Finnish Forces
Portrait of Viljo Iisalo (1914-1983) just after his promotion to Vänrikki (2nd Lieutenant). He started his conscript military service in 1936 and graduated from Reserve Officer School as 2nd Lieutenant in 1938. He spent most of the Winter War training new NCO's until the last week of the war, when he was sent to fight in Vyborg Bay, where he successfully led group consisting of old men and boys who had only had 2 months of military training. In Continuation War he trained new NCO's for first couple of weeks and then served as platoon leader in 2nd Jaeger Battalion, and fought in battles from Ladoga Karelia to Svir river, Petroskoi, Karhumäki, Poventsa and Suurniemi, where his arm was badly torn by exploding bullet during a battle in January 1942. His superior officers wanted to nominee him for the Mannerheim Cross, for his actions so far in the war, but their brigade commander knew about procedure of it not being awarded to members of same family twice, and his brother Pentti had already received it. The arm was badly damaged and required over a year of treatment in different military hospitals. In one of them he met a nurse who he married in December 1942. Viljo Iisalo was discharged from duty in June 1943 as a war invalid. According to his brother Pentti he would have deserved the Mannerheim Cross more than any of the brothers because he was possibly the bravest one and a natural leader capable of handing even the most difficult situations.
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8/3/2011