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

Stig Norén
Birth nameCarl Stig Norén
Born(1908-05-10)10 May 1908
Stockholm, Sweden
Died10 September 1996(1996-09-10) (aged 88)
Stockholm, Sweden
Buried
AllegianceSweden
Service / branchSwedish Navy (1930–36)
Swedish Air Force (1936–73)
Years of service1930–1973
RankGeneral
Commands

Early life

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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 in Gothenburg in 1927.[1]

Career

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Norén was commissioned as an officer in the became Swedish Navy in 1930 with then rank of acting sub-lieutenant.[1] Norén served aboard aircraft cruiser HSwMS Gotland, 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.[2] Norén belonged to the group of young naval officers who early made their way over to the young and growing Swedish Air Force.[3] Norén was promoted to underlöjtnant in 1932 and underwent flight training from 1932 to 1933 and was promoted to löjtnant in 1934.[4][5] 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.[4]

Norén was promoted to kapten 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[3]

 
Lieutenant General Norén test a MiG-21 aircraft in the Soviet Union in 1972.

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.[2] Norén stayed as Chief of the Air Staff until 1964 when he was appointed Commanding General of the 1st Air Command (E 1). After two years Norén was promoted to lieutenant general and was appointed military commander of the Southern Military District (Milo S).[6] 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.[3] 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.[2] Norén would remain as Chief of the Air Force until 1973 when he retired and was promoted to full general.[7]

Personal life

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In 1935 he married Ulla Nordenson (1910–1996), the daughter of Göran Nordenson and Märta Bagge.[5] He was the father of Märta (born 1938) and Ebba (born 1939).[4] 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 in Stockholm.[8]

Dates of rank

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Awards and decorations

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Swedish

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Foreign

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Honours

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References

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  1. ^ a b Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1962). Vem är vem? 1, Stor-Stockholm [Who is Who? 1, Greater Stockholm] (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem. p. 982. SELIBR 53509.
  2. ^ a b c Westin, Bo (1996). "Stig Noren" (PDF). Tidskrift i sjöväsendet. 159 (3). Nacka: 165–166. ISSN 0040-6945. SELIBR 2273219.
  3. ^ a b c Olson, Sven-Olof (1996-09-25). "Dödsfall. Musikbildad flyggeneral". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1945). Vem är vem?. D. 1, Stockholmsdelen [Who is Who?. D. 1, Stockholm part] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. p. 608. SELIBR 8198269.
  5. ^ a b c Burling, Ingeborg, ed. (1956). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1957 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1957] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 723.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Davidsson, Åke, ed. (1966). Vem är vem?. 4, Skåne, Halland, Blekinge [Who is Who?. 4, Scania, Halland, Blekinge] (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem. p. 611. SELIBR 53512.
  7. ^ Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1977 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1977] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1976. p. 757. ISBN 91-1-766022-X. SELIBR 3681523.
  8. ^ "Norén, CARL STIG" (in Swedish). Svenskagravar.se. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  9. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1969). Sveriges statskalender. 1969 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. p. 94. SELIBR 3682754.
  10. ^ Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1968 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1968. p. 97. SELIBR 8261599.
  11. ^ Wigardt, Gaby, ed. (1974-12-16). "namn i dag". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 2. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Förlänad". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1973-08-02. p. 8. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Tildelinger av ordener og medaljer" [Awards of medals and medals]. www.kongehuset.no (in Norwegian). Royal Court of Norway. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  14. ^ Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1985 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1985] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1984. p. 826. ISBN 91-1-843222-0. SELIBR 3681527.
Military offices
Preceded by Skaraborg Wing
1950–1957
Succeeded by
Åke Sundén
Preceded by Inspector of the Control and Reporting System
1957–1960
Succeeded by
Wilhelm Wagner
Preceded by Chief of the Air Staff
1960–1964
Succeeded by
Preceded by 1st Air Command
1964–1966
Succeeded by
Preceded by Southern Military District
1966–1968
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief of the Air Force
1968–1973
Succeeded by
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by President of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences
1971–1975
Succeeded by