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Mannerheim: The Years of Preparation

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Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim is to Finnish history what George Washington is to American history. Both were soldier-statesman involved in huge political,social and military upheavals both in their younger careers and even more so in their more senior years. However unlike Washington, who was separated by 3,400 miles of ocean from his powerful foe,Mannerheim in World War2 had to contend with an enemy just over the border. Three years ago a Finnish diplomat in Canberra sent me JEO Screen's small- but excellent- book (159 pages),' Mannerheim-The Years of Preparation,' a publication that concentrates on the great Finnish Marshal's early life. From aristocratic stock, Mannerheim entered the Russian cavalry(Finland's sovereign at that stage was the Czar)and like the young Washington, and indeed the young Winston Churchill, was always involved in larger-than-life events.Whether at ceremonial functions, such as the coronation of Czar Nicholas the Second,or fighting in the Russo-Japanese War(1904-5), Mannerheim was always to the forefront, being involved in reconnaissance work in the Battle of Mudken,having his horse shot from under him on one patrol. Screen notes that Mannerheim's fearless bravery in the ill-fated Manchurian campaign would be repeated many times during and after World War 1. Indeed. Between 1906-08 Mannerheim turned into a latter-day Marco Polo with his great horseback expedition, on behalf of the Russian Army, across Asia. Ostensibly he was to accompany a French professor, Paul Pelliot, on an archaeological tour but in reality he was to gather political and military intelligence for the Russian General Staff whose interest in China stemmed from their expansionist dreams (something Mannerheim would have to confront later as Finnish C-I-C in the Winter War of 1939-40). It has to be remembered that Russo-Chinese relations were as strained in this period as they would become half a century later during the Cold War period. Screen gives the reader a brief historical context to Mannerheim's mission. This book is like an entree, it leaves you wanting more and there is so much more about the man who became the greatest Finn of all.Unfortunately Screen finishes his book with Mannerheim departing a disintegrating Russia, controlled by the Red mob, and a brief summary.Perhaps, the book could have been extended somewhat to include more about the declaration of independence period and the ensuing White-Red struggles for control of Finland's soul. Nevertheless this a fine book about the early life of a great man from a small country. _

This is an excellent, well written book which fills in many of the details of the Marshal's life which he omitted from his memoirs. His modesty and sense of privacy caused him to neglect to discuss many aspects of his life, his achievements, feelings, concerns with social reform, and a few events which he might have considered to be failures. The book presents a clear picture of a very complex and honorable man liing in turbulant times. He comes through as a very human person.

There are a great many details of his life which I have never before read. I highly recommend this book to those who hold the Marshal in high esteem and to any who enjoy reading about very accomplished MAN.

Was there ever a wiser statesman than Mannerheim? In every stage of his career he generally found himself the wisest man in the room. This well-researched book shows how the father of independent Finland (his weakest language) acquired his knowlege of things military and the world.

Mannerheim was of the old Swedish nobility who effortless had made the transition between loyalty to the king of Sweden to loyalty to the Tsar. This group which made up about 10% of the population and made up a large segment of the elite. Being nobility, Mannerheim had few career options particularly after his father went bankrupt. After a rather disasterous tenure in Swedish military school, he managed to make his way to St Petersburg where the combination of a military career and advantageous marriage allowed him to enjoy the high life of the waning days of Tsarist Russia.

J.E.O Screen tells Mannerheim's story succinctly and well, covering Mannerheim's career in the Russo-Japanese War, his espionage trip through Central Asia, and his career in WWI where he won the Order of St George for heroism. The book concludes with Mannerheim leaving St Petersburg for Helsinki and an uncertain future. It is this later period which showed Mannerheim in all his greatness. This book showed how he was able to reach these heights of glory.

In many of the earlier accounts of Mannerheim's life, particularly Finnish ones, Mannerheim appears on stage in 1918, fully-formed and ready to take the lead. This book focuses in on the least-known part of Field Marshal Mannerheim's life - his early years and the time he spent in the Imperial Russian Army up until the Bolshevik Revolution. His happy childhood in an aristocratic Finnish home was ended by his father's banlruptcy and his mother's death. He was sent away to a military school, which he hatedand from which he was eventually expelled. The military life itself did appeal to him however, and, like many other Finns in the nineteenth century, when Finland was a Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire, he entered the Russian Army where he served as a cavalry officer in both Guards and Line Regiments.

His service included fighting in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905 and a 2 year reconnaisance expedition through the border provinces of China in 1906-8. He fought through the First World War - at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution he was a Lieutenant-General commanding a Cavalry Corps. During WW1, he was a protege of General Brusilov (the "Brusiolc Offensive - one of the more successful offensive actions in WW1 and to date one of the battles with the most casualties of any in history). He returned to Finland as a refugee but almost overnight assumed the historic role of Commander-in-Chief of the White Army which he led to victory in the Finnish Civil War of 1918. For the rest of his life, he was one of the most controversial and important political figures in Finland.

Mannerheim's opinions and policies as a Finnish soldier and statesman were deeply influenced by his experiences in Russia. By taking a fresh look at Mannerheim's early career in Russia, this book makes his later involvment in the development of independent Finland easier to understand.

Contents
I - The Formative Years
II - Early Years in Russia
III - Across Asia
IV - Last Years in Russia
V - The Years of Preparation

At only 159 Pages, this is a short book. There's 4 B&W photos, 4 Maps and an extensive bibliography. First published 1970. It's best read immediately prior to the author's subsequent book, Mannerheim - The Finnish Year (which was only published in 2000). However, it's interesting. If you're interested in Mannerheim, it's well worth the money and quite well-written.

The author, J E O Screen, was Librarian of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at the University of London from 1972 to 1988. He's written a number of other books and articles on aspects of Finland's military history.