Karl Lennart Oesch

Karl Lennart Oesch was one of Finland's leading generals during World War II. He served as Chief of the General Staff of the Finnish Defence Forces from 1930 to 1940 and again in 1944, and commanded major operations during both the Winter War and the Continuation War. At the end of the Continuation War he commanded three Finnish army corps on the Karelian Isthmus during the decisive defensive battles of summer 1944, for which he received the Mannerheim Cross. After the war, he was tried and convicted for war crimes relating to the treatment of Soviet prisoners of war.