Ernst Linder was a Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 general of Finnish descent who served in the Swedish army from 1887 to 1918, after which be participated in the Finnish Civil War

Finnish Civil War

The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...

 as the commander of the Satakunta and Savo army groups, whose responsibility stretched from Finland's western coast adjoining the Gulf of Bothnia

Gulf of Bothnia

The Gulf of Bothnia is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It is situated between Finland's west coast and Sweden's east coast. In the south of the gulf lie the Åland Islands, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea.-Name:...

 to Näsijärvi

Näsijärvi

Näsijärvi is a lake above sea level, in Pirkanmaa region, Finland. Näsijärvi is the biggest lake in the Tampere region at in size. The city of Tampere was built around the rapids of Tammerkoski, through which the lake drains into Pyhäjärvi. The water quality of the lake has improved as forest...

. Linder was a friend and a brother-in-law of the White Commander, Marshal C.G.E. Mannerheim. Following the war, he served as Inspector of Cavalry until retired in 1920.

Linder was promoted into the rank of Major General

Major General

Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

 on April 13, 1918, Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....

 in 1938, and General of Cavalry in 1940.

In the Winter War

Winter War

The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...

, the 71-year-old Linder led the Swedish Volunteer Corps

Swedish Volunteer Corps (Winter War)

The Swedish Volunteer Corps during the Winter War numbered 9,640. Sweden was officially non-belligerent, however not neutral, during the course of the war so only volunteers could be used by Finland. The volunteers were in the front lines in northern Salla area starting on February 28, 1940...

 from January 6 to February 27, 1940, after which he functioned as a commander of the Salla

Salla

Salla is a municipality of Finland, located in Lapland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....

 area.

In addition to his military career, Linder was an accomplished horse rider

Equestrianism

Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...

 who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics

1924 Summer Olympics

The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...

, where he and his horse Piccolomino won the gold medal in the individual dressage

Equestrian at the 1924 Summer Olympics

The Equestrian Events at the 1924 Paris Olympics included Eventing , Show jumping and Dressage . Vaulting was not included this year. The competitions were held from July 21, 1924 to July 27, 1924.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:*...

.

Linder is buried at Norra begravningsplatsen

Norra begravningsplatsen

Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Cemetery" in Swedish, is a major cemetery of Metropolitan Stockholm. The cemetery is located in the municipality of Solna.Inaugurated on June 9, 1827, it is the burial site for a number of Swedish notables....

 in Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

.

External links

• Linder's profile at DatabaseOlympics.com