Mannerheim, Carl Gustaf Emil von (1867-1951), a Finnish military and political leader, helped found the Republic of Finland in 1919. He had a fortified line built across the Karelian Isthmus called the Mannerheim Line. He directed the Finnish defense against Russian invaders in the famous "Winter War" of 1939-1940, and in fighting that lasted from 1941 to 1944. He was president of Finland from 1944 to 1946.