Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

David ''Tage'' Olihn (5 November 1908 – 16 April 1996) was a senior officer of the

Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

. Olihn's senior commands include Inspector of the

Swedish Armoured Troops The Swedish Armoured Troops (, P) is the Armoured warfare, armoured branch of the Swedish Army. Since 2005, the Armoured Troops include the South Scanian Regiment (P 7) in Revingehed, Skaraborg Regiment (armoured), Skaraborg Regiment (P 4) in Sk� ...

and military commander of the I Military District and of the Lower Norrland Military District (Milo NN). Olihn also served in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

during the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

in 1940 and in

Abyssinia Abyssinia (; also known as Abyssinie, Abissinia, Habessinien, or Al-Habash) was an ancient region in the Horn of Africa situated in the northern highlands of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea.Sven Rubenson, The survival of Ethiopian independence, ...

two times, from 1946 to 1949, and from 1956 to 1959.

Early life

Olihn was born on 5 November 1908 in

Ronneby Ronneby is a locality and the seat of Ronneby Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 12,029 inhabitants in 2010. Ronneby is regarded as the heart of "the Garden of Sweden", and in 2005 the park "Brunnsparken" in Ronneby was voted Sweden's m ...

, Sweden, the son of Nils Olihn, a teacher, and his wife Elna (née Svensson). He was educated at the Artillery and Engineering College in 1930 and was the same year commissioned as an officer in Halland Regiment (I 16) with the rank of second lieutenant.

Career

Olihn attended the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1938 to 1940. He then served in the Swedish Volunteer Corps in

during the

in 1940. Olihn became captain of the General Staff Corps in 1943. In 1946, a cadet school was established in the Ethiopian Imperial Guard, commanded by Olihn. The army group, "Group Olihn" trained officers in the Imperial Guard until 1948 when it was replaced by "Group Nilsson", commanded by lieutenant colonel Rickard Nilsson. Back in Sweden in 1948, he was promoted to major in the

Svea Life Guards The Svea Life Guards (), also I 1, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that was active in various forms 1521–2000. The unit was based in the Stockholm Garrison in Stockholm and belonged to the King's Life and Household Troops (''Kungl. Maj: ...

(I 1). Olihn became major of the General Staff Corps in 1950 and served as head of the Education Department in the Army Staff from 1950 to 1953. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1952 and attended the Swedish National Defence College in 1953. Olihn was appointed military 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 ...

and

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

in 1954 and was promoted to colonel in 1955. He then served as a military adviser in Abyssinia from 1956 to 1959. There he commanded a group of 12 Swedish General Staff Corps officers who served as military advisors training Ethiopian staff officers. Back in Sweden, he was appointed regimental commander of Halland Regiment in 1959. After a year, Olihn was appointed Inspector of the

. In 1963, he was promoted to major general and appointed military commander of the I Military District. Three years later, he was appointed to military commander of the Lower Norrland Military District (Milo NN). Olihn served in this position until 1973 when he was promoted to lieutenant general and retired from the military. Olihn was a member of the Swedish-Ethiopian Association, succeeding

Carl Gustaf von Rosen Count Carl Gustaf Ericsson von Rosen (19 August 1909 – 13 July 1977) was a Swedish pioneer aviator, humanitarian, and mercenary pilot. He flew relief missions in a number of conflicts as well as combat missions for Finland (whose first mili ...

as chairman in 1960. He was also an honorary member of the Friends of the Halland Regiment Association (''Hallands regementes kamratförening).

Personal life

In 1940 he married Charlotte Ankarcrona (1918–1999), the daughter of major Sten Ankarcrona and Ellen Kjellberg. They had three children: Nils (born 1941), Ulla (born 1943) and Ann-Charlotte (born 1955).

Death

Olihn died on 16 April 1996 in Söndrum parish in

Halland County Halland County (, ) is a county ('' län'') on the western coast of Sweden. It corresponds roughly to the cultural and historical province of Halland. The capital is Halmstad. Prince Julian, the son of Prince Carl Philip, is Duke of Halland. ...

Dates of rank

*1930 – Second lieutenant *19?? –

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 ...

*1943 –

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 ...

*1948 –

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 ...

*1952 – Lieutenant colonel *1955 –

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 ...

*1963 – Major general *1973 –

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_Grand_Cross_BAR

Commander Grand Cross 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 ...

(6 June 1970) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(6 June 1962) * SWE_Order_of_Vasa_-_Knight_2nd_Class_BAR

Knight of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm ribbon

Medal for Noble Deeds in gold

Foreign

Commander of the Order of Menelik II * ETH_Order_of_the_Star_of_Ethiopia_-_Commander_BAR

Commander of the

Order of the Star of Ethiopia The Order of the Star of Ethiopia was established as an order of knighthood of the Ethiopian Empire, founded by the Negus of Shewa and later Emperor of Ethiopia Menelik II in 1884–1885. It is currently awarded as a house order by the Crown ...

Knight First Class of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

* Officer of the Order of the Black Star * St_Olavs_Orden_ridder_1_klasse_stripe

Knight First Class of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; 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, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

Legionnaire of the

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 ...

(25 May 1956) * Finland Cross of Liberty 4th Class Military Wartime

Order of the Cross of Liberty The Order of the Cross of Liberty (; ) is one of three official state Order (decoration), orders in Finland, along with the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The awards of the Order of the Cross of Liberty ...

, 4th Class with swords

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olihn, Tage 1908 births 1996 deaths Swedish Army lieutenant generals People from Ronneby Municipality Swedish military attachés Swedish volunteers in the Winter War Swedish expatriates in Ethiopia Ethiopian military personnel Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Ethiopia