| Arne Dagfin Dahl | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 May 1894 Kristiania, Norway |
| Died | 26 October 1990 (aged 96) Oslo, Norway |
| Place of burial | Vestre gravlund, Oslo |
| Allegiance | Norway |
| Service/branch | Norwegian Army |
| Years of service | 1912–1956 |
| Rank | Generalmajor (Major General) |
| Commands held |
|
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards |
St. Olav's Medal With Oak Branch[1] |
Arne Dagfin Dahl CBE (1894–1990)[3] was a Norwegian military officer most renowned as the commander of the Alta Battalion during the fighting at Narvik in Northern Norway in 1940.[3][4]
Contents |
During the First World War, Dahl was the Norwegian military attaché to the United Kingdom and Belgium. In connection with this assignment Dahl spent time at the front lines as an observer.[5] According to a report on the Alta Battalion by the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services, Dahl saw action during his time at the front, fighting in a British unit at the Battle of the Somme in 1916.[6]
Dahl assumed command of the Alta Battalion in 1939 and led it through the 1940 Norwegian Campaign.[7][8] He has since been considered perhaps the best Norwegian battalion commander during the fighting at Narvik.[6]
He later served in the UK and the U.S.[3][4] as well as having other commands before in the fall of 1944, as a full colonel, he was made commander of the Norwegian Military Mission.[3][4]
In 1941 Dahl became the first Norwegian to attend the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.[4]
Dahl was given the task of commanding the Norwegian forces that were transferred to, as well as those raised in, the recently liberated Norwegian county of Finnmark from November 1944.[3][4] At the time of the German capitulation in Norway on 8 May 1945 Dahl had under his Finnmark command around 3,000 soldiers. Although involved in very little fighting, the force under Dahl's command was heavily involved in helping the civilian population of Finnmark and served as a symbol of Norwegian sovereignty in the area. Dahl on his part was concerned that the Russian forces which had been stationed in Eastern Finnmark since the October 1944 Petsamo-Kirkenes Operation might not leave after war's end. These concerns turned out not to come true as all the Soviet forces left Norwegian territory by August–September 1945.[9]
A.D. Dahl became a Major General and commander of District Command North in 1945.[3][4]
In the period 1 September 1949 to 31 October 1950,[10] Dahl commanded the Independent Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany.[4]