Aarne Sihvo

Aarne Sihvo was a Finnish general and politician, born on November 22, 1889, in Virolahti and died in Helsinki on June 12, 1963. He first studied medicine at the University of Helsinki, but his path changed as Finland moved toward independence and conflict.

He became part of the Finnish Jäger movement, receiving military training in Germany during World War I. In 1918 he played an important role in the Finnish Civil War, commanding White forces in Karelia and later the Karelian Corps. Alongside his military career, he also served in Finland’s Parliament from 1919 to 1920 as a representative of the National Progressive Party.

Sihvo went on to become one of the most prominent leaders of the Finnish Defence Forces, serving as Chief of Defence from 1926 to 1933 and again from 1946 to 1953. He is remembered as an important builder of Finland’s military leadership in the country’s first decades of independence.