Captain Torgil Vilhelm Hildebad Thorén (30 March 1892 – 11 March 1982) was a Swedish Navy officer. Thorén was the first Director-General of the National Defence Radio Establishment (FRA).
Torgil Thorén | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Torgil Vilhelm Hildebad Thorén |
| Born | 30 March 1892 Döderhult, Sweden |
| Died | 11 March 1982 (aged 89) |
| Allegiance | Swedish Armed Forces |
| Branch | Swedish Navy |
| Years of service | 1912–1957 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Other work | DG of National Defence Radio Establishment |
Early life edit
Thorén was born on 30 March 1892 in Döderhult, Sweden, the son of medical doctor Adolf Thorén and his wife Anna (née Björck).[1]
Career edit
Thorén was commissioned as an officer in the Swedish Navy with the rank of underlöjtnant in 1912. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1916, lieutenant in 1922, lieutenant commander in 1937, and to commander in 1939. In 1942 he was appointed captain.[1]
He studied at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1919 to 1920, and then attended the torpedo course there. In 1922-1935, Thorén was a torpedo boat and destroyer captain. After that, he received a position as division commander in the Destroyer Division (Jagardivisionen), but before World War II erupted as head of department at the Naval Staff and, subsequently, at the Defence Staff (1938-1942). In 1942, he ended up at the National Defence Radio Establishment (FRA) as its first chief, he became the chief executive officer and head in 1952, until retirement in 1957.[1]
His relationship with the Finnish intelligence was the key to Operation Stella Polaris.[2][3]
He wrote about his time at the FRA in 1945.[4]
Personal life edit
In 1920, he married Ingrid Mathiesen (born 1899), the daughter of Halfdan Mathiesen and Olga Breien. They had two children; Rolf (born 1922) and Gösta (born 1924).[1]
Dates of rank edit
- 1912 – Underlöjtnant
- 1916 – Sub-lieutenant
- 1922 – Lieutenant
- 1937 – Lieutenant commander
- 1939 – Commander
- 1942 – Captain
Awards and decorations edit
Thorén's awards:[1]
Swedish edit
Commander 1st Class of the Order of the Sword (6 June 1963)[5]
Knight of the Order of the Polar Star
Knight of the Order of Vasa- RGM
- KSHstorpk
Foreign edit
Commander of the Order of St. Olav (1 July 1957)[6]
2nd Class of the Order of the Cross of Liberty with swords
Knight 1st Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
Officer of the Order of the Three Stars
Officer of the Order of Polonia Restituta
Officer of the Order of the German Eagle
King Haakon VII Freedom Cross
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Honours edit
- Member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (1931)[7]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1962). Vem är vem? 1, Stor-Stockholm [Who's Who? 1, Greater Stockholm] (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem. pp. 1295–1296. SELIBR 53509. Archived from the original on 2013-09-22. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- ^ West, Nigel (2012). Historical dictionary of signals intelligence. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 209. ISBN 9780810871878. SELIBR 19941446.
- ^ West, Nigel (2007). Historical Dictionary of World War II Intelligence. Scarecrow Press. p. 82. ISBN 9780810864214.
- ^ Beckman, Bengt (1996). Svenska kryptobedrifter: [med en beskrivning av hur Arne Beurling knäckte den tyska chiffertrafiken] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier. ISBN 91-0-056229-7. SELIBR 7149514.
- ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1969). Sveriges statskalender. 1969 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. p. 98. SELIBR 3682754.
- ^ "Tildelinger av ordener og medaljer" [Awards of medals and medals]. www.kongehuset.no (in Norwegian). Royal Court of Norway. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
- ^ Lagerström, Sten, ed. (1968). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1969 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1969] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 952. SELIBR 3681519. Archived from the original on 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2019-03-18.