The Story of Aimo Koivunen is quite literally unbelievable as it relates to World War II. He had been left by himself in the frozen wilderness with no support, starving and very close to death due to exhaustion. His experience would eventually become one of the most bizarre survival experiences of the entire conflict.
Who Is Aimo Koivunen?
Aimo Koivunen was a Finnish soldier that fought in the Lapland War, and he is well known for an unusual incident while on a military ski patrol operation in 1944.
Koivunen was serving as a member of a Finnish ski patrol. Ski patrols are a hazardous way to operate; temperatures can plummet to extreme cold levels, snow covers everything, and there are hostile forces throughout this terrain.
It was while skiing away from his unit that Aimo Koivunen experienced the biggest challenge of his life.
The Fateful Ski Patrol
in March 1944, Koivunen along with other soldiers went on a long skied journey through the cold winter wilderness. They had to keep moving fast because they were being pressured.
Koivunen and the rest of the soldiers were also carrying their necessary supplies; for example, they each received a packet of Pervitin (a synthetic amphetamine) as part of their equipment.
Pervitin was used by the Finnish military as an anti-fatigue agent to keep troops awake and alert when conducting extended operations.
It was Koivunen’s responsibility to carry this packet of Pervitin for the rest of the soldiers. As the mission continued, all of the members of the patrol started to get exhausted.
At least once, while skiing, Koivunen tried to remove a Pervitin from his pocket to use it to try to stay awake.
However, he was unable to access the tablets because they were difficult for him to reach.
A Dangerous Dose
Koivunen had taken an unusually large dose of stimulant compared to a normal dose.
Instead of providing an abundance of energy, this caused a series of unusual and potentially disastrous occurrences.
Koivunen became separated from the other members of his group and found himself lost and alone in the wild.
He was extremely tired, very confused, and he was walking in some of the harshest possible conditions.
Despite all these factors that should have made it impossible for him to continue, Koivunen continued to move forward.
His experience has sometimes been referred to as a display of exceptional stamina; however, there were also many dangers presented by the use of amphetamine.
Amphetamines cause increased heart rate, increased body temperature, heightened anxiety, and heightened agitation.
All of these are exacerbated by excessive exercise and prolonged periods without sleep.
As such, Koivunen’s ability to survive rested upon much more than just the drug he took.
Alone in the Frozen Wilderness
After leaving the remainder of his patrol behind, Koivunen skied in the snow for a long time with almost no food and in extreme temperatures.
Koivunen’s body was pushed to the limit of endurance as it fought off both hunger and hypothermia.
At some stage he reported being either injured or trapped and then attempting to move.
He made this effort despite his worsening physical state.
This is arguably an even more extraordinary part of the Aimo Koivunen survival story than any other.
In fact, Koivunen lacked many basic necessities such as a warm place to stay, a means of navigating the area, an emergency communication method and a reliable source of food.
Thus, all that remained to sustain him was what willpower he had left and whatever minimal amount of energy he could muster.
How Did Aimo Koivunen Survive?
The most obvious question at this point is how Aimo Koivunen survived.
Not one reason existed for this.
His physical fitness from being in the military and experience skiing contributed to his ability to move over rough terrain.
Skiing was a major part of Finnish military training because winter weather made normal forms of mobility very hard.
In addition, the stimulant temporarily allowed him to remain active even though he was severely fatigued.
It would be an exaggeration to portray Pervitin as a miraculous life-saving drug due to taking such a large dose being so risky.
Koivunen also had great fortitude. He continued trying to reach safety even after he realized that things were hopeless.
Finally, luck also played a role.
Surviving under extreme conditions usually has a number of factors including being prepared, having physical endurance, making good decisions and having elements outside your own control.
Starvation and Hypothermia
It wasn’t long before things started going wrong for Koivunen.
Koivunen reportedly had very little to eat for many days.
His body was slowly losing its ability to maintain its basic functions as he lost heat in addition to his lack of food.
He eventually found some sort of sustenance which would help sustain him but by then his physical condition had become critical due to all of the factors:
- hunger
- exhaustion
- extreme cold
- & the effects of the amphetamine.
In this situation it’s easy to understand why Koivunen’s survival was at risk. But he continued on.
Rescue
Koivunen spent an unusually long time by himself before being located and saved.
When rescuers finally did locate him, it had been so long since he’d eaten that he weighed almost nothing; physically, he had deteriorated severely due to extreme malnutrition. Yet he survived.
Koivunen’s survival would be noted as one of the most unusual accounts related to Finnish soldiers during World War II.
The unique combination of factors that led to this story include:
- a harsh winter battle scene
- a lost soldier
- extreme starvation and freezing temperatures
- an enormous unintentional overdose of a stimulant.
Legacy of Aimo Koivunen
There are many reasons why Aimo Koivunen’s harrowing wartime experiences will continue to be remembered for generations to come.
While there certainly was a great deal of violence experienced by all those who went through this time period, what makes his so incredible is the fact he lived when many others did not.
When reading about how he managed to survive such an ordeal, it can be very easy to become mislead by claims that Pervitin provided him some type of “superpower.” This is simply not accurate.
While dangerous, Pervitin had been used in conjunction with the most dire of circumstances.
In other words, while it would have been possible for Koivunen to die under these same circumstances, something prevented this from occurring.
Koivunen’s experience also highlights the extreme physical expectations imposed upon soldiers serving in Arctic/sub-arctic regions during WWII.
Final Thoughts
So, what made Aimo Koivunen’s cheating death so unique?
There was no magic bullet that allowed him to survive.
The combination of physical strength, military training, willpower, lucky timing, and an almost superhuman ability to move through extreme conditions (hunger, cold, exhaustion, injuries) were all factors in his survival.
The accidental use of Pervitin by Aimo Koivunen has become the most well-known portion of this incredible survival story
however, it is merely a small component of a much greater overall survival journey for Aimo Koivunen.