valley ranch
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- Joined
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Larry Thorne~What a Man!
I have a copy of Army Flier dated april 21, 2016, came into my hands from Georgia.
On C3 there is a section by Adriane Ellioiltt U.S. Army Security Assistance Command Public Affairs.
Recovery of the remains of Lauri Allan Torni, Or Larry Thorne.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you Google Larry Thorne much will come up worth knowing.
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/index.cgi?id=32651874379
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lauri Törni
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lauri Allan Törni
Larry Thorne[nb 1]
Thorne as an American Army Captain
Nickname(s) Lasse
Born 28 May 1919
Viipuri (Karelia), Finland
Died 18 October 1965 (aged 46)
Phước Sơn District, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam[1]
Buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance
Finland
Nazi Germany
United States[2]
Service/branch Finnish Army
Waffen SS
United States Army
Years of service 1938–1944 (Finnish Army)
1945 (Waffen SS)
1954–1965 (U.S. Army)
Rank Captain (Finland)
Hauptsturmführer[2] (Germany)
Major (USA)
Unit Finland:
Vietnam War (Operation Shining Brass)
Awards Mannerheim Cross
Iron Cross 2nd Class[2]
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star
Purple Heart (2)
Lauri Allan Törni (28 May 1919 – 18 October 1965), later known as Larry Thorne, was a Finnish Armycaptain who led an infantry company against the Soviet Union in the Finnish Winter and Continuation Warsand moved to the United States after World War II. He fought under three flags: Finnish, German (when he again fought the Soviets in World War II), and American (where he was known as Larry Thorne) when he served in U.S. Army Special Forces in the Vietnam War.
Contents
Early life and military service
Christened Lauri Allan Törni, he was born in Viipuri, Viipuri Province, Finland, to ship captain Jalmari (Ilmari) Törni, and his wife, Rosa (née Kosonen). He had two sisters: Salme Kyllikki (b. 1920) and Kaija Iris (b. 1922).[3] An athletic youth, Törni was an early friend of future Olympic Boxing Gold Medalist Sten Suvio. After attending business school and serving with the Civil Guard, Törni entered military service in 1938, joining the 4th Independent Jaeger Infantry Battalion stationed at Kiviniemi; as the Winter War began in November 1939, his enlistment was extended and his unit confronted invading Russian troops at Rautu.[4]
Career
World War II
Törni as SS- Untersturmführer (Second Lieutenant)
During the battles at Lake Ladoga, Törni took part in the annihilation of the encircled Russian divisions inLemetti.[5]
His feats during these engagements were noticed by his commanders, and toward the end of the war, he was assigned to officer training where he was commissioned a Vänrikki (2nd lieutenant) in the reserves.[6] After the Winter War, in June 1941, Törni went to Vienna, Austria for seven weeks of training with the Waffen SS, and returned to Finland in July; as a Finnish officer, he was recognized as a German Untersturmführer.[7]
Törni (in the middle) as Finnish lieutenant
Most of Törni's reputation was based on his successful feats in the Continuation War (1941–44) between theSoviet Union and Finland. In 1943 a famous unit informally named Detachment Törni was created under his command. This was an infantry unit that penetrated deep behind enemy lines and soon enjoyed a reputation on both sides of the front for its combat effectiveness. One of Törni's men was future President of FinlandMauno Koivisto.[8] Koivisto served in a reconnaissance company under the command of Captain Törni together during the Battle of Ilomantsi, which was the final Finnish-Soviet engagement of the Continuation War during July and August 1944. Törni's unit inflicted such heavy casualties on Russian units that the Soviet Army placed a bounty on his head of 3,000,000 Finnish marks.[9] He was decorated with the Mannerheim Cross on 9 July 1944.[10]
Read much more:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauri_Törni
I have a copy of Army Flier dated april 21, 2016, came into my hands from Georgia.
On C3 there is a section by Adriane Ellioiltt U.S. Army Security Assistance Command Public Affairs.
Recovery of the remains of Lauri Allan Torni, Or Larry Thorne.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you Google Larry Thorne much will come up worth knowing.
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/index.cgi?id=32651874379
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lauri Törni
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lauri Allan Törni
Larry Thorne[nb 1]
Thorne as an American Army Captain
Nickname(s) Lasse
Born 28 May 1919
Viipuri (Karelia), Finland
Died 18 October 1965 (aged 46)
Phước Sơn District, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam[1]
Buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance
Service/branch Finnish Army
Waffen SS
United States Army
Years of service 1938–1944 (Finnish Army)
1945 (Waffen SS)
1954–1965 (U.S. Army)
Rank Captain (Finland)
Hauptsturmführer[2] (Germany)
Major (USA)
Unit Finland:
- 12th Light Infantry Regiment
- 8th Light Detachment of the 1st Division
- 56th Infantry Regiment ("Törni Detachment")
- Sonderkommando Nord (January–April 1945)
- 77th Special Forces Group
- 11th Airborne Division
- 10th Special Forces Group
- 5th Special Forces Group
- Detachment A743,MACV-SOG
Vietnam War (Operation Shining Brass)
Awards Mannerheim Cross
Iron Cross 2nd Class[2]
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star
Purple Heart (2)
Lauri Allan Törni (28 May 1919 – 18 October 1965), later known as Larry Thorne, was a Finnish Armycaptain who led an infantry company against the Soviet Union in the Finnish Winter and Continuation Warsand moved to the United States after World War II. He fought under three flags: Finnish, German (when he again fought the Soviets in World War II), and American (where he was known as Larry Thorne) when he served in U.S. Army Special Forces in the Vietnam War.
Contents
- 1 Early life and military service
- 2 Career
- 3 Legacy
- 4 See also
- 5 Notes
- 6 Footnotes
- 7 References
- 8 Further reading
- 9 External links
Early life and military service
Christened Lauri Allan Törni, he was born in Viipuri, Viipuri Province, Finland, to ship captain Jalmari (Ilmari) Törni, and his wife, Rosa (née Kosonen). He had two sisters: Salme Kyllikki (b. 1920) and Kaija Iris (b. 1922).[3] An athletic youth, Törni was an early friend of future Olympic Boxing Gold Medalist Sten Suvio. After attending business school and serving with the Civil Guard, Törni entered military service in 1938, joining the 4th Independent Jaeger Infantry Battalion stationed at Kiviniemi; as the Winter War began in November 1939, his enlistment was extended and his unit confronted invading Russian troops at Rautu.[4]
Career
World War II
Törni as SS- Untersturmführer (Second Lieutenant)
During the battles at Lake Ladoga, Törni took part in the annihilation of the encircled Russian divisions inLemetti.[5]
His feats during these engagements were noticed by his commanders, and toward the end of the war, he was assigned to officer training where he was commissioned a Vänrikki (2nd lieutenant) in the reserves.[6] After the Winter War, in June 1941, Törni went to Vienna, Austria for seven weeks of training with the Waffen SS, and returned to Finland in July; as a Finnish officer, he was recognized as a German Untersturmführer.[7]
Törni (in the middle) as Finnish lieutenant
Most of Törni's reputation was based on his successful feats in the Continuation War (1941–44) between theSoviet Union and Finland. In 1943 a famous unit informally named Detachment Törni was created under his command. This was an infantry unit that penetrated deep behind enemy lines and soon enjoyed a reputation on both sides of the front for its combat effectiveness. One of Törni's men was future President of FinlandMauno Koivisto.[8] Koivisto served in a reconnaissance company under the command of Captain Törni together during the Battle of Ilomantsi, which was the final Finnish-Soviet engagement of the Continuation War during July and August 1944. Törni's unit inflicted such heavy casualties on Russian units that the Soviet Army placed a bounty on his head of 3,000,000 Finnish marks.[9] He was decorated with the Mannerheim Cross on 9 July 1944.[10]
Read much more:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauri_Törni