Birger Eriksen
Birger Kristian Eriksen (born November 17, 1875 in Flakstad in Lofoten , † July 16, 1958 in Drøbak ) was a Norwegian officer , most recently in the rank of colonel .
family
Eriksen's parents were the merchant and ship's captain Caspar Edvard Eriksen and his wife Jensine Petrine , who lived on the northern part of the island Moskenesøy , which was then part of the municipality of Moskenes , now part of the municipality of Flakstad . Arentzen. Birger went to Kristiania at the age of 12 when his father died to continue his school education.
On November 21, 1903 he married Christiane Sæhlie (* 1874 in Vang ). The couple had a son and two daughters.
career
After graduating from school in 1893, Eriksen went to the Technical University of Charlottenburg for three months and then entered the Norwegian Military Academy , which he graduated as an infantry officer in 1896 . In 1899 he switched to the newly established fortress artillery , where he was promoted to captain in 1901 . In 1915 he became major and commandant of Tønsberg Fortress . In the same year he was appointed in command of the Agdenes fortress on the Trondheimfjord . In 1918 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel . In 1931 he became commander of the coastal batteries of mountains and Colonel promoted. In 1933 he was given command of the Oscarsborg fortress near Drøbak on the Oslofjord .
He still held this position when the German Wehrmacht invaded Norway on April 9, 1940 . He is best known for having given the order to fire the heavy cruiser Blücher entering the Oslofjord without consulting the Norwegian Army Command , for which he was initially reprimanded, but then honored. With the sinking of the Blücher and the resulting delay in the German occupation of Oslo, Eriksen gave the Norwegian king, the government and the members of parliament ( Storting ) the time required to leave Oslo and lead the Norwegian resistance against the German invaders record. In particular, this made it possible for parliament to meet again outside of Oslo and formally instruct the government to represent the country from exile. Also, the removal of the Norwegian gold reserves could thus be possible.
In November 1940, Eriksen retired due to old age.
Criticism and Honors
After the end of the war , Eriksen first had to justify himself to two parliamentary commissions, which accused him of having handed Oscarsborg over to the German invaders too quickly, but was both honorably acquitted of the allegations. In 1945 he was awarded the highest Norwegian military order , the War Cross with Sword . He was also awarded the Norwegian Defense Medal ("Deltagermedaljen April 9, 1940 - May 8, 1945") with a rosette , the French Croix de Guerre and the Officer's Cross of the French Legion of Honor.
Birger Eriksen died as a celebrated war hero on Jul 16, 1958. His body was cremated after a solemn ceremony in the New Crematorium in Oslo and the urn was buried in Drøbak Church. On the initiative of a private movement formed in his honor, the urn was exhumed on October 4, 1977 and buried in the honor grove of Vår Frelsers Gravlund cemetery in Oslo.
During the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, King Harald V unveiled a statue of Eriksen on May 6, 1995 in Borggården Square in front of the main fortress of Oscarsborg.
Web links
- Jan Egil Fjørtoft. "Birger Eriksen" , in Norsk biografisk leksikon (Norwegian)
- Website about Eriksen (Norwegian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Trønder Avisa of July 19, 1958, p. 1.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Eriksen, Birger |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Eriksen, Birger Kristian (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Norwegian officer (colonel) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 17, 1875 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Flakstad in Lofoten |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 16, 1958 |
| Place of death | Drøbak |