Arne Somersalo

Arne Sakari Somersalo (born 18 March 1891 in Tampere as Arne Sommer[2] – died 17 August 1941 near Kiestinki, Soviet Union) was a Finnish officer and anti-communist activist.

Arne Somersalo
Somersalo dressed in IKL party uniform. He is wearing the Iron Cross, awarded during his service in the Imperial German Army.
Born
Arne Sakari Sommer

(1891-03-18)18 March 1891
Tampere
Died17 August 1941(1941-08-17) (aged 50)
Soviet Union
Cause of deathKilled in battle
CitizenshipFinnish
Alma materUniversity of Helsinki, University of Jena
OccupationMilitary officer
Known forSoldier, activist
TitleCommander of the Finnish Air Force
Term1920–1926
PredecessorSixtus Hjelmmann
SuccessorVäinö Vuori
Political partyLapua Movement, Patriotic People's Movement
AwardsOrder of the Cross of Liberty, two Iron Crosses[1]

Somersalo was educated at the University of Helsinki before studying natural sciences at the University of Jena.[3] Based in Germany during the First World War he enrolled in the German Army as an officer in 1916, serving until the armistice.[3] He would later claim that the war had been the death of old Europe and argued that one of its main positives was that it had "rescued our nation from the deadly, slimy embrace of a lothsome cuttlefish" in reference to Russia.[4] He transferred straight to the Finnish Army and from 1920 to 1926 was the commander of the Finnish Air Force.[5]

He became involved in politics in 1926 when he started editing the right wing journal Valkoinen Vartio and then founded the fiercely anti-communist Finnish Defence League.[5] He joined the Lapua Movement in 1930 then the Patriotic People's Movement (IKL) in 1932, serving as a delegate to the Parliament of Finland for the latter from 1933 to 1935 for Turku.[5] He was also the editor in chief of the IKL party newspaper Ajan Suunta from 1931 to 1935.[2] Ideologically he was a supporter of corporatism and was close to fascism.[5]

Recalled to active service for the Winter War, he acted as Chief of Staff for the frontline in Suomussalmi and was awarded the Order of the Cross of Liberty for his actions.[2][5] During the Continuation War, Somersalo acted as a liaison officer for the German SS division Nord in Finnish Lapland.[2] He was killed in action near Kiestinki (Kestenga), USSR on 17 August 1941.[5]

References
  1. Niinistö, Jussi (1998). Suomalaisia soturikohtaloita. Suomalaisuuden liitto.
  2. Biography at the Parliament of Finland (in Finnish)
  3. Philip Rees, Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890, 1990, p. 364
  4. Hans Rogger, Eugen Weber, The European Right, University of California Press, p. 413
  5. Rees, Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right, p. 365
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