General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Carl Stig Norén (10 May 1908 – 10 September 1996) was a Swedish Air Force officer. Norén started his military career in the

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels ...

and was after a few years transferred to the Swedish Air Force where he would remain for over 30 years. Norén finished his career by being the Chief of the Air Force from 1968 to 1973.

Early life

Norén was born on 10 May 1908 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of the commander of the 1st rank Karl Norén and his wife Marianne (née af Sillén). 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 Gothenburg in 1927.

Career

Norén was commissioned as an officer in the became

in 1930 with then rank of acting sub-lieutenant. Norén served aboard aircraft cruiser , the Swedish Navy so far the only aircraft-carrying ship. Thus, he was also one of the few Swedish pilots who had experience in aircraft starting with

aircraft catapult An aircraft catapult is a device used to allow aircraft to take off from a very limited amount of space, such as the deck of a vessel, but can also be installed on land-based runways in rare cases. It is now most commonly used on aircraft carrier ...

. Norén belonged to the group of young naval officers who early made their way over to the young and growing Swedish Air Force. Norén was promoted to ''underlöjtnant'' in 1932 and underwent flight training from 1932 to 1933 and was promoted to ''

löjtnant ''Löjtnant'' ( en, Lieutenant in the Swedish Army/Air Force, Sub-lieutenant in the Navy) is a company grade officer rank. In the army/airforce, it ranks above second lieutenant and below captain. In the navy, it ranks above acting sub-lieutenan ...

'' in 1934. He was then transferred to the Swedish Air Force where he became ''löjtnant'' in 1936. Norén underwent the general course of the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1937 to 1938 and served mainly at the Air Staff from 1938 to 1943. Norén was promoted to ''

kapten ''Kapten'' ( en, Captain in the Swedish Army/ Air Force, ''Lieutenant'' in the Navy) is a company grade officer rank. In the army/airforce, it ranks above lieutenant and below major. In the navy, it ranks above sub-lieutenant and below lieuten ...

'' in 1940 and underwent the staff course of the Royal Swedish Air Force Staff College from 1941 to 1942. He was a teacher at the Royal Swedish Air Force Staff College from 1943 and was promoted to major in 1944. Norén was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1947 and was head of the Operation Department at the Air Staff from 1947 to 1949 and was appointed commanding officer of the Skaraborg Wing (F 7) the following year. He was promoted to colonel in 1951. Norén was commanding officer of Skaraborg Wing from 1950 to 1957 and Inspector of the Control and Reporting System of the Swedish Air Force (''Inspektören för luftbevakningen'') from 1957 to 1960. As Inspector of the Control and Reporting System he contributed to the realization of the construction of the modern combat management and air surveillance system called STRIL 60. In 1960 Norén was promoted to major general and appointed Chief of the Air Staff. As Chief of the Air Staff, he was one of the promoters of a joint executive management of the entire Swedish defence. Norén stayed as Chief of the Air Staff until 1964 when he was appointed commanding officer of the First Air Group (E 1). After two years Norén was promoted to lieutenant general and was appointed military commander of the

Southern Military District 200px, Headquarters of the district at 53 Pushkinskaya Street / 43 Budenovsky avenue, Rostov-on-Don The Southern Military District ( Russian: Южный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five militar ...

(Milo S). He was the first military commander of Milo S with overall responsibility for the army, navy and air force under the new military area organisation. Norén was appointed Chief of the Air Force in 1968 and was then faced with several difficult decisions. Increased financial resources coupled with increasing demands on the aircraft's performance and the effects of weapons imbued the defense debate. In the military command he conveyed his views in a way that created respect. He was then able to fulfill the Air Force's requirements, so that the Swedish air defense still would remain a significant factor in the Swedish defense. Norén would remain as Chief of the Air Force until 1973 when he retired and was promoted to full general.

Personal life

In 1935 he married Ulla Nordenson (1910–1996), the daughter of Göran Nordenson and Märta Bagge. He was the father of Märta (born 1938) and Ebba (born 1939). Norén died on 10 September 1996, a few months after his wife, and they were both buried on 18 October 1996 buried at

Norra begravningsplatsen Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Cemetery" 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. Notabl ...

in Stockholm.

Dates of rank

*1930 – Acting sub-lieutenant (Swedish Navy) *1932 – ''

Underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word ''Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 1926 ...

'' (Swedish Navy) *1934 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

(Swedish Navy) *1936 –

(Swedish Air Force) *1940 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

*1944 – Major *1947 – Lieutenant colonel *1951 –

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge ...

*1960 –

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

*1966 –

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...

*1973 –

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 February 23, 1748, together with the ...

(6 June 1968) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(6 June 1957) * 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, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was ...

Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization Royal Medal of Merit The Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization Royal Medal of Merit ( sv, Riksförbundet Sveriges lottakårers kungliga förtjänstmedalj, SLKGM/SM) is a medal awarded by the Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization since 1943 for great ...

in silver * Swedish_Air_Force_Volunteers_Association_Medal_of_Merit_ribbon

Swedish Association of Voluntary Observers Medal of Merit in silver *

Royal Swedish Aero Club Royal Swedish Aero Club ( sv, Kungliga Svenska Aeroklubben, abbreviated KSAK, previously ''Svenska Aeronautiska Sällskapet'', abbreviated SAS), established in 1900, is today the national organization for Sweden's over 150 flying clubs and have by ...

's Gold Medal (''Kungliga Svenska Aeroklubbens guldmedalj'')

Foreign

St_Olavs_Orden_kommandør_med_stjerne_stripe

Commander with Star of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; 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 ...

(1 July 1961) * Medaille_de_l'Aeronautique_ribbon

Aeronautical Medal The Aeronautical Medal (french: "Médaille de l'Aéronautique") is a state decoration of France established by the decree of February 14, 1945. It is awarded to both military personnel and civilians for outstanding accomplishments related to t ...

Honours

*Member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Krigsvetenskapsakademien) is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden and was founded on 12 November 1796 by Gustaf Wilhelm af Tibell. The academy is an independent organization and a forum for ...

(1948) *Honorary member of the

Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences The Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Örlogsmannasällskapet, KÖMS), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. The Society is an independent organization and a forum for navy and defence ...

(1971)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noren, Stig 1908 births 1996 deaths Swedish Air Force generals Military personnel from Stockholm Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of Vasa Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen