Nils-Fredrik Palmstierna

Friherre Major General Nils-Fredrik Palmstierna (8 March 1919 – 5 August 1990) was a Swedish Air Force officer. His senior commands include the post of Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, Chief of Staff of the Eastern Military District and head of the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College.

Friherre Nils-Fredrik Palmstierna
Born	(1919-03-08)8 March 1919 Stockholm, Sweden
Died	5 August 1990(1990-08-05) (aged 71) Danderyd, Sweden
Allegiance	Sweden
Service/branch	Swedish Air Force
Years of service	1942–1984
Rank	Major General
Commands held	Defence Staff's Planning Department Svea Air Corps Vice Chief of the Defence Staff Chief of Staff, Eastern Military District Swedish Armed Forces Staff College
Relations	Anders Wall (son-in-law)

Career

Palmstierna was born on 8 March 1919 in Johannes Parish, Stockholm,[1] the son of Colonel, Friherre Henrik Palmstierna and his wife Inger (née Fåhræus).[2] Palmstierna passed studentexamen in Skövde in 1939. He graduated from the Swedish Air Force Flying School (F 5) in Ljungbyhed and was commissioned as an officer at the Västgöta Air Force Wing (F 6) with the rank of fänrik. Palmstierna served as a flight instructor at the Swedish Air Force Flying School (F 5) from 1943 to 1946 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1944.[3] He attended the Staff Course at the Royal Swedish Air Force Staff College in 1949 and was appointed captain the same year. From 1953 to 1955, he served as squadron commander at Halland Air Force Wing (Hallands flygflottilj, F 14).[3]

From 1955 he served as Aide-de-camp to Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland and the same year he was promoted to major.[2] He was posted as chief of staff of the First Air Group from 1955 to 1959 when he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and the same year he studied at the Swedish National Defence College.[3] He was then posted to the Defence Staff from 1960 to 1963 as head of the Planning Department[3][4] during which time he served as an expert in the 1960 and the 1962 Defense Committees.[2]

In 1963, Palmstierna was promoted to colonel and appointed commanding officer of Svea Air Corps (F 8). He was an expert in the 1965 Defense Investigation and in 1967, Palmstierna was appointed chief of Section 4 in the Defence Staff.[2][5] Three years later, he assumed the position of Vice Chief of the Defence Staff and head of the Operations Command on 1 April 1970 and he was promoted to major general on 1 October the same year.[6] Palmstierna was then chief of staff of the Eastern Military District from 1973 to 1978 and commanding offier of the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College from 1978 to 1984.[2]

Palmstierna was chairman of the boards of the Military Literature Association (Militärlitteraturföreningen), Militärhistoriska Förlaget and the Military History Research Delegation (Delegationen för militärhistorisk forskning, DMF). He was also a member of the boards of directors of the HDF-bolagen in Halmstad, Stafsjö bruk and Starfors skogar.[3]

Personal life

In 1945, he married Louise Cavalli (born 1926), the daughter of colonel Evert Cavalli and Greta (née Berggren).[2] They had two children: Charlotte Marie (born 1946), married in 1985 to Anders Wall, and Klas Henrik (born 1949), who was married 1974–1981 to Countess Ylva Catharina Egilsdotter von Rosen.[7]

Palmstierna died on 5 August 1990 in Danderyd Parish, Sweden.[1] He was buried in Djursholm Cemetery on 17 December 1990.[8]

Dates of rank

• 1942 – Fänrik
• 1944 – Lieutenant
• 1949 – Captain
• 1955 – Major
• 1959 – Lieutenant Colonel
• 1963 – Colonel
• 1970 – Major General

Awards and decorations

• Knight of the Order of the Sword (1960)[9]
• Knight of the Order of Vasa (1965)[10]
• Commander of the Order of the Sword (6 June 1967)[11]
• Commander First Class of the Order of the Sword (6 June 1970)[12]

Honours

• Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1962)[2]

References

1. Sveriges dödbok 1901-2009 [Swedish death index 1901-2009] (in Swedish) (Version 5.0 ed.). Solna: Sveriges släktforskarförbund. 2010. ISBN 9789187676598. SELIBR 11931231.
2. Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1985 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1985] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1984. p. 877. ISBN 91-1-843222-0. SELIBR 3681527.
3. Kjellander, Rune (2013). Svenska flygvapnets högre chefer 1925-2005: chefsbiografier och befattningsöversikter (in Swedish). Värmdö: Rune Kjellander. p. 90. ISBN 9789163711831. SELIBR 15870537.
4. Odelberg, Wilhelm (1990). "Minnesteckningar över bortgångna ledamöter". Kungl. Krigsvetenskapsakademiens handlingar och tidskrift (in Swedish). Stockholm: Kungl. Krigsvetenskapsakademien (6): 209. SELIBR 3417415.
5. Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1968 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1968. p. 100.
6. "Synnergren ny ÖB Lundvall marinchef". Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning (in Swedish). TT. 10 January 1970. p. 5. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
7. "KNUT HENRIK PALMSTIERNA 1884-1962". www.palmstiernska.se (in Swedish). Palmstiernska släktföreningen. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
8. "Nils-Fredrik Palmstierna". www.finngraven.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 November 2019.
9. Sveriges statskalender 1964 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1964. p. 123. SELIBR 8261599.
10. Sveriges statskalender 1968 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1968. p. 391. SELIBR 8261599.
11. Sveriges statskalender 1968 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1968. p. 100. SELIBR 8261599.
12. Kungl. Hovstaterna: Kungl. Maj:ts Ordens arkiv, Matriklar (D 1), vol. 14 (1970–1979), p. 29, digital imageing.

Military offices
Preceded by Bengt Lundvall	Defence Staff's Planning Department 1960–1963	Succeeded by Christer Kierkegaard
Preceded by Sven Uggla	Svea Air Corps 1963–1967	Succeeded by Stig Bruse
Preceded by Dick Stenberg	Vice Chief of the Defence Staff 1970–1973	Succeeded by Sven-Olof Olson
Preceded by Hans Neij	Chief of Staff of the Eastern Military District 1973–1978	Succeeded by Erik G. Bengtsson
Preceded by Gustaf Peyron	Swedish Armed Forces Staff College 1978–1984	Succeeded by Evert Båge