Eystein Olavsson Fjærli (August 12, 1917 – 1987) was a Norwegian career officer (a lieutenant colonel), defense strategist, author, and politician. Fjærli was born in

Molde Molde () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the seat of Molde Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Pen ...

,Fjærli, Eystein. 1968. ''NATO: Strategi for frihet'' (= ''Nå-debatt'' 8). Oslo, p. 94. the son of the politician

Olav Eysteinson Fjærli Olav Eysteinson Fjærli (March 25, 1883 – January 29, 1947) was a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party, representing them in the Parliament of Norway from 1919 to 1933. Fjærli was born in Krognes in the old Valsøyfjord Municipality ...

. When Germany invaded Norway in 1940, he was studying philology, and as a conscript sergeant he participated in fighting in

Eastern Norway Eastern Norway (, ) is the geographical region of the south-eastern part of Norway. It consists of the counties Oslo, Akershus, Vestfold, Østfold, Buskerud, Telemark, and Innlandet. Eastern Norway is by far the most populous region of Norw ...

. In the fall of 1940 he went on an intelligence mission to 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 ...

, where he joined the Norwegian Brigade in Scotland. In the fall of 1943, Fjærli became a liaison officer in the British 52nd Mountain Division, which fought in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. On May 9, 1945 Fjærli returned to Norway as the chief liaison officer for the Allied forces in

Southern Norway Southern Norway (; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical List of regions of Norway, region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any governmental function ...

. After the war, Fjærli was a career officer, with service in the

Independent Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany The Independent Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany (, 'the Germany Brigade') was a Norwegian expeditionary force stationed in the British zone of Allied-occupied Germany, from 1946 to 1953. At first it was based in the Hanover area and from 1948 ...

, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

. He frequently participated in discussions on political and military issues. Fjærli also wrote works on military history. He contributed articles to ''

Morgenbladet is Norway's oldest daily newspaper, covering politics, culture and science, now a weekly news magazine primarily directed at well-educated readers. The magazine is notable for its opinion section featuring contributions exclusively from Norweg ...

'',Groth, Lars, & Stein Ulrich. 1970. ''Medaljens bakside: Rapport fra en rekruttskole''. Oslo: Minerva, p. 17. '' Nå'', ''

Vi Menn ''Vi Menn'', (English: ''Us Men'') is Europe and Norway's largest weekly lifestyle magazine for men. Founded in 1951 the magazine is one of the earliest publications targeting men. It is based in Oslo, Norway. History and profile ''Vi Menn'' was ...

'', and other periodicals.

Selected works

* Ikke-militært forsvar og norsk sikkerhetspolitikk (Non-Military Defense and Norwegian Security Policy, discussion paper, 1967), with

Johan Jørgen Holst Johan Jørgen Holst (29 November 1937 – 13 January 1994) was a Norwegian politician representing Labour, best known for his involvement with the Oslo Accords. Holst was Minister of Defence from 1987 to 1989 and from 1990 to April 1993. He ...

and Harald Rønning * ''NATO: strategi for frihet'' (NATO: Strategy for Freedom, 1968) * ''Tar vi forsvaret alvorlig?'' (Do We Take Defense Seriously? 1969) * ''Krigens Svalbard'' (Wartime Svalbard, 1979) * ''Den norske hær i Storbritannia 1940–1945'' (The Norwegian Army in the United Kingdom 1940–1945, 1982)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fjaerli, Eystein 1917 births 1985 deaths People from Molde Norwegian Army personnel of World War II Norwegian military historians