COMMANDER // 1897–1973
Paavo Talvela
Lifespan
1897 – 1973
Active service 1939–1941 — 3 battles across 2 wars; first command at age 42.
Profile
Paavo Juho Talvela was a Finnish general of the infantry and a member of the Jäger movement. He commanded major formations during the Winter War and the Continuation War, leading Finnish forces to victory at the Battle of Tolvajärvi in December 1939, and was the second person ever to receive the Mannerheim Cross. From 1942 to 1944 he served as the Finnish army's representative at the German high command. Talvela had earlier participated in the Eastern Front of World War I, the Finnish Civil War and the Finnish Kinship Wars.
Battles (3)
1939
Battle of TolvajärviWinter War · Finland
1941
Battle of PorlampiContinuation War · Finland
1941