Erik Heinrichs
Surname | Heinrichs |
Given Name | Erik |
Born | 21 Jul 1890 |
Died | 16 Nov 1965 |
Country | Finland |
Category | Military-Ground |
Gender | Male |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
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
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. |
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Visitor Submitted Comments
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.
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
- » WW2DB's 19th Anniversary (29 Dec 2023)
- » Looted Painting "Madonna with Child" Returned to Poland (2 Jun 2023)
- » Wreck of USS Mannert L. Abele Found (29 May 2023)
- » Wreck of Montevideo Maru Found (25 Apr 2023)
- » Accidental Detonation of a WW2-Era Bomb in Great Yarmouth (10 Feb 2023)
- » See all news
- » 1,145 biographies
- » 336 events
- » 43,415 timeline entries
- » 1,237 ships
- » 349 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 372 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 259 facilities
- » 468 book reviews
- » 28,364 photos
- » 432 maps
Joachim von Ribbentrop, German Foreign Minister, Aug 1939
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!
Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!
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.