Törni/Thorne shirts & patches:
https://varusteleka.com/products/forgotten-weapons-lauri-torni-t-shirt-cotton
“Born a Soldier: The Times and Life of Larry Thorne” by J. Michael Cleverley; recommended English language book on Thorne:
https://amzn.to/3ZUjni4
Kari Kallonen’s book in Finnish is available here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50744551-lauri-t-rni—mannerheim-ristin-ritari-ja-usa
Today is the first of a two-part biography on Finnish legend Lauri Törni, later known as Larry Thorne. He fought in the Winter War and Continuation War, and was awarded the Mannerheim Cross for his actions in the Continuation War. He also travelled to Germany between the two (and again after the Continuation War), spending some time with the German army. In the early 1950s he emigrated to the United States, joining the US Army and eventually serving several tours in Vietnam.
My guest today is Finnish writer and researcher Kari Kallonen, who has written several books on Törni and was kind enough to join me to share the man’s story…
Actually Turning (sorry, no umlaut on keyboard) served as a Hauptsturmfuehrer in the Finish Volunteer Battlion of the Waffen-SS. This was after Finland pulled out of the war.
‘Torni’. My phone correct my spelling
I would point out that while everyone loves to paint Stalin’s most hated (and, effective at the time…) adversary as the only monster in existence during that period, there is ample evidence in existence (were one to bother looking) to show that Stalin’s nemesis was demonstrably the lesser of two evils from the standpoint of the Finns and Ukrainians. Also to be noted? Vanishingly little in the way of effective support going to Finland while Stalin was raping the place during the Winter War.
Frankly, I don’t blame the Finns a bit for what they did. It isn’t as if they were offered a formal choice between “The Forces of (some) Good” and “The Forces of Evily Evil Evuuuul”, now was it?
If the Allies had done anything for them, aside from just look the other way and whistle, hands in pockets? All the nasty little pricks second-guessing Finland’s decisions during the war years might have a point. As they did not do a damn thing for the Finns, in historical fact?
Screw the lot of them. The Finns wanted to fight the Soviets, and I cannot blame them. Reviewing the sordid history of atrocity by the Soviets on entirely innocent Finns might do a good deal to explain why someone like Törni would have a deep and visceral hatred for Communists and Soviets, enough to make joining the Waffen SS look like a reasonable choice at the time. I honestly can’t bring myself to even slightly criticize any of the Finns: What bloody choice did our leadership during the war really leave them?
Not to mention, their conduct during the war vis-a-vis their Jews and the general conduct of everything during the period of the Continuation War. They flatly refused going past their pre-Winter War boundaries, and did not allow German attacks from their territory on strategic targets like (then) Leningrad. Who knows how many more Allied troops would have died, had Finland really gone all-in on the German side…?