Finnish Forces

Medical Colonel Brofeldt, Knight #19

Simo Antero Brofeldt (1892–1942) was highly educated and even internationally respected Finnish doctor and chief surgeon of a Finnish Red Cross hospital. During the war he became medical colonel and knight of the Mannerheim Cross #19. Brofeldt first served as military doctor already in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, before he had even graduated to doctor in civil life. And in the Winter War of 1939-'40 he was made the inspector of field hospitals for the ministry of defense and late in the war promoted as colonel. Shortly after the Winter War ended, the Germans invaded Denmark and then Norway. The Finnish Red Cross sent ambulance hospitals for help of Norway, and Simo Brofeldt acted as the chief surgeon of this trip. In 1941, when the Continuation War started, he was chief doctor of the military hospital 54 and also inspector of medical supply, for the army headquarters. In this job he went to East-Karelia, as the Finnish troops had launched offensive towards the city of Petrozavodsk in mid September of 1941. The armoured troops of Colonel Lagus reached the shores of Lake Onega on September 23, but got into heavy battles around villages of Latva and Derevjannoje. The advance halted and pockets of enemies formed between the front and rear units, causing them to lose connections with eachother. The front troops had lots of wounded and only few of medical staff and with huge lack of medical supplies. Also, the armoured troops were lacking fuel and ammunition. That's when Brofeldt suggested to Mannerheim that the troops would be supplied by air and also the most badly wounded could be evacuated. Mannerheim rejected the idea as too risky, but finally approved as Brofeldt didn't give up and offered to lead the rescue mission himself. He was flown there together with the army group's doctor in a small Fi 156 recon plane. Once there, he worked for 3 days and nights performing surgeries to wounded, saving countless of lifes. As he wanted, also 2 transport planes were sent there loaded with fuel, ammunition and medical supplies, with escort of 8 Brewster fighters. The planes landed on open field at village of Latva and changed their loads to wounded soldiers withing 30minutes and the escort fighters secured this by patrolling around the field. The same was repeated several times and overall of 130 wounded was evacuated from the battle area for further treatment. Most of the flights was made with the Douglas DC 2. Petrozavodsk (then renamed as Äänislinna) was finally fully captured on October 1, 1941, and Col. Lagus immediately made suggestion that Simo Brofeldt would be awarded with the mannerheim cross. The army group's commander supported the suggestion and in his statement said that it's truly earned, and finally after General Heinrichs' presentation, medical colonel Brofeldt was awarded the Mannerheim Cross 2nd class, on October 7, 1941. He was the only doctor who received the Mannerheim Cross. Other one of all medical personnel to receive it, was Sgt. Isosomppi (Knight #70).