List of Mannerheim Cross recipients
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mannerheim Cross of the Cross of Liberty is the most distinguished Finnish military honour. Proposed by and named after Field Marshal Gustaf Mannerheim, it was introduced after the Winter War on 16 December 1940. The decoration was awarded to soldiers for exceptional bravery, for the achievement of crucially important objectives by combat, or for especially successfully conducted operations. Unlike other awards associated with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the awarding of the Mannerheim Cross was not influenced by the military rank of the recipient.[1]
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Mannerheimkruis_der_Eerste_en_Tweede_Klasse.jpg/150px-Mannerheimkruis_der_Eerste_en_Tweede_Klasse.jpg)
The cross is awarded as either Mannerheim Cross of Liberty 1st Class or as Mannerheim Cross of Liberty 2nd Class. No special requirements differing from 2nd class were laid out for the Mannerheim Cross 1st Class.[1] A recipient of the cross is called "Knight of the Mannerheim Cross".[2][3]
Although still active de jure, no crosses have been awarded since 1945. Tuomas Gerdt, the last living Knight of the Mannerheim Cross, died on 1 November 2020.[3][4]