A Soldier Under Three Flags: The Exploits of Special Forces' Captain Larry A. Thorne [Paperback]

H. A. Gill III (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0934793654 | ISBN-13: 978-0934793650 | Publication Date: April 1, 1998

A captivating story about controversial war hero Larry A. Thorne who during World War II fought against the Russians, under the Finnish flag and later under the German flag. He won every medal for bravery that Finland could bestow during the conflict with the Soviet Union. Leading a special hand-picked unit, Thorne operated deep behind enemy lines for extended periods. Later, Thorne fled to the United States, joined the Green Berets, and became an officer and a legend.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A fast paced, exciting biography of one of the legends of the U.S. Army Special Forces.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Pathfinder Publishing (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0934793654
• ISBN-13: 978-0934793650
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,952,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #98 in Books > History > Europe > Finland

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Excellent topic for a Biography-Superficial Treatment, October 5, 1999

By A Customer

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This review is from: A Soldier Under Three Flags: The Exploits of Special Forces' Captain Larry A. Thorne (Paperback)

Soldier Under Three Flags relates the story of Larry Thorne (Lauri Torni) a Finnish soldier who emigrated to the US and had a distinguished career in Special Forces. One might imagine this would be a great subject for a biography but unfortunately, this book does not do justice to its subject. Thorne's Finnish military service is rife with inaccuracies, reflecting some poor research. For instance we read that during the Winter War, "the Scandinavian midnight sun lowered Russian (sic) soldiers morale", and "they disliked the forests...which they called the 'White Death' [Byelo Smert]." Well, "midnight sun" refers to the almost continual sunlight during the SUMMER. No one who's been to Finland in the winter could possibly mistake the almost permanent darkness for the midnight sun. Also, "Byelo Smert" refers to the white uniforms of the SOLDIERS not the forest. Finally, the author is less than fully forthcoming in Torni's association with the Waffen SS. He did attend training as the text describes, but he also fought in the Finnish SS battalion, which was part of the "Nordland" SS Division. In describing Torni's subsequent SF career the author appears more comfortable with the subject matter. However, battles are discussed very generally, with no details on his combat leadership, and there are no stories by those who knew him best-his troops. At best we get variations on, "he was a great soldier, and a great guy" nothing more. Finally, the author needlessly complicates his narrative by referring to Thorne/Torni's by the pseudonyms he used as he changed his name throughout his life; confusing to say the least. As a cursory account of this fascinating character's life this book may be acceptable, but it's basic errors regarding the Winter and Continuation Wars make it suspect for any more than the most basic background.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor home work for Gill, October 2, 2000

By 

Juha Tuominen (Toijala Finland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Soldier Under Three Flags: The Exploits of Special Forces' Captain Larry A. Thorne (Paperback)

Gill is really superficial in this book. The overall story is quite fascinating, to say the least, but there are so many inaccuracies in the book that it should not have been published at all. I personally found the book unpleasant to read, because Gill had used the Finnish words for the most important terms. And mostly wrong. As a Finn, I find it troubling and makes reading uneasy. It also makes me wonder about other facts which have been presented in this book. I also did not understand why there was a photo of the former president Mauno Koivisto presented but no story attached. Maybe there was a reason?

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Subject-Superficial Treatment, September 30, 1999

By 

J. Collins (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Soldier Under Three Flags: The Exploits of Special Forces' Captain Larry A. Thorne (Paperback)

"Soldier Under Three Flags" attempts to portray the life of US Army Captain Larry Thorne (Lauri Torni). This man is a legend in both the Finnish and American armies; his exploits definitely deserve documentation. Unfortunately, this isn't it. The book is written in a, well, superficial style. Battle scenes on the Eastern Front that would be excellent vehicles to show Torni's maturing leadership and command style are only sketchily covered, and numerous inaccuracies detract from the subject at hand. For example, we read that due to the "Scandinavian (Finland is not technically Scandinavia) midnight sun, dense forest" etc the Russians suffered low morale during the Winter War. Well, I've been in Finland during the winter and there ain't NO sun at all. "Midnight Sun" actually refers to almost continous daylight during the summer. Also, the author can't get simple German phrases accurate: "zu Befehl" does not mean "at once"-that word is "sofort", it literally means, "at (your) orders, and "werewolf" in German is simply "werwolf" not "werwulf". When Captain Thorne emigrates to America, and joins Special Forces, the author seems to be on more comfortable ground, with better flow up to the end of the book. All in all, for a very generalized, and inaccurate in spots, accounting of a Finnish and American patriot, and combat leader this may suffice. The historian however, needs to look elsewhere.