Finland at War by Vesa Nenye

Author:Vesa Nenye
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472813596
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2019-12-05T16:00:00+00:00

Paavo Susitaival, born Paavo Sivén, was a right-wing radical and a devout Civil Guard soldier. Together with his brother Bobi, they were probably two of the first boy scouts in Finland. Paavo was active in the Jäger movement, but was unable to make it to Germany for training, as both Russian and Finnish officials were monitoring the movements of his family closely.

During the Finnish Civil War, Susitaival served as a company commander. In 1921, Bobi committed suicide as a political protest over the lands lost following the Treaty of Tartu. Paavo resigned from the armed forces in order to continue his brother’s work of fomenting an uprising in the lost territory of Repola.

As a lieutenant-colonel, Susitaival participated in the Mäntsälä Rebellion, which resulted in him being discharged in 1932. The following year he took up a position as section commander in the Isänmaallinen Kansanliike (IKL – Patriotic People’s Movement), an anti-communist, nationalistic party. In 1934 his overt contempt for the government earned him a short prison sentence. Despite his convictions and previous record, Susitaival was elected as a member of parliament as a representative of the IKL in 1939.

Although politicians rarely served on the front, Susitaival was made the leader of Task Force Susi upon his own request.

In the Continuation War, Susitaival led the 29th Infantry Regiment in the offensive phase of 1941. Following this, he became the vice commander of the garrison in the captured city of Äänislinna.

He never progressed past the rank of lieutenant-colonel due to his abrasive personality and resulting personal feuds with prominent officers, including Mannerheim himself. According to Susitaival’s own words, his life consisted of, ‘Three wars, two rebellions, four trips to prison and regrettably one stint in Parliament’.

After the war, he retired from the army and focused on writing. An avid pipe smoker, he took his last puff at the ripe old age of 96.

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