Carl Johan Woldemar Alfthan Lieutenant General 29.4.1860 Bezhetsk, Governorate of Tver, Russia 19.12.1940 Helsinki, Finland Born to Colonel Alexis Alfthan and Sofia in Bezhetsk, he was destined for service within the Russian Empire. Like his father, Carl entered the Hamina Cadet School, where he gained a general education […]

Alexis Alfthan Lieutenant General 3.1.1814 Silesia 7.12.1885 Annovka, Governorate of Yekaterinoslav, Russia The son of Councilor and Solider Carl Vilhelm Afthan of Viipuri, and Katarina Nabel, Alexis attended primary school in Vyborg from 1828 to 1831. After graduation, he enrolled in the Finnish Cadet School, receiving the rank […]

Tucked away in the car park of Finland’s Ministry of Defence is a little known memorial to a little known battle. I came across this memorial doing research on the military of the Grand Duchy of Finland. I knew that Finnish troops had seen limited service during the […]

The 25th April is known in Australia and New Zealand as ANZAC Day. This National day of remembrance commemorates Australians and New Zealanders who have served in the nations’ armed forces, were wounded , or fallen during conflicts. The date holds significance as it was the first landing […]

During my research for the Battle of Oulu, I came across a section that mentioned that the commander of Oulu’s Red Guard, Lennart Lindgren, had fought in the Second Boer War. This led me on a journey to the Skandinaviska Karen (the Scandinavian Corps) and their heroics at […]