Lauri Törni in the Continuation War
Lt.Törni(middle) together with JR 33's Cpt.Railio and Lt. Pitkänen after battle of Haukilahti. Lauri Allan Törni(1919 – 1965)AKA Larry Thorne. Knight of the Mannerheim Cross #144. Fought in WWII serving in Finnish and German forces and later in Vietnam War as part of US Army Special Forces. Larry Thorne's remains were found in 1999 and formally identified in 2003. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, section 60, tombstone 8136, on June 26, 2003. In the book The Green Berets by Robin Moore, the "Sven Kornie" character is based on Larry Thorne. The book was later made into a movie by the same name starring John Wayne. Years of service: 1938-1945 (Finnish Army) 1945 (Waffen SS) 1954-1965 (U.S. Army) (MIA on October 18, 1965) Rank: Captain (Finland) Hauptsturmführer (Germany) Major (USA) Units: Infantry Regiment 12 (Finland) SS Freiwilligen Bataillon Nordost (Germany) Green Berets, Detachment A743 MACV-SOG 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) Battles/wars: Winter War Continuation War World War II (Germany, eastern front) Vietnam War Awards: Mannerheim Cross Iron Cross 2nd Class Bronze Star Purple Heart (2) Distinguished Flying Cross Presidential Unit Citation
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/finnish-forces/35939/lauri-torni-in-the-continuation-war