Nils-Olof "Olle" Hederén (13 April 1908 – 9 January 1976) was a

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 ...

officer. He served as commanding officer of the South Scanian Infantry Regiment and

Jämtland Ranger Regiment Jämtland () is a historical province () in the centre of Sweden in northern Europe. It borders Härjedalen and Medelpad to the south, Ångermanland to the east, Lapland to the north and Trøndelag and Norway to the west. Jämtland covers an a ...

. Hederén also served as battalion commander in Congo during the

Congo Crisis The Congo Crisis () was a period of Crisis, political upheaval and war, conflict between 1960 and 1965 in the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The crisis began almost ...

Early life

Hederén was born on 13 April 1908 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 Anton Hederén, an engineer, and his wife Agnes Ohlsson. He passed ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university entrance examination in Sweden from the 17th century to 1968. From 1862 to 1968, ...

'' in 1928.

Career

Early career

Hederén was commissioned as an officer in 1931 and was assigned to the South Scanian Infantry Regiment (I 7) as a second lieutenant. He served as a teacher at the Swedish Infantry Combat School from 1936 to 1939 and attended the

Royal Swedish Army Staff College The Royal Swedish Army Staff College (, KHS) was a Swedish Army training establishment between 1866 and 1961, providing courses for army officers. It was the home of the Swedish Army's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers ...

from 1940 to 1942 and was again a teacher at the Infantry Combat School from 1942 to 1946. He became major in the staff of the I Military District in 1949 and served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

in 1951 and in 1952. Hederén served in the

(I 5) in 1953 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel there in 1957. In 1958 Hederén served in the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

and in 1959 he served at the Army Staff. Hederén was appointed Inspector of the Infantry in the Army Staff in 1959. Beside his military career, Hederén was also chairman of the I 5's Shooting Association (''I 5:s skytteförening'') from 1954 to 1959, secretary in the Swedish Shooting Sport Federation from 1945 to 1947 and Secretary General of the 1947 ISSF World Shooting Championships. He was also a board member of

Jämtland County Jämtland County (, ) is a county or '' län'' in Sweden. It consists of the provinces of Jämtland and Härjedalen, along with minor parts of Hälsingland and Ångermanland, plus two small strips of Lapland and Dalarna. It borders the countie ...

Shooting Association from 1954 to 1959, Swedish Military Sports Federation in 1958 and of the

International Modern Pentathlon Union The International Modern Pentathlon Union (''Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne),'' commonly known by the acronym UIPM, has been the international governing body of modern pentathlon since its foundation in London in 1948. Its headquar ...

in 1960.

Congo Crisis

Hederén served with the

acting rank An acting rank is a designation that allows military personnel to assume a higher military rank, which is usually temporary. They may assume that rank either with or without the pay and allowances appropriate to that grade, depending on the natu ...

of colonel as commander of the Swedish Battalion XVIII K from October 1962 to April 1963 and commander of the Swedish Battalion XX K from April 1963 to December 1963. He was the military chief of the

Kamina Kamina is the capital city of Haut-Lomami Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Transport Kamina is known as an important railway node; three lines of the DRC railways run from Kamina toward the north, west, and south-east. The m ...

Base and Sector Kamina in the

State of Katanga The State of Katanga (; ), also known as the Republic of Katanga, was a breakaway state that proclaimed its independence from Republic of Congo (Léopoldville), Congo-Léopoldville on 11 July 1960 under Moïse Tshombe, leader of the local CO ...

. During this time, the Katangan resistance against Congo's central government was definitively crushed and the breakaway province of Katanga was integrated back into the Congolese government formation. Hederén experienced the final stage of the UN's mandate at the Kamina Base, since it had been maintained and guarded by UN staff for nearly four years. He was the initiator of the reconstruction of the

Bukama Bukama is a town in Haut-Lomami Province of south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of 2009 it had an estimated population of 42,718. Climate Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as a tropical savanna c ...

Bridge and of a major medicine collection for the benefit of the population of Sector Kamina.

Later career

In 1964 he had been transferred to the reserve. After retiring from the military, Hederén was hired by Sveriges Kreditbank as security manager. He stayed in this position until 1973.

Personal life

On 22 October 1938 he married Gunilla Breitholtz (1915–1995), the daughter of captain Gösta Breitholtz and Eva Breitholtz. He was the father of Eva Hederén Flygt (born 1941) and Suzanne Hederén Hultberg (born 1945).

Death

Hederén died on 9 January 1976. The funeral service was held on 16 January 1976 at Gustaf Adolf Church in Stockholm. He was buried at

Norra begravningsplatsen Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Burial Place" in Swedish, is a major cemetery of the Stockholm urban area, located in Solna Municipality. Inaugurated on 9 June 1827, it is the burial site for a number of Swedish notables. Th ...

in Stockholm on 17 May 1976.

Dates of rank

*1931 – 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 ...

*19?? –

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 ...

*1949 –

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 *1963 –

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 ...

(

during 1963)

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Knight 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 ...

(1950) * Jämtland County Schooting Association's Gold Medal (''Jämtlands läns skytteförbunds guldmedalj'') * National Federation of Swedish Women’s Auxiliary Defence Services' Silver Medal (''Riksförbundet Sveriges lottakårers silvermedalj'') * Northern Scania Officers Union's Silver Medal (''Norra skånska befälsförbundets silvermedalj'') * Swedish Sport Shooting Association's Silver Medal (''Svenska sportskytteförbundets silvermedalj'')

Foreign

Knight 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 ...

DNK Kong Christian den Tiendes frihedsmedaille ribbon bar

King Christian X's Liberty Medal * FIN Order of the Lion of Finland 4Class BAR

Knight First Class of the

Order of the Lion of Finland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

* Finland Shooting Association's Gold Medal of Merit (''Finlands skytteförbunds förtjänstmedalj i guld'') * Norwegian Shooting Association's Silver Medal (''Norges skytteförbunds silvermedalj'')

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hederen, Nils-Olof 1908 births 1976 deaths Swedish Army colonels People of the Congo Crisis Knights of the Order of the Sword Military personnel from Stockholm Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen