- Paavo Susitaival
Lieutenant Colonel Paavo Susitaival (April 9 ,1896 –December 27 ,1993 ), born PaavoSivén , was a Finnishauthor ,soldier andpolitician . Paavo Sivén and his brother,Bobi Sivén were prominent figures in the Finnish interwar Nationalist movement. Paavo had acquired his reputation smuggling volunteers toGermany to enlist in the 27. Imperial Jaeger Battalion; Bobi gained his by being the last alderman ofPorajärvi municipality before the ratification of theTreaty of Tartu who shot himself rather than acknowledge the cessation of Porajärvi and Repola to theSoviet Union .Paavo Sivén adopted the name Susitaival (Wolfspath in English) during the
First World War to throw off the Czar's secret service. Later, during theFinnish Civil War he attempted to enlist in the Finnish Army, only to realize that he - or rather, one of his pseudonyms - had already been appointed Captain in the Army, while he under his real name was listed as a draft-dodger. After the war, continued as a career soldier. He changed his name permanently to Susitaival in protest against theSvecoman sentiment in theFinnish Army , after attending a Army Cadet School church services where the Swedish-speaking cadets would not take communion with Finnish-speaking cadets.Susitaival participated in the
Rebellion of Mäntsälä in a minor role. Representing the Finnishfar-right partyIKL , Susitaival was elected as a member of theFinnish parliament in 1939. His career in the parliament was short lived, as at the beginning of theWinter War he chose to apply for active duty, one of only three Finnish MPs to do so.During the Winter War Susitaival served as a Lieutenant Colonel, commanding Osasto Susi in the
Battle of Suomussalmi . He also held various command positions in theContinuation War . Despite his leadership skills and charisma, his abrasive, demanding character and a personal feud with Marshal Mannerheim, among other prominent officers, was the cause of him never advancing beyond that rank.After the war, Paavo Susitaival retired from the Army and lived as an author in
Lappeenranta , where a street is named after him. In later life, his physical condition worsened but he never lost his mental acumen. In spite of being a heavy smoker (reputedly consuming at least one bag of pipe tobacco per day after the age of 14) and a avid coffee-drinker, he died at the age of 96. In his will, he requested that he should be buried with his officer's sword, in order that future archaeologists would know that his grave was that of a soldier.
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