Ehrnrooth, Adolf Erik, born 09 -02-1905, in Helsinki 
v Finland, to Ernst Hjalmar Ehrnrooth and Karin, born Selin.
Ehrnrooth was the youngest out of five siblings. His brothers were Lars and Gustaf Ehrnrooth. Ehrnrooth first went to Svenska normallyceum in Helsingfors 
and then entered cadet school in 1922 and served in the Uusimaa Dragoon Regiment (Uudenmaan Rakuunarykmentti). 
Ehrnrooth was a skilled rider and applied for a command at the Swedish Army Riding and Horse-Driving School at Strömsholm Palace 
in Sweden to further his training. He was accepted to a one-year course that began in August 1928, where the Swedish Prince Gustaf Adolf 
was also a student. In 1958 Adolf married a Danish countess Karin-Birgitte Schack 
who was a lady-in-waiting and a close friend of Queen Ingrid of Denmark. They had three children: Karin, Hans and Eva.
During the brief Winter War against the Soviet Union, he served on the staffs of the 7th Division and the Cavalry Brigade. When the Continuation War, also against the Soviet Union, broke out in June 1941, he served as the chief of staff of the 2nd Division 
until he was seriously wounded. 
After he recovered he was appointed to lead the 7th Infantry Regiment (JR 7) 
of the 2nd Division. During the battles on the Karelian Isthmus, he was awarded the Mannerheim cross. 
He also received the Grand Cross of the Royal Swedish Order of the Sword. After the war, he led an active military career until he retired in 1965.
In the 1970s, Ehrnrooth gave lectures in military schools both in Finland and in Sweden. In the years 1980-1991, he gave a total of 62 written lectures and several without a manuscript. Ehrnrooth also appeared several times on radio and on television.
Ehrnrooth was the face and voice most associated with rehabilitation of the soldiers who secured Finland her independence. The long post-war era during which it simply was not progressive to value the military ended in the early 1990s, at which time his charismatic persona was at its height.
In his last statement (on 17-12- 2003) he gave support to ProKarelia (Finnish NGO) 
and its plan for the Return of Ceded Territories. He said that he defended the borders of Finland declared in the Treaty of Tartu and considered them the only proper borders of Finland and that it was great injustice that the Soviet Union had taken these territories.
Death and burial ground of Ehrnrooth, Adolf Erik.
General Ehrnrooth died on 26-02-2004 (aged 99 years, 17 days before his 100) in Turku, Varsinais-Suomi (FIN and is buried in Hietaniemi cemetery, Helsinki. He was voted as the 4th greatest Finn of all time by the Finnish public during the Suuret suomalaiset (Great Finns) competition in 2004.
Leave a Reply