[1] While in Germany, the Finnish volunteers formed the 27th Royal Prussian Jäger Battalion, fighting for the Imperial German Army on the Eastern Front of World War I.

Promoted to a lieutenant, he served as a platoon leader in the 1st Jäger Regiment before being wounded in the Lempäälä region during the Battle of Tampere.

[1] In 1924, he was briefly made the assistant director of the War College before becoming the head of the General HQ department in charge of mobilization from 1925 to 1927.

Returning to Finland in 1931, Martola was promoted to colonel and made the head of the General HQ department of statistics and foreign affairs.

[1] At the onset of the Winter War, Martola was made the chief of staff of kotijoukot (home front, lit.

[1] Subordinated to both the Finnish General HQ and the Ministry of Defence, this command was tasked with organizing the replacement of casualties, the founding and training of new units and securing the home front areas.

[1] Following the end of Continuation War, Martola was briefly appointed to the position of deputy minister of foreign affairs during the short-lived Urho Castrén Cabinet of 1944.

[1] During the Suez Crisis in 1956, Martola was called to serve as military advisor to Secretary-General of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld.

In 1966, Martola was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and given command of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.