Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim of Finland (1867-1951)

The most admirable war hero from Finland, Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, was regarded more as a soldier than a ruler. He astounded the world with his heroic courage. Mannerheim, who was raised in a privileged Helsinki household, was disciplined from an early age. Shortly before Finland gained independence in 1917, he served in the Russian Army. During the Finnish Civil War, Russian soldiers were driven out of Finland, which helped him become a regent for Finland in 1918.

During 1939–1940, the entire world watched his remarkable achievement. It was an amazing feat to hold out against a massive Soviet army for 105 days without giving up. To reclaim its territory, Finland joined forces with the Nazis to attack the Soviet Union. But because Germany was weaker, they failed. Following Mannerheim's election as president in 1944, a peace accord was eventually reached between Finland and the Soviet Union. In 1946, Mannerheim resigned as a result of a decline in his health.