Arthur Georg Nordenswan (27 January 1883 – 29 December 1970) was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

officer and

sport shooter Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such a ...

who competed in the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

Early life

Nordenswan was born on 27 January 1883 in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden, the son of major general Carl Otto Nordensvan and Ebba Maria (née Wallenius).

Career

Military career

Nordenswan was commissioned as an officer in 1902 and was assigned to

Svea Life Guards The Svea Life Guards ( sv, Svea livgarde), also I 1, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that was active in various forms 1521–2000. The unit was based in the Stockholm Garrison in Stockholm and belonged to the King's Life and Household Tro ...

(I 1) as a second lieutenant the same year. He became a lieutenant there in 1905. Nordenswan was promoted to captain in 1916 and served in

Västernorrland Regiment The Västernorrland Regiment ( sv, Västernorrlands regemente), designation I 21, is a Swedish Army infantry unit which operated in various forms the years 1869–1983, 1991–2000 and from 2022. It is located in Sollefteå Garrison in Sollefteå ...

(I 28) in 1921. He was promoted to major and served in

Norrbotten Regiment The Norrbotten Regiment ( sv, Norrbottens regemente), designation I 19, is a Swedish Army arctic armoured, light infantry and commando regiment that traces its origins back to the 19th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited fr ...

(I 19) in 1926 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1930 and served in Skaraborg Regiment (I 9) in 1932. Nordenswan was commanding officer of the Swedish troops in the

Territory of the Saar Basin The Territory of the Saar Basin (german: Saarbeckengebiet, ; french: Territoire du bassin de la Sarre) was a region of Germany occupied and governed by the United Kingdom and France from 1920 to 1935 under a League of Nations mandate. It had its ...

in connection with the referendum in 1935. He was then promoted to colonel and served as commanding officer of Skaraborg Regiment from 1935 to 1942. During 1940 Nordenswan became colonel in the

Finnish Army The Finnish Army (Finnish: ''Maavoimat'', Swedish: ''Armén'') is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: the infantry (which includes armoured units), field artillery, anti-aircraft ...

and commanded the

Swedish Volunteer Corps The Swedish Volunteer Corps ( sv, Svenska frivilligkåren) during the Winter War numbered 9,640 officers and men. Sweden was officially non-belligerent during the war, so the Corps was used by Finland. The Swedish volunteers were in the front l ...

' battlegroup at the Salla Front during the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

Sports career

In 1912 he won the silver medal as member of the Swedish team in the team 50 metre small-bore rifle competition. In the 50 metre rifle, prone event he finished 16th and in the 25 metre small-bore rifle competition he finished 28th.

Personal life

In 1909 he married Inez Kjerner (born 1883), the daughter of Doctor of Medicine Karl Kjerner and Emelie Magnell. They divorced and in 1918 Nordenswan married Ruth Persson (1893–1975), the daughter of farmer Peter Persson and Anna Eriksson.

Death

Nordenswan died on 29 December 1970 in Stockholm and was buried at

Norra begravningsplatsen Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Cemetery" in Swedish, is a major cemetery of the Stockholm urban area, located in Solna Municipality. Inaugurated on 9 June 1827, it is the burial site for a number of Swedish notables. Nota ...

in Stockholm.

Awards and decorations

Nordenswan's awards:

Swedish

Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Or ...

(15 November 1941) * King Gustaf V's Olympic Medal *

Skaraborg Skaraborg may refer to the following places: * Skaraborg County, a former county of Sweden *Västergötland, a historical province of Sweden that includes the area of the former county *Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County ( sv, V ...

Landsturm Association's gold medal (''Skaraborgs landstormsförbunds guldmedalj'') * Skaraborg Shooting Federation's gold medal (''Skaraborgs skytteförbunds guldmedalj'') * Swedish Military Sports Association's gold medal (''Sveriges militära idrottsförbunds guldmedalj'') * Gold Medal of the Society for the Promotion of Ski Sport and Open Air Life (''Skid- och friluftsfrämjandets i Sveriges guldmedalj'')

Foreign

* Second Class of the

Order of the Cross of Liberty The Order of the Cross of Liberty ( fi, Vapaudenristin ritarikunta; sv, Frihetskorsets orden) is one of three official state orders in Finland, along with the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. Organisation ...

with swords * Knight 3rd Class of the

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...

* Cross of Merit of the Protection Corps of Finland (''Finska skyddskårernas förtjänstkors'') * Finnish War Memorial Medal

References

External links

profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nordenswan, Arthur 1883 births 1970 deaths Swedish Army colonels Swedish male sport shooters ISSF rifle shooters Olympic shooters for Sweden Shooters at the 1912 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Sweden Olympic medalists in shooting Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics Military personnel from Stockholm Commanders First Class of the Order of the Sword Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen Swedish volunteers in the Winter War