Einar Liljedahl (16 January 1882 – February 1955) was a Norwegian military officer.

Personal life

Liljedahl was born in

Kyrkjebø Kyrkjebø is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1858 until 1964 when it became part of the new municipality of Høyanger which still exists and is part of the new Vestland county. Pr ...

, a son of politician

Edvard Liljedahl Edvard Apolloniussen Liljedahl (6 August 1845, in Vik - 10 October 1924) was a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party. He was a member of the Council of State Division in Stockholm in 1889, and Minister of Education and Church Affairs in 1912- ...

and Barbra Ramslie. In 1919 he married Ellen Rosenkilde. He was a brother-in-law of Ole Johan Vasbotten.

Career

Liljedahl graduated as officer from the

Norwegian Military Academy The Norwegian Military Academy (), in Oslo, educates officers of the Norwegian Army and serves as the King's Royal Guard. The academy was established in 1750, and is the oldest institution for higher education in Norway. History The Commander- ...

in 1903, and from the Norwegian Military College in 1905. He was promoted captain in 1911, major in 1930, colonel in 1934. From 1935 to 1947 he was head of 3rd Division of the Norwegian Army, with the rank of major general. Following the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the 3rd Division was responsible for the "neutrality guard" in

Agder Agder is a county (''fylke'') and traditional region in the southern part of Norway. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties were merged. Since the early 1900s, the term Sørlandet ("south ...

and

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...

. During the German attack on Norway in April 1940, the troops of the 3rd Division were rather unprepared for the situation, and surrendered after a few days. Liljedahl was criticized for his dispositions during the German invasion of Norway, by the military investigation commission of 1946. He died in February 1955.

References

1882 births 1955 deaths People from Høyanger Norwegian Military Academy alumni Norwegian Military College alumni Norwegian Army personnel of World War II Norwegian Army generals Military personnel from Kristiansand {{norway-mil-bio-stub