Otto Grieg Tidemand (18 June 1921,

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

– 10 June 2006, Oslo) was a Norwegian politician for the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. He served as Minister of Defence from 1965 to 1970 and Minister of Trade and Shipping from 1970 to 1971.

Military service

During 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 opposi ...

, he served as a fighter pilot with the

Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) ( no, Luftforsvaret, , The Air Defence) is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximatel ...

from 1942 to 1946, after training at a flying school in Canada. He was posted to No. 332 Squadron RAF (known as the Norwegian Squadron). While a sergeant pilot under training in England on 8 June 1943, he crashlanded his training plane near Ellesmere, Shropshire but survived unhurt. He flew

Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

on offensive sweeps in Northwestern Europe and was credited with destroying one German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and sharing in the downing of a Messerschmitt 410.

Political career

From 1965 to 5 June 1970 he served as the

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

during the Per Borten cabinet. On that date, he was appointed Minister of Trade and Shipping, which he held until the Borten cabinet fell in 1971.

Business career

He held numerous board memberships in Norwegian corporations, notably serving as chairman of the board of

Saga Petroleum Saga Petroleum ASA was a Norwegian upstream petroleum company established in 1972 that was acquired by Norsk Hydro in 1999. In October 2007 it was made part of Statoil. The company was the only fully private oil company in Norway. It had partial ...

(1972-1976),

Atlas Copco Atlas Copco (Copco from Compagnie Pneumatique Commerciale) is a Swedish multinational industrial company that was founded in 1873. It manufactures industrial tools and equipment. The Atlas Copco Group is a global industrial group of companies ...

Norway (1978-1997), Vesta Hygea (1984-1986),

Fina FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

Norway (1981-1996) and Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani (1982-1987). He was a member of the Steering Committee of the

Bilderberg Group The Bilderberg meeting (also known as the Bilderberg Group) is an annual off-the-record conference established in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. The group's agenda, originally to prevent another world war, is now defi ...

and participated in all their yearly conferences between 1967 and 1980 as well as in 1982 and 1984.

Decorations

* Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal 1943 *

Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers, and since 1993 to other ranks, of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countrie ...

1944 *

War Medal (Norway) __NOTOC__ The War Medal ( no, Krigsmedaljen) is a Norwegian war decoration for service during Second World War, and later for meritous service during war. Criteria The Norwegian War Medal was instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway by Royal Decre ...

1944 * St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch 1945 * Defence Medal 1940-1945 1945 *

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

1970 * Commander of the Order of the Polar Star (Sweden) (first class) 1990 * Commander of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) 1997

Sports interests

Tidemand was president of the ''Norwegian Golf Federation'' from 1962 to 1965.

References

1921 births 2006 deaths Conservative Party (Norway) politicians Ministers of Trade and Shipping of Norway Politicians from Oslo Members of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group 20th-century Norwegian businesspeople Norwegian aviators Royal Norwegian Air Force personnel of World War II Norwegian World War II pilots Norwegian Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Norwegian expatriates in Canada Defence ministers of Norway {{Norway-politician-1920s-stub