Paal Frisvold (22 January 1908 – 16 March 1997) was a Norwegian general, who was head of the Norwegian Army from 1961 to 1966.

Personal life

Frisvold was born in Harstad, the son of Erland Frisvold (1877–1971) and Valdis Kaarbø Frisvold (1882–1961). In 1936 he married Kirsten Semb.

Career

Frisvold finished his '' examen artium'' in 1928, graduated as a military officer in 1932, and from the

Norwegian Military College The Norwegian Military College ( no, Den militære høyskole) was a military educational institution in Norway. It was established on 16 February 1817, with headquarters at Akershus Fortress. It was originally meant for artillery and engineer off ...

in 1934. He was made a lieutenant in the infantry from 1932, and served as a trainee with the General Staff from 1935 to 1938. From 1938 to 1940 he was secretary at the Ministry of Defence. Frisvold was among the group of central persons who developed military resistance in Norway in 1940 and 1941, eventually leading to the formation of Milorg. In March 1941 he had to flee to Sweden. He was staff leader at the Norwegian police troops in Sweden in 1945, and head of the Norwegian Military Academy from 1946 to 1949. From 1961 to 1966 he was assigned chief of the Norwegian Army, with the rank of lieutenant general. In 1966 he served as military attaché in Washington. From 1968 to 1977 he was assigned director of ''Industrivernet''.

Awards

Frisvold was awarded the

Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal is a Norwegian military award, which was instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway on 27 October 1942. It was awarded in recognition of military personnel who served in the Norwegian armed forces in Britain on the ...

, the Defence Medal 1940–1945, and the Grand Cross 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 ...

. He was decorated Commander of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

in 1961, Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland, and Knight of 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 received the Grand Cross of the Belgian Order of the Crown and the Grand Cross of the Swedish Order of the Sword.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frisvold, Paal 1908 births 1997 deaths People from Harstad Norwegian military personnel of World War II Norwegian resistance members Norwegian expatriates in Sweden Norwegian Army generals Norwegian military attachés Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)