Fanni Luukkonen [SEP] place of death
Fanni Luukkonen
Fanni Luukkonen (March 13, 1882, Oulu - October 27, 1947, Helsinki) was the longtime leader of the Finnish Lotta Svärd, a voluntary auxiliary organisation for women.
Fanni Luukkonen was chosen as the leader of Lotta Svärd in 1929. During her time the organisation grew to 232,000 members, the largest women's organisation in Finland, and even in the world. She was awarded the Order of the Cross of Liberty 1st Class with swords, by Marshal Mannerheim in June 1940. She was the
. Armed service caused a minor crisis for the Lotta Svärd organization, which had emphasized a principle of nonviolence. Because of Soviet agent and invasion danger the Lotta Svärd central committee had to consent to arming the women in the searchlight battery. The leader of the Lotta Svärd organization, Fanni Luukkonen, said that armed service for women meant the "death of womanhood" ("Finnish: "naiseuden kuolema""), but that the wartime situation demanded extraordinary measures. The weapon used by the women was an Italian Terni military