Mannerheim: President, Soldier, Spy

Probably no leader was more improbable that Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim. He was part of the old line Swedish nobility that to this day still make up a tenth of the population of Finland. Though he was fluent in Swedish, Russian, and French for most of his life, he only learned Finnish in his 50s and then when he was the chief military leader of Finland. He was cavalry officer in time in which horses were becoming obsolete in modern warfare. He was an aristocrat in a time in which democratic and totalitarian processes were seeping into the political firmament (much to confusion of Mannerheim). This multi-faceted life is given the full treatment in Jonathan Clements' biography, Mannerheim: "President, Soldier and Spy."Mannerheim's career as a soldier began in the imperial Russian army. This career narrowly came off. He was expelled as a cadet from an institution that now features his picture on the wall of every classroom. Mannerheim embodied the high living Chevalier Guards lifestyle in the Russian capital. If one looks closely at pictures of Tsar Nicholas II's coronation, there is Mannerheim standing to his right. Mannerheim did not have a problem as a Finn serving in the Imperial Army. In his home in Helsinki, which operates as a public museum, there are autographed pictures of the Romanovs on the piano and elsewhere. Had the 1917 revolution not taken place, Mannerheim could have lived out his life as a member of the Russian military.Clements' biography largely follows the traditional narrative of other biographies of Mannerheim and relies in some sections on secondary sources. However the section that sets this book apart is the one that deals with Mannerheim's career as a spy in China. Following the Russo-Japanese, there was some concern about China and whether or not it could prove to be as problematic in the Far East as Japan had been. Mannerheim's characteristic take on the struggle for influence in Far East with Japan that it was perfect example of how not to fight a war. Mannerheim had two outstanding talents, which served him well in this expedition, the ability to choose good horses and outstanding skill at map-making. Both would stand him in good stead as he moved along the Silk Road into China and played his roleMannerheim was attached to a French archeological expedition by way of cover. This was probably not the best fit had authorities been more alert. Mannerheim and Paul Pelliot frequently clashed as they made their way to China. Although Mannerheim sent back a number of artifacts to Finnish museums (and as the contents of his house illustrate, bought back a number of things himself), Mannerheim missed out on the cache of Silk Road era documents at Dunhuang. These documents, which are one of the greatest archeological finds of the 20th century made Pelliot's reputation. Although Mannerheim failed to realize their value, Pelliot did not. It was one of the few times in which Mannerheim missed out on something.Mannerheim's great moment came when he left his career as soldier behind and as former general of the Tsar's Army moved to preserve the independence of Finland as it sought to safeguard its independence from Soviet Russia.Mannerheim was essentially the spirit of counter-Revolution in 1918 and was perhaps the only effective resistance to the Communists. He was also the only competent military leader that the White Finnish government could muster at this point. Along with being the father of the Finnish nation, Mannerheim is also the father of the Finnish military.The inter-war years were a bit of a disappointment for Mannerheim. He managed to secure recognition for Finland at the Versailles treaty, but his domestic political career was largely unsuccessful. In the future, whenever it looked as though Finland would vanish from the map, the Finns would turn to Mannerheim as the savior of the nation and Mannerheim, true to his aristocratic heritage would play this role time and again.Mannerheim served as commander in chief of the armed forces up to the outbreak of hostilities in 1940. He did try and warn his political masters that Finland could not stand up to the might of the Red Army and urged them to attempt a compromise of some sort since the Russians were starting to make demands for territory in Karelia and elsewhere. Mannerheim had resigned when Moscow invaded in 1940, but soon assumed the duties of Finland's war chief.Understanding just how little tactics had changed in the Russian military from Tsarist times to 1940 would prove invaluable in constructing a viable defense of Finland. Knowing that the infantry would be placed behind the tanks, a move that was totally unsuited for the forest fighting that made up the Winter War, enabled Mannerheim to construct a program of hit and run tactics that undermined Soviet planning and maintained Finnish independence. Mannerheim understood the need to bloody the Soviets in order to conclude a peace that left Finland independent and avoided the fate of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.War between Germany and the Soviet Union led to Finland to resume its conflict with the Red Army. Acting on the principle of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" led the Finns to make concessions to Nazi Germany to recapture territory lost during the Winter War as the primary objective of what is known as the "Continuation War." Mannerheim as marshal of Finland worked himself relentlessly and probably endured more than might be expected from a man in his seventies. Perhaps his greatest trial was when Adolf Hitler dropped in for his 75th birthday. Mannerheim despised an upstart such Hitler and underscored this disdain by smoking in front of the German leader, something few others ever even considered,When it became clear that Germany would lose the war, Mannerheim became president of Finland. He negotiated a ceasefire that ensured that Finland would remain independent, probably his greatest monument.Although this biography of Mannerheim is predictable in some ways, it is also very well written and Clements does have a great deal of material on Mannerheim's pre-revolutionary experiences in Central Asia and China. This book is well worth reading.

So, this fellow's name kept cropping up in WWII histories and I finally found this book. It is very useful, to say the least. Having a close study of Finland available helps one to really appreciate the bizarre nature of the European war (and perhaps any war). Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. The book also does a good job of demonstrating the already complex ethnic and class relationships in this country, where Finns were walking on eggshells between Swedish-speaking nobility and the increasingly grabby nature of imperial Russian politics.Mannerheim is a notable embodiment of all these problems, and that he preserved Finnish independence against not only Nazi Germany but also Soviet victory in the east should really be a better known story. Meanwhile, what the reader of this book gets as a bonus is Mannerheim's younger life exploring Asia. How this Indiana Jones of WWII politicians has escaped a Johnny Depp film is a mystery.P.S. The only audio known of Hitler speaking in conversation was made when he was visiting Mannerheim. Easy to find online.

MANNERHEIM WAS FOR FINLAND THE SAME AS SIMON BOLIVAR AND SAN MARTIN FOR SOUTH AMERICAIN 1919 WHEN THE RECENT BORN NATION WAS THREATENED BY THE REDS , HE FOUGHT VALIANTLY AGAINST THEMBUT HIS FINEST HOUR CAME DURING THE WINTER WAR OF 1939 WHEN THE SOVIET ONSLAUGHT,FINLAND FOUGHTALONE LIKE A MODERN DAVID AGINST A MODERN GOLIAT.DURING THE CONTINUATION WAR (1941-1944) FINLAND FOUGHT ALONGSIDE GERMANY , NOT BECAUSE OF PRO-GERMAN SYMPHATIES BUT AGAINST THE SOVIET UNION .IN 1944 AS THE TIDE TURNED AGAINST THE GERMANS MANNERHEIM NEGOTIATED A PEACE WITH THE SOVIETSTHAT ALLOWED FINLAND TO PRESERVE ITS INDEPENDENCE AVOIDING THE TERRIBLE FATE OF THE EASTERNEUROPEAN COUNTRIES.NOWADAYS CONSERVATIVES OF BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC SAY THAT THE WEST DEFEATED COMMUNISMBECAUSE OF THE POLICIES OF RONALD REAGAN AND MARGARET THATCHER, BUT THE REALITY IS THAT STATEMANAND SOLDIER LIKE MANNERHEIM AND HIS LITTLE BUT PROUD AND VALIANT NATION THAT HELD THE FREEDOM LINEAGAINST THE TOTALITARIAN REDS .

"Mannerheim", his name has always fascinated me. Who was this man with a German-sounding name and whose side was he on? All I knew was his involvement with Hitler and the war that took place in Finland so when I became aware of this book and read some of the reviews, I had to lay my hands on a copy. I paid quite a high price for it but now, being three quarters of the way through it I consider it one of my better purchases. His life encompassed so much of the history of my life time and his life experiences were so interesting; breathtaking, in a few instances life threatening; that I despair that he was so frustrated by his opponents in his beloved Finland. Now the Finns honor him, now that Finland has been ground down by the Russian presence. Read this book and learn about a fascinating man of many accomplishments and ever-present danger of "Russification".

Good book and well written. Wasnt dry like I thought it would be.. But as other reviewers have said as well, way too much time was taken up on his China trip. The 1918 civil war, Winter war, Continuation war and Lapland war were crammed into maybe a chapter or so. Seemed like the author wanted to just hurry up and get the book done when it came to that. If you know that going into it, its still a good book and I learned quite a bit from it.

Like Venus de Milo all there is of it is magnificent. Alas the covers of this book are too close together. Mannerheim truly had a unique life. Of twentieth century statesmen only Churchill compares in variety of experience and adventure. I would have liked to have seen more detailed accounts of his life during World War One and the Civil War. The section on his Chinese spy mission seemed overly long at the expense of later events. At any rate I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in this man of whom the impossible was asked and was delivered.

A great biography of a little known great man who fought Lenin’s Bolcheviks in 1917 and Stalin’s communists in 1939-1945. He saved Finland from becoming a Soviet satellite state and laid the foundation of a modern country.

I enjoy books that take me into conversations that are insightful and surprise me with ideas I haven't explored . This book just crams all that the writer had uncovered about the topic and then expects it to be interesting, which it wasn't!

Mannerheim is a fascinating figure - wild undisciplined schoolboy and officer cadet, a serious minded career orientated officer in the Imperial Russian Army; a White general in the Civil War against the Bolsheviks and a successful general who never succumbed to the temptation of imagining that what his country was himself as a dictator 'savior' on white horse riding to the rescue and setting himself up as president/king for life. Very few men who have been in Mannerheim's position have resisted that temptation - only De Gaulle comes to mind as another who resisted that temptation.All the same this book is good and interesting - largely concentrating on his spying journeys in China in Tsarist times (if only the story about his brining back a young catamite from his travels in Tibet and Mongolia were true! But it was a fantasy of a Finnish playwright!) - but it does cover the rest of his life. All the same I do not think Mannerheim has yet received the biography he deserves in English. In the meantime I would recommend anyone really interested to read the chapters on Mannerheim in Richard Luckett's 'White General' - although published 1971 it is still an excellent source.

Very interesting life of one of the 20th Century's forgotten heroes. Mannerheim basically founded modern Finland, kept it alive in the interwar years with no support from the League of Nations, and trod a very delicate path in WW2, to leave Finland one of the few co-belligerents with Germany to come out of the war relatively unscathed. It serves to remind us that not all choices were black and white in WW2, and while people may criticise Finland's stance in WW2, with almost zero support from the Allies (Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland), It's clear to this reader at least they had little choice. Mannerheim comes across as a very complex character, and one of the few faults with this book is that the author does not give us much of an insight into it. It also devotes more pages than necessary to his early career, whereas the real Mannerheim story happens from 1918 to 1946. Nevertheless Very good.

I very much appreciated the detail given and was glad to have Mannerheim's life put in the context of his period and geography. The book is a worthwhile investment. However I would like to have heard more about his personal and family life, and his character as a person