Carl von Horn

Major General Carl C:son von Horn (15 July 1903 – 13 March 1989) was a Swedish Army officer known for his service in various UN missions. He was the chief of United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine, the Supreme Commander of the United Nations Operation in the Congo during the Congo Crisis, and commander of United Nations Yemen Observation Mission in Yemen.

Early life Von Horn was born on 15 July 1903 in Vittskövle, Sweden, the son of Ryttmästare Carl von Horn and his wife Martha (née Stjernswärd). His younger brother, , also chose a military career and eventually became a colonel and military attaché in London and The Hague.

Career

Swedish Army von Horn was commissioned as an officer in 1923 and was assigned to the Life Guards of Horse (K 1). He was promoted to captain of the General Staff in 1935 and served in the Swedish Army Service Troops in 1939. Von Horn was promoted to major of the General Staff Corps and the Defence Staff in 1942 and was director (byråchef) of the Royal Railway Board's military bureau. Von Horn was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1945 when he also became head of the Defence Staff's Communication Department. In 1947, von Horn was appointed military attaché in Oslo, and the following year he moved to Copenhagen where he had received a similar appointment. In 1949 he returned to Sweden and took a position at the Northern Småland Regiment (I 12) and the following year he was promoted to colonel and commander of Kronoberg Regiment (I 11) in Växjö. He stayed there for seven years; in 1957, he was appointed commander of Malmö Defence District (Fo 11). in Palestine by Dag Hammarskjöld, and was then promoted to major general. At first he allowed himself "to be optimistic" and he wrote in his memoirs that "instead of fully armed troops, tanks and artillery or even the threat of sanctions, Dag's moral support and my own determination was everything I had." Von Horn then returned to work for the UN in Palestine. In 1963 he was sent to lead the UN observatory group United Nations Yemen Observation Mission in Yemen where fighting continued between government troops and rebels.

Von Horn has been described as an arrogant leader, Von Horn had refused to abide by the UN organization's demands for policy adjustments and opposed when politicians wanted to aggravate the situation in the field.

Death Von Horn died on 13 March 1989 and was interred at in Trelleborg Municipality.

Dates of rank 1935 – Captain 1942 – Major 1945 – Lieutenant colonel 1950 – Colonel 1963 – Major general#tag:ref|von Horn became major general when he was appointed commander of United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in 1958, but he did not become major general in the Swedish Army until 1963.