Ole Jacob Bangstad (9 April 1917 – 2 June 2010) was a Norwegian military officer and sports official.

Career

Bangstad was born at

Harstad ( se, Hárstták) is the second-most populated municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the Harstad (town), town of Harstad, the most populous town in Centra ...

Troms Troms (; se, Romsa; fkv, Tromssa; fi, Tromssa) is a former county in northern Norway. On 1 January 2020 it was merged with the neighboring Finnmark county to create the new Troms og Finnmark county. This merger is expected to be reversed by t ...

, Norway. He was the son of Alfred Bangstad (1874–1944) and Kristine Jacobsen (1883–1952). He attended the

War College A war college is a senior military academy which is normally intended for veteran military officers and whose purpose is to educate and 'train on' senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders. It is also often the place where advanced tact ...

and became a lieutenant in the infantry during 1939. During World War II he participated in the Norwegian Campaign in

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denmar ...

and

Northern Norway Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical Regions of Norway, region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainlan ...

in 1940, was leader of the first Norwegian parachute company in Great Britain from 1943 to 1945, and leader of railway sabotage operations at the

Nordland Line The Nordland Line ( no, Nordlandsbanen, ) is a railway line between Trondheim and Bodø, Norway. It is the longest in Norway and lacks electrification. The route runs through the counties of Trøndelag (formerly Sør-Trøndelag and Nord-Trønd ...

in 1945. He continued his military career after the war as a

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

from 1964 and appointed "generalinspektør for Hæren" from 1971 to 1979. He was president of the

Norwegian Confederation of Sports The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports ( no, Norges idrettsforbund og olympiske og paralympiske komité; NIF) is the umbrella organization for sport in Norway. It is the largest volunteering organization in No ...

from 1973 to 1984. He also served as chairman of the Norwegian Committee for Skiing 1960–72 and vice president of the International Federation for Modern Pentathlon 1960–76.

Awards

Bangstad's war decorations include the St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch, as well as British medals. He received the King Haakon VII 1905–1955 Jubilee Medal, was decorated Commander of the Order of St. Olav in 1972, and was a Commander 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 ...

References

1917 births 2010 deaths People from Troms Norwegian Army generals Norwegian Army personnel of World War II Norwegian sports executives and administrators Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch {{Norway-sport-bio-stub