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This has been bugging me for a few days... Does anyone know who said "and what do you do when the eleventh man comes" (possible paraphrase) in response to a Finnish General saying that 1 Finnish solider is worth 10 Russians. I googled it but couldn't find anything.

That's a winter war anecdote allegedly re-told by the Finns on the war frontlines themselves. It was put to paper in Väinö Linna's war novel "Unknown Soldier" as a dialogue between two soldiers.

Unknown Soldier wrote:- Mutta suomen sotilas vastaa kymment:a ryssa.
- Mhiin... Kyll:a kai. Mutta mit:as sitten tehdan, kun tulee se yhdestoista?

Unknown Soldier wrote:- But a Finnish soldier costs ten Russians.
- Hm... yeah. But what to do when the eleventh comes?

It sounds suspiciously like what happened when a town told Caesar they could hold out for ten years. He said something like "Fine, we'll take it in eleven."

Stas Bush wrote:That's a winter war anecdote allegedly re-told by the Finns on the war frontlines themselves. It was put to paper in Väinö Linna's war novel "Unknown Soldier" as a dialogue between two soldiers.

Unknown Soldier wrote:- Mutta suomen sotilas vastaa kymmentä ryssää.
- Mhiin... Kyllä kai. Mutta mitäs sitten tehdään, kun tulee se yhdestoista?

Unknown Soldier wrote:- But a Finnish soldier is worth ten Ruskies.
- Hm... yeah. But what to do when the eleventh comes?

Fixed the spelling and the translation.

Fixed the spelling and the translation.

Thanks my keyboard doesn't have those nifty symbols

Elfdart wrote:It sounds suspiciously like what happened when a town told Caesar they could hold out for ten years. He said something like "Fine, we'll take it in eleven."

I am not sure Caesar said that, but if he did, it did not really originate with him. AFAIK, that saying has been around since the republic. I think it originated either from Marius or Sulla.

Do you have a direct source for it? I would love to know it myself.

Thanas wrote:

Elfdart wrote:It sounds suspiciously like what happened when a town told Caesar they could hold out for ten years. He said something like "Fine, we'll take it in eleven."

I am not sure Caesar said that, but if he did, it did not really originate with him. AFAIK, that saying has been around since the republic. I think it originated either from Marius or Sulla.

Do you have a direct source for it? I would love to know it myself.

I'm not sure it was Caesar, but I'm pretty sure it was some Roman leader who said it. Where and when I have no idea.