Bjarne Øen (6 November 1898 – 20 September 1994) was a Norwegian pilot, military officer and Lieutenant General of the

Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) () 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 approximately 2,430 employees (officers, enlisted ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he played a central role in building up the

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He served as

Chief of Defence of Norway The Chief of Defence (''Forsvarssjefen'') is the highest-ranking officer of the Norwegian Armed Forces, second only to the King of Norway. Even though he holds the same rank as the King of Norway, according to the Norwegian Constitution the Kin ...

from 1957 to 1963.

Biography

Adolf Bjarne Øen was born in Kristiania (now

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) 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 of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

), Norway. He was the son of Ole O. Øen (1860–1927) and Marie Eline Stuve (1873–1964). He graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy in 1920, and from the Norwegian Military College in 1923. From 1923 to 1924, he was a student at Hæren Flight School, where he continued as an instructor until 1925. At the time of the start of

, Captain Øen was the airport manager of the newly opened Fornebu Airport outside Oslo. After the

Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

in 1940, he was appointed temporary chief (General Inspector) for Norwegian Army Air Force. When the Norwegian Army Air Service training camp in

southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a Region, primary region of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada, with approximately 13.5 million people, approximately 36% o ...

( Little Norway) was opened November 1940, Øen was assigned to oversee training. When

Ole Reistad Ole Imerslun Reistad (26 June 1898 – 22 December 1949) was a Norwegian military officer and accomplished sports person. He competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in modern pentathlon, and also became Norwegian champion in the sport. He competed ...

arrived at the camp in 1941, Øen was transferred to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

as chief of staff to Commander in Chief

Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen (7 June 1890 – 3 June 1965) was a Norwegian aviation pioneer, military officer, polar explorer and businessman. Among his achievements, he is generally regarded a founder of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Background ...

. In 1942, Øen was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. The

was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian armed forces in 1944. In January 1945 he conducted an inspection trip in Norway in preparation for the planned liberation of Norway. After the war, Lieutenant General Øen took over the position of Chief of the Air Force, a position he held for five years. After that he was in charge of the Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy for three years. He served as

(''sjef for Forsvarsstaben'') from 1957 to 1963.

Honors

In 1929, Øen received the

King's Medal of Merit The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

(''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') in gold. In 1947 he was awarded the title of Commander with Star of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, for his war contributions. Among foreign awards, he also received the American

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

, the French

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

and was made a Honorary Commanders of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. He died during 1994 and was buried at

Vestre gravlund Vestre Gravlund is a cemetery in the Frogner borough of Oslo, Norway. It is located next to the Borgen (station), Borgen metro station. At , it is the largest cemetery in Norway. It was inaugurated in September 1902 and also contains a cremator ...

in Oslo.

References

External links

*Jens Chr. Hauge (2014
''Tale for General Bjarne Øen på hans 95 års fødselsdag 6. november 1993''
(Stiftelsen norsk Okkupasjonshistorie)

Biography

Honors

References

External links

Related reading