Nils Waltersen Aasen (30 March 1878 – 27 December 1925) was a Norwegian arms inventor. He has been credited with having developed the modern

hand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern ...

and

land mine A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

just prior to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fight ...

Biography

Aasen was born at

Stadsbygd Stadsbygd is a village in Indre Fosen municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located at the southern end of the Fosen peninsula in a wide, flat valley, just east of the village of Askjem, along the north side of the Trondh ...

in Rissa, Norway. He graduated in 1903 from the Fortress-Artillery School for Non-Commissioned Officers () at

Oscarsborg Fortress Oscarsborg Fortress ( no, Oscarsborg festning) is a coastal fortress in the Oslofjord, close to the small town of Drøbak in Viken county, Norway. The best known part is situated on two small islets. The main artillery batteries are on the islan ...

. He started his experiments developing a hand grenade while serving as a sergeant at Oscarsborg. He was encouraged in his work by base commander and former defense minister Hans Georg Stang. However, the Norwegian Department of Defense showed little interest in Aasen's prototype. He then formed Aasen's Grenade Company (''Det Aasenske Granatkompani'') in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, which produced and exported of his grenade throughout Europe. Apart from new types of explosives, trench mortars, airplane bombs and land mines he also created several inventions for civil use. However, it was the development and production of arms that would bring him his greatest success. Just prior to

, Aasen developed an

anti-personnel mine Anti-personnel mines are a form of Land mine, mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to anti-tank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles. Anti-personnel mines may be classified into blast mines or fragmentation mines; the ...

which was meant as a weapon of deterrence. The invention caused enthusiasm within the

French military The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. Franc ...

but did not see production before the war. During World War I, Aasen was given the task of producing hand grenades for the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Forc ...

. He would have 13 factories with 13,000 employees working throughout the war. In 1917 his hand grenade was finally adopted by the Norwegian army, which later promoted him to premier-lieutenant (''Løytnant''). Throughout his life he received a number of honorary degrees and awards for his inventions. Most notably, he was made an honorary colonel in the French Army, and a

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

in France's

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

in 1915. Later, Aasen's personal fortune was greatly reduced as a result of bad financial speculations, and because he had never patented the rights to several of his inventions. He died from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

Stoughton, Wisconsin Stoughton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. It straddles the Yahara River about 20 miles southeast of the state capital, Madison. Stoughton is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the popul ...

at the age of 47.

Inventions

* Aasen bomb * Aasen mortar

Biography

Inventions

References

See also