COMMANDER // 1892–1978
Lennart Oesch
lieutenant generalRussian Empire1 battle1 war
Lifespan
1892 – 1978
Active service 1918 — 1 battle across 1 war; first command at age 26.
Profile
Karl Lennart Oesch was one of Finland's leading generals during World War II. He served as Chief of the General Staff of the Finnish Defence Forces from 1930 to 1940 and again in 1944, and commanded major operations during both the Winter War and the Continuation War. At the end of the Continuation War he commanded three Finnish army corps on the Karelian Isthmus during the decisive defensive battles of summer 1944, for which he received the Mannerheim Cross. After the war, he was tried and convicted for war crimes relating to the treatment of Soviet prisoners of war.
Battles (1)
1918
Battle of RautuFinnish Civil War · Finnish Whites