

Mannerheim Cross of Liberty
Mannerheim Cross 1st Class (above) and 2nd Class (below). Crossed batons indicate a second award of a 2nd class cross.
Type	Medal, two classes
Awarded for	"Exceptional bravery, for the achievement of crucially important objectives by combat, or for especially successfully conducted operations."
Presented by	Finland
Eligibility	Military personnel
Status	Still active de jure
First awarded	July 22, 1941
Last awarded	May 7, 1945
Total	197
Total recipients	191

The Mannerheim Cross (Finnish: Mannerheim-risti, Swedish: Mannerheimkorset), officially Mannerheim Cross of the Cross of Liberty (Finnish: Vapaudenristin Mannerheim-risti, Swedish: Frihetskorsets Mannerheimkors) is the most distinguished Finnish military honour. A total of 191 people received the cross between 22 July 1941 and 7 May 1945, with six of the recipients receiving a cross twice. Available in two classes, the 1st class medal has only been awarded twice, with both recipients also having received the medal in the 2nd class. Although still active de jure, no crosses have been awarded since 1945. Tuomas Gerdt, the last living Knight of the Mannerheim Cross, died on 1 November 2020.

Description

The honour, proposed by and named after Field Marshal Gustaf Mannerheim, was introduced after the Winter War on 16 December 1940. Associated with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the decoration was awarded to soldiers for exceptional bravery, for the achievement of crucially important objectives by combat, or for especially successfully conducted operations. Unlike other awards associated with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the awarding of either class of the Mannerheim Cross was not influenced by the military rank of the recipient.

The cross is awarded as either Mannerheim Cross of Liberty 1st Class or as Mannerheim Cross of Liberty 2nd Class. No special requirements differing from 2nd class were laid out for The Mannerheim Cross 1st Class. Within the order of precedence of Finnish awards, the Mannerheim Cross 1st Class ranks 5th and the Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class ranks 9th. A recipient of the cross is called "Knight of the Mannerheim Cross".

Like the crosses of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the design of the Mannerheim Cross displays the Old Scandinavian Fylfot, albeit in different colors and with added decorative elements. The 1st class cross is worn as a necklet, while the 2nd class cross is worn on the chest.

The award was associated with a monetary prize in 1943. Originally planned to be a lifetime pension, the prize was eventually set at 50,000 Finnish marks, approximately equivalent to a lieutenant's annual salary.

Knights of the Mannerheim Cross

Main article: List of Mannerheim Cross recipients

The Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class has been awarded to 191 persons. The first cross was awarded to Colonel Ruben Lagus on 22 July 1941. The first private to be awarded the cross was Vilho Rättö, who was awarded his cross on 3 August 1941 for destroying four enemy tanks with a sightless anti-tank gun taken from the enemy, by aiming the gun through its bore. The last cross was awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Viljo Laakso [fi] on 7 May 1945.

A total of four persons have been awarded the Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class twice. Both General Major Aaro Pajari and Colonel Martti Aho received their second crosses on 16 October 1944. They were followed by Lentomestari Ilmari Juutilainen and Captain Hans Wind, who both received their second awards on 26 June 1944. These double-awardees were given a small clasp, consisting of two crossed marshal's batons, to be worn above the cross.

The first recipient of the Mannerheim Cross 1st Class was its namesake, Field Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim, who accepted it together with a Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class from President of the Republic Risto Ryti on 7 October 1941 after all the previous awardees had requested him to accept the award. The only other recipient of the Mannerheim Cross 1st Class is General of Infantry Erik Heinrichs, who received it on 31 December 1944, following an earlier Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class on 5 February 1942.

The awardees of the Mannerheim Cross were predominately young, with 72 % of the awardees being 35 years of age or younger. Only 7 of the recipients were 51 or older, with the oldest recipient being Mannerheim himself. The crosses were awarded primarily to personnel from the army, with 159 recipients in the infantry. Five crosses were awarded to navy personnel, and a further 19 to air force personnel. Crosses were rarely awarded posthumously, with only six citations noting that the award was posthumous.

Starting from the presidency of Martti Ahtisaari, all surviving recipients of the Mannerheim Cross were invited annually on 6 December to Finland's Independence Day Reception. By tradition they were the first guests to enter and greet the president.

Tuomas Gerdt, the last living Knight of the Mannerheim Cross, died on 1 November 2020.

Foundation of the Knights of the Mannerheim Cross

The first gathering of the Knights for the funeral of Mannerheim on 4 February 1951, where eight knights acted as pallbearers, resulted in a founding of the Foundation of the Knights of the Mannerheim Cross. The founding documents were signed on 5 March 1954, with the Ministry of Justice assenting to the founding and accepting the rules of the foundation on 8 March 1954.

The purpose of the foundation, as laid out in its rules, is to support activities intended to keep up the nationalistic spirit of sacrifice and the national defensive will, while also supporting the Knights of the Mannerheim Cross and their relatives.

Notable Knights

Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, Field Marshal, Commander-in-Chief – 1st and 2nd Class on 7 October 1941
Erik Heinrichs, General of Infantry, army commander and Chief of General Staff – 2nd Class on 5 February 1942, 1st Class on 31 December 1944
Martti Aho, Colonel, infantry regiment commander – 2nd Class on 1 March 1942, again on 16 October 1944
Ilmari Juutilainen, Lentomestari, fighter pilot – 2nd Class on 26 April 1942, again on 28 June 1944
Aaro Pajari, Major-General, infantry division commander – 2nd Class on 14 September 1941, again on 16 October 1944
Hans Wind, Captain, fighter pilot – 2nd Class on 31 July 1943, again on 28 June 1944
Aksel Airo, Lieutenant-General, Chief Quartermaster General chief of operations at the GHQ – 18 November 1944
Adolf Ehrnrooth, Colonel, infantry regiment commander – 4 December 1944
Ruben Lagus, Colonel, infantry brigade and division commander – 22 July 1941
Vilho Nenonen, General of Artillery, Inspector of Artillery – 8 January 1945
Lennart Oesch, Lieutenant-General, Commander of the Isthmus Forces – 26 June 1944
Erkki Raappana, Colonel, division commander – 3 August 1941
Hjalmar Siilasvuo, Lieutenant-General, army corps commander – 21 December 1944
Paavo Talvela, Major-General, army corps commander – 3 August 1941
Lauri Törni, Lieutenant, later Captain, infantry company commander – 9 July 1944
Rudolf Walden, General of Infantry, Minister of Defense – 2 December 1944
Vilho Rättö, Private, later Staff Sergeant
Olavi Alakulppi, Captain
Tuomas Gerdt, Captain, he was Knight of the Mannerheim Cross number 95 and last living of the 191 knights

Notes

^ Huhtanen 2020.
^ Hurmerinta & Viitanen 1994, pp. 9–10.
Hurmerinta & Viitanen 1994.
^ Kivimäki & Strömberg 2020.
Hurmerinta & Viitanen 1994, pp. 19–20.
Hurmerinta & Viitanen 1994, pp. 13–17.
^ Hurmerinta & Viitanen 1994, p. 13.
Hurmerinta & Viitanen 1994, p. 352.
^ Hurmerinta & Viitanen 1994, p. 17.
^ Hurmerinta & Viitanen 1994, p. 10.
Åkerblom 1959.
Hurmerinta & Viitanen 1994, p. 74.
Hurmerinta & Viitanen 1994, pp. 453–454.
Hurmerinta & Viitanen 1994, p. 21.
^ Hurmerinta & Viitanen 1994, p. 487.

References

Huhtanen, Jarmo (8 November 2020). "Erinomaisesta urheudesta" [For Exceptional Bravery]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish).
Hurmerinta, Ilmari; Viitanen, Jukka, eds. (1994). Suomen puolesta: Mannerheim-ristin ritarit 1941–1945 [For Finland: Knights of the Mannerheim Cross 1941–1945] (in Finnish). Ajatus. ISBN 951-9440-28-3.
Kivimäki, Petri; Strömberg, Jari (1 November 2020). "Viimeinen Mannerheim-ristin ritari Tuomas Gerdt on kuollut" [The last Knight of the Mannerheim Cross has died]. Yle (in Finnish).
Åkerblom, Olle (cinematography) (6 September 2011) . Kunniamerkkien esittelyä [Kunniamerkkejä]. Yle Areena (in Finnish). Yle. Event occurs at 2:15. Retrieved 11 December 2020.

External links

Information about the decoration (Mannerheim.fi)
List of all Knights of the Mannerheim Cross

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