Olof Thörnell

General Olof Gerhard Thörnell (19 October 1877 – 25 July 1977) was a senior Swedish Army officer. Thörnell's military career spanned several promotions and roles within the Swedish Army. He began as a lieutenant in the Uppland Regiment in 1900, later graduating from the Royal Swedish Army Staff College in 1906 and rising to the rank of captain. After teaching at the Army Staff College, he served as a captain in the Älvsborg Regiment. He then returned to the General Staff, quickly climbing the ranks to become a major and later a lieutenant colonel.

In 1918, he assumed a key position as head of the Central Department of the General Staff. Over the years, he held various commands in different regiments and was eventually appointed Chief of the Defence Staff in 1936. Despite being viewed as a rigid bureaucrat by some, he proved loyal to the government and took a cautious approach to Sweden's neutrality during World War II.

However, Thörnell's pro-German stance and the receipt of the Grand Cross of the Order of the German Eagle in 1940 led to criticism. He served as Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces until 1944, when he was succeeded by General Helge Jung. Thörnell continued to play a role in the military until 1950 when he served as chief of His Majesty's Military Staff until the king's passing.

Early life

Thörnell was born on 19 October 1877 in , Söderhamn Municipality, Sweden, the son of Per Thörnell, a vicar, and his wife Gerhardina "Dine" Margareta (née Lindgren). He was the brother of professor . He was born in the same room as Nathan Söderblom. Thörnell grew up in a priest's home with close contact with the academic world. The choice of regiment gave him time to lay the groundwork for solid language knowledge at the Uppsala University during vacant periods, including in Russian. In future commissions to foreign units in Austria, France and the Netherlands, he had additional opportunities to improve his language skills alongside the professional studies. In 1921 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the General Staff. Thörnell was after that serving in the Upplands Infantry Regiment (I 8) in 1924 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel and acting commanding officer of Gotland Infantry Regiment (I 27) in 1926. On 24 August 1926 Thörnell was promoted to colonel and became commanding officer of Vaxholm Grenadier Regiment (I 26). On 1 January 1928 he was appointed military commander of Gotland and commanding officer of Gotland Infantry Regiment (I 27) and in 1931 he was appointed Inspector of the Swedish Army Service Troops. On 28 December 1933 he was promoted to major general and was appointed Inspector of the Swedish Infantry. On 1 July 1936, Thörnell, was promoted to Lieutenant General and at the same time appointed Chief of the Defence Staff. He now began the organization work. On 1 July 1937, the new staff gathered and the Chief of the Defense Staff took command of the new staff. Thörnell had a harsh and sarcastic personality, and was commonly known as LM, short for Lustmördaren, "the lust murderer", among the younger officers in the Defence Staff.

On 8 December 1939, he was appointed Supreme Commander and on 1 January he was promoted to general. Thörnell's time as the Supreme Commander was marked by several major concessions to Germany and Thörnell himself was generally considered pro-German. Thörnell was criticized by Torgny Segerstedt among other, because he, on 7 October 1940, received the Grand Cross of the Order of the German Eagle by the hands of the Prince of Wied with a letter signed by Adolf Hitler. Thörnell was a skilled organizer who put high demands on his staff. He was also a politically cautious general, overcautious some thought, who took active part in the intricate game about the Swedish neutrality during the first dangerous war years. He tried to safeguard the country for as many possible chain of events as possible. Thörnell left office as Supreme Commander on 1 April 1944 and was succeeded by Helge Jung. Thörnell was chief of His Majesty's Military Staff until the king died on 29 October 1950.

Death

Thörnell died on 25 July 1977 in Uppsala and was buried in Uppsala Old Cemetery.

Dates of rank

Awards and decorations

Swedish Escutcheon of Olof Thörnell showing the Order of the Seraphim.

Medal of Merit for the Voluntary Motorboat Corps (Förtjänstmedalj för Frivilliga motorbåtskåren) 1929 Landstorm Officer's Society Medal of Merit (Landstormsofficerssällskaps förtjänstmedalj) (1930) National Federation of Swedish Women’s Auxiliary Defence Services' Medal of Merit (Svenska lottakårens förtjänstmedalj) (1930) Swedish Landstorm Association Medal of Merit (Sveriges Landstormsförenings förtjänstmedalj) (1930) Gotland Shooting Association Medal of Merit (Gotlands skytteförbunds förtjänstmedalj) (1932) Swedish Red Star Medal of Merit (Svenska Röda Stjärnans förtjänstmedalj) (1938)

Foreign

Honours

Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1923) Honorary Member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (1939)

Footnotes