Jonas Wærn

Colonel Carl Jonas Wærn (23 July 1915 – 6 November 2003) was a Swedish Army officer who led Swedish, Irish, and Indian peacekeeping troops in the Congo Crisis. He also commanded Swedish forces on Cyprus in 1964.[1] Later, he served as adjutant to Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden.

Jonas Wærn
Wærn (far left) when Major General Curt Göransson salute the Swedish flag on his arrival in Élisabethville, Congo.
Born(1915-07-23)23 July 1915
Spånga, Sweden
Died6 November 2003(2003-11-06) (aged 88)
Drottningholm, Sweden
Buried
Norra begravningsplatsen, Stockholm
Service/branchSwedish Army
Years of service1936–1966
RankColonel
Commands heldONUC (BDE/BN CO 1961–62)
UNFICYP (BN CO 1964)
Battles/warsCongo Crisis
Cyprus dispute
AwardsOrder of the Sword etc.
Other workCabinet chamberlain
Governor of Gripsholm Castle
Governor of Strömsholm Palace

Career

Wærn was born on 23 July 1915 in Spånga, Sweden, the son of lawyer Olof Wærn and the journalist Gerd Ribbing (née Rehn). He passed studentexamen in 1934 and the reserve officer's examination in 1936 and the officer's examination in 1940. Wærn was commissioned as an officer in Värmland Regiment (I 2) in 1941.[2] During World War II he served as a ranger platoon leader at the Norway–Sweden border.[3] He attended the Royal Swedish Army Staff College in 1947 and was deputy military attaché in Copenhagen in 1948 and was second teacher at the Swedish Infantry Combat School the same year. Wærn attended the School of Infantry in Warminster, England in 1950 and served at Värmland Regiment (I 2) in 1951.[2] Wærn served at the Army Staff in 1955 and at Västerbotten Regiment (I 20) in 1956 and became major the same year. He was first teacher at Infantry Combat School in 1957 and the same year he was appointed adjutant to Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden.[4]

He was a colonel and commander of the twelfth and fourteenth Swedish UN battalion in Congo from 1961 to 1962. At the same time, he was brigade commander of the Swedish, Indian and Irish troops in southern Katanga, which was part of the United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) from June 1961 to May 1962. Wærn was the section chief of the IV Military Commanding Staff in 1962 and was commander of the Swedish UN Battalion in Cyprus in 1964, part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). He was infantry commander of the Stockholm Coastal Artillery Defense (Stockholms kustartilleriförsvar) in 1966.[4]

Later life

Wærn was a member of the Samfundet SHT and of the Charles John Association (Karl Johans förbundet).[2] In 1974 he was appointed cabinet chamberlain. Wærn continue to be active at the court as governor of Gripsholm Castle and Strömsholm Palace from 1975 to 1983. In 1976 he received a Bachelor of Arts degree.[4] In spring 1998, the TV program Röda rummet did a viewing poll about the century's most significant Swedish books. Wærn's book about Katanga was placed in 84th place out of 100 titles.

Personal life

In 1939, Wærn married the royal housekeeper Lissie Ehnström (1916–2012), the daughter of Axel Ehnström and Stina Larsdotter. He was the father of Stina (born 1942), Olof (born 1944), Peder (born 1950) and Lotta (born 1957).[2] Wærn died on 6 November 2003 and was buried on 12 December 2003 in the family grave at Norra begravningsplatsen in Solna Municipality.[5]

Awards and decorations

Wærn's awards:[2]

Swedish
  • Knight of the Order of the Sword
  • Home Guard Medal of Merit in gold (Hemvärnets förtjänstmedalj i guld)
  • Värmland Officers Association's Silver Medal (Värmlands befälsförbunds silvermedalj)
  • Army Shooting Medal (Arméns skyttemedalj)

Foreign

Bibliography
  • Wærn, Jonas (1980). Katanga: svensk FN-trupp i Kongo 1961-62 [Katanga: Swedish UN troops in the Congo 1961-62] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Atlantis. ISBN 91-7486-157-3.
  • Wærn, Jonas (1984). Jonas Waerns rapport till Försvarsstaben [Jonas Waern's report to the Defence Staff] (in Swedish). Hyltebruk: Dokumentär.
  • Wærn, Jonas (1995). Cypern: svenskarnas inledande FN-aktion 1964 [Cyprus: the Swedes' initial UN campaign in 1964] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Atlantis. ISBN 91-7486-221-9.
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References
  1. Farnswort, Clyde H. (11 August 1964). "CYPRUS SUBSIDES; GRIEVES FOR DEAD". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  2. 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. 1338.
  3. Svärd, Bror Richard. "Jonas Waern i helfigur" [Jonas Waern in full-length] (in Swedish). Kongoveteranerna.se. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  4. Uddling, Hans; Paabo, Katrin, eds. (1992). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1993 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1993] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 1133. ISBN 91-1-914072-X.
  5. "Norra begravningsplatsen, kvarter 21B, gravnummer 204" (in Swedish). Hittagraven.se. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
Military offices
Preceded by
Gösta Frykman		 Battalion Commander in the Congo
June 1961 – May 1962		 Succeeded by
Sten-Eggert Nauclér
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