Heindrichs file photo [9527]

Erik Heinrichs

SurnameHeinrichs
Given NameErik
Born21 Jul 1890
Died16 Nov 1965
CountryFinland
CategoryMilitary-Ground
GenderMale

Contributor:

ww2dbaseAxel Erik Heinrichs was a German-trained Jaeger soldier with the Royal Prussian 27th Jäger Battalion between 1915 and 1918. During the Finnish Civil War, he fought on the side of the White Guard and participated in the battles at Tampere and Viipuri. When Russia invaded Finland and started the Winter War, he was assigned the Finnish III Army Corps. On 19 Feb 1940, he was assigned as the commanding officer of the Army of Karelian Isthmus. In Jun 1940, he was made the Chief of the General Staff. In 1941, he was promoted to the rank of general. When the Continuation War began in Jun 1941, he returned to the Army of Karelian Isthmus as its commanding officer, holding that position until Jan 1942, after which he was again appointed the Chief of the General Staff. In 1944, he was awarded the Mannerheim Cross, First Class; he was the second person to receive the award. After the war, he was implicated in the Weapons Cache Case, in which small arms were hidden in a great number of caches around Finland in case of the need for a guerilla war against the potential post-war Soviet occupation. He resigned from his post as the Army's commander-in-chief due to the incident, but remained influential in military circles.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Feb 2010

Erik Heinrichs Interactive Map

Photographs

Portrait of Heindrichs, 1938President Kyösti Kallio of Finland and Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim at Helsinki railway station, Finland, 19 Dec 1940; Risto Ryti, Lieutenant General Erik Heindrichs, and Colonel Aladár Paasonen in backgroundFinnish Army Lieutenant General Erik Heindrichs, Colonel Ruben Lagus, and Major General Paavo Talvela in discussion in the field, Finland, summer 1941Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim and Aksel Airo studying a map, Finland, circa 1941-1944; Erik Heinrichs in background
See all 5 photographs of Erik Heinrichs

Erik Heinrichs Timeline

21 Jul 1890 Erik Heinrichs was born.
12 Jan 1945 General Erik Heinrichs was placed in charge of Finland's defense forces.
16 Nov 1965 Erik Heinrichs passed away.




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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Lloyd English says:
1 Mar 2010 11:44:16 AM

I was a P-51 Fighter Pilot stationed on Iwo Jima. Flew 10 missions. Would like to hear from any P-51 pilot. I was in 72nd "Fgt. Sq., 21th Fighter Group.
2. Mark Stevens says:
25 Oct 2010 09:02:47 PM

Lloyd, contact me at stevensm at yahoo dot com. I am the 7th FC President and historian for your group.

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Erik Heinrichs Photo Gallery
Portrait of Heindrichs, 1938
See all 5 photographs of Erik Heinrichs


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