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Major General Claës-Henrik Bengtsson (B:son) Nordenskiöld (28 July 1917 – 11 November 2003) was a
Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( or just ) is the air force Military branch, branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalatin ...
officer and sailor. He was Chief of the Air Staff from 1966 to 1970 and Acting Chief of the Air Force in 1968.


Early life

Nordenskiöld was born on 28 July 1917 in
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, Sweden, the son of General Bengt Nordenskiöld and his wife Dagmar Werner. After passing '' studentexamen'' he enrolled at the
Swedish Air Force Flying School Swedish Air Force Flying School (), also F 5 Ljungbyhed, or simply F 5, is a former Swedish Air Force training wing with the main base located in Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden. History The moor at Ljungby was adopted for military use in 1658 by t ...
where he finished first in his class.


Career

Nordenskiöld was commissioned as an officer with the rank of second lieutenant in the
Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( or just ) is the air force Military branch, branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalatin ...
in 1941. Nordenskiöld quickly made a career, first as squadron commander at Svea Wing (F 8). He was promoted to lieutenant in 1943 and served as deputy defense attaché in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
from 1943 to 1945 and was promoted to captain in 1948 and to major in 1953. Nordenskiöld also passed the staff course at the Royal Swedish Air Force Staff College. He was head of the Swedish Air Force Squadron Leader School (''Flygvapnets bomb- och skjutskola'') from 1954 to 1956 and was an expert of the 1955 Defense Preparation. Nordenskiöld was head of the Operation Department of the Air Staff from 1956 to 1957 when he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Nordenskiöld was then head of the Planning Department of the Air Staff from 1957 to 1958 and the Planning Department of the Defence Staff from 1958 to 1960 when he was promoted to colonel. Nordenskiöld was commanding officer of the Scania Wing (F 10) from 1960 to 1962. Nordenskiöld became colonel at the Defence Staff in 1962 and was also serving as chairman of the board of Gustaf Werner Group in
Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
from 1963. He was promoted to major general in 1966 and was then Chief of the Air Staff from 1966 to 1970 and acting Chief of Air Force in 1968. In 1970, he resigned in protest because of dissatisfaction with the reductions of the air force squadrons that the politicians had decided. Instead he became Special Assistant to the CEO of Saab-Scania AB in 1970.


Personal life

He was married 1946–1975 to Maj Elvi Gunvor Dahlström (1912–1997), the daughter of manufacturer Dahlström and his wife. He was the father of Monica (born 1946) and Louise (born 1949). In 1975 he married Katarina von Kantzow (née Enell) (1931–1988), the daughter of colonel Harald Enell and Dagny (née Cornéer). In 1989 Nordenskiöld married Mariana von Beck (née Mörner). After retirement, Nordenskiöld lived in San Pedro de Alcántara, Spain and later in Stockholm. Nordenskiöld was highly competitive and loved challenges, whether it was hunting, sailing or clay pigeon shooting, and he reached both Swedish championship class and a first prize at the 6 Metre World Cup in Newport Harbour,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. He was a member of the Royal Swedish Yacht Club since 1941.


Death

Nordenskiöld died on 11 November 2003 and was buried on 4 June 2004 in the family grave at the Southern Cemetery (''Södra kyrkogården'') in
Kalmar Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 41,388 inhabitants in 2020 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of ...
.


Dates of rank

*1941 – Second lieutenant *1943 –
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
*1948 –
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
*1953 –
Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
*1957 – Lieutenant colonel *1960 –
Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
*1966 – Major general


Awards and decorations

* King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1948) * Commander 1st Class 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 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...
(11 November 1966)


Filmography

*''
Första divisionen ''Första divisionen'' () is a 1941 Cinema of Sweden, Swedish drama film, drama film directed by Hasse Ekman. Plot summary After a period of hospitalization, caused by an aircraft accident, second lieutenant Gunnar Bråde returns to his old squ ...
'' (1941) - air force officer at the farewell dinner


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nordenskiold, Claes-Henrik 1917 births 2003 deaths Swedish Air Force major generals Military personnel from Stockholm Commanders First Class of the Order of the Sword Swedish male sailors (sport) 6 Metre class sailors 20th-century Swedish sportsmen