Juutilainen, Aarne Edward, born on 18-10-1904 in Sortavala, the son of railway servant Thomas Juutilianen and Helmi Sofia Juutilainen (born Kauppinen). Aarne attended the school in Sortavala, where he attended seven classes at this Sortavalan gymnasium. As a young boy he participated in the Finnish Civil War
by painting machine guns in white. After the war, Juutilainen, still a minor, tried to volunteer for Aunus ‘excursion, but the color editors discovered that the boy had forged his parents’ consent to the war. Aarne was a baseball player and belonged to the Sortavala Tuning Baseball Team at least in 1924. His brother was flying ace Ilmari Juutilainen .
Aarne’s nicknamed “The Terror of Morocco”, was a Finnish army captain who served in the French Foreign Legion
in Morocco between 1930 and 1935. After returning to Finland, he served in the Finnish army
and became a national hero in the Battle of Kollaa during the Winter War with the Soviet Union. He was wounded three times during World War I
On 20-06-1930, Juutilainen travelled to France and joined the French Foreign Legion. He was transferred to Fort St. Nicolas in Southern France, near Marseille, and from there to Oran in Algeria. He spent time in a Foreign Legion training camp in the town of Sidi Bel Abbès. From there he was transferred to Fez and fought in several battles against the Arab rebels in the Atlas Mountains.
Because of his service in Morocco, he was called “The Terror of Morocco” by Finnish troops. The war in the Atlas Mountains was long, and in 1931 the Arab offensive surrendered. Juutilainen returned to Finland on 20-06-1935, by which time the whole of Morocco was under French control. In November 1939, the Soviet Union attacked Finland,
starting the Winter War. Juutilainen served in the Finnish army during this war, notably during the Battle of Kollaa.
Major General Woldemar Hägglund’s question “Will Kollaa hold?” (“Kestääkö Kollaa?“)
was famously answered by Lieutenant Juutilainen: “Kollaa will hold, unless the orders are to run.” (“Kyllä kestää, ellei käsketä karkuun juoksemaan.“). Major General Woldemar Hägglund died age 70 on 12-02-1963
During his command at Kollaa in December 1939, Juutilainen
negotiated with Hägglund about the strategy for the Kollaa Front. The Battle of Kollaa was strategically important. “Unless we are told to run” meant exactly that; a week earlier, he had received a regimental order to withdraw, which he disregarded. Of course, this was all teamwork and people such as Carl “Goggi” von Haartman
and Simo Häyhä
were important with other soldiers at the Kollaa Front during the Winter War.Carl “Goggi”von Haartman died 27-08-1980, age 83, in Alamillo, CM, España
Afterwards, Lieutenant-Colonel and regiment commander Wilhelm ”Sota-Ville” Teittinen , who commanded the JR/34 at the Kollaa Front, honored Juutilainen: “He created the Kollaa Spirit”. (“Hän loi Kollaan hengen”) Wilhelm ”Sota-Ville” Teittinen, fell ill in 28-03-1940, age 46. He died in the 19th war hospital in Sortavala shortly after the end of the war. Teittinen is buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki.
By 1940, he was a captain commanding the “Moroccan company”, a unit of “good shots and good skiers” who had all been decorated for bravery. A contemporary news report described the unit as having achieved “startling victories in this sector” during the war. Juutilainen’s men called him “papa”. He used the guerilla warfare skills he learned with the French Foreign Legion to train his men. By this time, Juutilainen had lost one finger of his right hand as a result of Russian shrapnel.
Aarne Edward Juutilainen survived the war and died in Helsinki on 28-10-1976, at the age of 72. He is buried on Malmi Cemetery Malmi, Helsinki Municipality, Uusimaa, Finland, Plot 83, Row 18, Grave 660


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