Birger Fredrik Motzfeldt OBE, CVO (22 February 18983 September 1987) was a Norwegian aviator and military officer. During World War II he administered the development of the Royal Norwegian Air Force in exile in Great Britain. During the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

he contributed to the development of a modernized air force in Norway.

Personal life

Motzfeldt was born in

Nesna Nesna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Nesna. Other villages in Nesna include Handnesneset, Husby, Saura, and Vikho ...

, as a son of bailiff Birger Fredrik Motzfeldt and Augusta Marie Andersen. He was married twice, in his second marriage with glass sculptor Benny Anette Berg-Nilsen.

Career

Motzfeldt graduated as a military officer in 1920, and then served with His Majesty The King's Guard and at the

Akershus Fortress Akershus Fortress ( no, Akershus Festning, ) or Akershus Castle ( no, Akershus slott ) is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress h ...

. He lectured at the Army's pilot training school from 1924 to 1925, and from 1932 to 1935. From 1935 to 1938 he served as aide-de-camp for King

Haakon VII Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick VI ...

. When the Germans invaded Norway in April 1940, Motzfeldt was in the United States in order to acquire more aircraft for the

Norwegian Army Air Service The Norwegian Army Air Service (NoAAS) ( no, Hærens flyvåpen) was established in 1914.Official Norwegian Defence Force websiteHistory of the Royal Norwegian Air Force Its main base and aircraft factory was at Kjeller. On 10 November 1944, the ...

. He was subsequently appointed assistant

air attaché The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

in the US. Among his initiatives was the establishing of the pilot training camp

Little Norway Little Norway ( no, Lille Norge), officially (FTL, "Air Force Training Camp"), was a Norwegian Army Air Service/Royal Norwegian Air Force training camp in southern Ontario during the Second World War. Origins When Nazi Germany attacked Norway o ...

. He returned to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1941, and took part in the development of the Royal Norwegian Air Force in exile in Great Britain. He was also involved in the air route between

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 ...

and Scotland during the war. During the

he contributed to the development of a modernized air force in Norway. He was promoted to the rank of major general in 1953, and to lieutenant general in 1955. He was appointed head of the Royal Norwegian Air Force from 1955 to 1960, succeeding fellow World War II veteran

Finn Lambrechts Finn Lambrechts DFC (16 June 1900 – 8 December 1956) was a Norwegian military officer, a lieutenant general of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. He served as Chief of Defence of Norway ( no, sjef for Forsvarsstaben) from 1955 to 1956. Personal l ...

. The Royal Norwegian Air Force went through significant development during his leadership.

Decorations

Motzfeldt was decorated Commander with star of the Order of St. Olav in 1956. He was Commander of the British

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

, and Knight of the Swedish

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 ...

and the Danish

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

. He was also a recipient of the American

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

. Motzfeldt was also decorated Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE), with the Polish War Order of Virtuti Militari, and Knight of the Dutch

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Motzfeldt, Birger Fredrik 1898 births 1987 deaths Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Knights of the Order of the Sword Norwegian aviators Norwegian Army personnel Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Nesna Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Virtuti Militari Norwegian Army Air Service personnel of World War II Royal Norwegian Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Norwegian Air Force generals Norwegian military attachés Non-British Royal Air Force personnel of World War II