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Bernt Balchen

Born 23 October 1899(1899-10-23)
Tveit, Kristiansand, Norway
Died 17 October 1973 (aged 73)
Mount Kisco, New York
Occupation Aviator, author, and explorer
Spouse Bess Balchen

Bernt Balchen, D.F.C., (23 October 1899 – 17 October 1973), was a Norwegian-American polar and aviation pioneer. Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - Year 1899 ( MDCCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Tveit is a former municipality in Vest-Agder county Norway Tveit was established as a municipality January 1 1838 (see Formannskapsdistrikt) (formerly "Christianssand" is a city and municipality, and the capital of the county of Vest-Agder, Norway and of the geographical Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Mount Kisco is both a village and a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - Year 1899 ( MDCCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Norwegian Americans (norskamerikanere are Americans of Norwegian descent A geographical pole, or geographic pole, is either of two fixed points on the surface of a spinning body or Planet, at 90 degrees from the Equator, based Aviation refers to activities involving man-made flying devices ( Aircraft) including the people organizations and regulatory bodies involved with them His service in the United States Army Air Force during World War II was tied to his Arctic expertise and helped the Allies in Scandinavia and northern Europe. The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Postwar, he continued to be an influential leader in the United States Air Force as well as in private consulting.

Contents

Early years

Born at the farm Myren in Tveit, just outside Kristiansand, Norway. Tveit is a former municipality in Vest-Agder county Norway Tveit was established as a municipality January 1 1838 (see Formannskapsdistrikt) (formerly "Christianssand" is a city and municipality, and the capital of the county of Vest-Agder, Norway and of the geographical Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Balchen served as a cavalryman in the Finnish Army against the Russians in World War I before becoming a pilot in the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service in 1921 where he acquired his initial Arctic flying experience. The Finnish Army ( Finnish: Maavoimat, Swedish: Armén) is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service ( Marinens Flyvevesen) was alongside the Norwegian Army Air Service the forerunner to the modern-day Royal Norwegian

Aviation

In 1925, Bernt Balchen was a pilot on the Amundsen-Ellsworth Relief Expedition to Spitsbergen and in the next year, he was a member of the Amundsen-Ellsworth-Nobile Arctic Expedition, an attempt at flying an airship over the North Pole. Spitsbergen (formerly known as West Spitsbergen, and sometimes misspelled Spitzbergen) is a Norwegian island the largest Island of the Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (ˈɾuːɑl ˈɑmʉnsən ( July 16, 1872 – c The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is subject to the caveats explained below defined as the point in the northern In a last minute decision by Amundsen, Balchen was not chosen for the final flight. Later, in his 1958 autobiography, Balchen maintained that Amundsen's competitor, Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett, had been unsuccessful in their own attempt to fly by aircraft to the Pole and back a few days earlier. Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, USN ( October 25, 1888 &ndash March 11, 1957) was a pioneering American polar Floyd Bennett (October 25 1890 &ndash April 25 1928 American Aviator who piloted Richard E Balchen based this assertion on calculations he made from Byrd's own speed/navigational data.

Under the sponsorship of Joseph Wanamaker, in 1926, Balchen, as co-pilot and navigator with Floyd Bennett, flew the Fokker Trimotor "Josephine Ford"' on a flying tour to more than 50 American cities, thereby promoting commercial aviation as a safe, reliable and practical means of transport. Following the tour Balchen was hired by Anthony Fokker as a test pilot for Fokker Aircraft at Teterboro Airport, New Jersey. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

In 1927, Balchen, as co-pilot with pilot, Bert Acosta, flight engineer George Noville and navigator and flight organizer Richard E. Byrd, flew the first (experimental) USPS mail transport "America", a Fokker Trimotor, across the Atlantic. Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, USN ( October 25, 1888 &ndash March 11, 1957) was a pioneering American polar Mail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects wherein written Documents typically enclosed in Envelopes and also A Trimotor Fokker C-2 Monoplane, the America was flown in 1927 by Richard E Due to Acosta's lack of ability to fly on instruments and foul weather for most of the crossing, Balchen did almost all of the flying. Bad weather and low visibility made landing at Paris, France impossible, despite repeated attempts. When the aircraft was low on fuel, Balchen returned to the west coast of France and landed the wheeled airplane in the sea just off the shore of France, without injury to the crew. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

On 28–29 November 1929, Balchen, flying a modified Ford 4-AT Trimotor, became the first person to fly over the South Pole. For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth. He was accompanied by Harold June, copilot and radio operator; Ashley McKinley, photographer; and Richard E. Byrd, navigator and organizer of the Antarctic expedition.

Due to his reputation as a polar, transatlantic and aviation expert, Balchen was hired in 1931 by Amelia Earhart as a technical advisor for a planned solo transatlantic flight. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout In an attempt to throw off the press, Earhart turned over her repaired Lockheed Vega to Balchen who was assumed to be planning an Antarctic flight. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Balchen took the Vega to the Fokker Aircraft Company plant at Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. Fokker was a Dutch Aircraft manufacturer named after its founder Anthony Fokker. There, he and mechanics Frank Nagle and Eddie Gorski reconditioned the aircraft for the upcoming record flight. The fuselage was strengthened to take extra fuel tanks that were added to provide a 420-gallon capacity; additional instruments were also installed. After modifications had been made, Earhart flew the Vega successfully across the Atlantic on 20 May 1932. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. [1]

World War II

During World War II, Balchen was responsible for setting up the pilot training camp/school for Norwegian exiled soldiers, "Little Norway", outside Toronto, Ontario, Canada. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Little Norway was a Norwegian Army Air Service / Royal Norwegian Air Force training camp in Canada during World War II. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Later during the war, as a colonel in the U.S. Army Air Force, he oversaw the establishment of USAAF's polar base at Qaanaaq, Greenland, the air base Sondre Stromfjord, then known as "Bluie West Eight," that was used for ferrying combat aircraft to Europe. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. Qaanaaq (qaːnaːq is a town and Municipality in northwestern Greenland. Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat meaning "Land of the Greenlanders" Grønland is a self-governing Danish Province located between the Kangerlussuaq (Søndre Strømfjord is a settlement in west Greenland at the head of a Fjord of the same name Kangerlussuaq (Søndre Strømfjord is a settlement in west Greenland at the head of a Fjord of the same name Between September 1941 and November 1943, Balchen provided his personnel with training in cold weather survival skills and rescue techniques which enabled them to carry out many spectacular rescues of downed airmen on the Greenland icecap.

On 7 May 1943, Balchen successfully led a bombing raid that destroyed the sole German post in Greenland, a weather station and antiaircraft battery on the east coast of Greenland. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Its destruction hindered the ability of the German armed forces to predict weather patterns in the North Atlantic and Europe.

Balchen then was posted to the European Theatre to run Luleå-Kallax Air Base in northern Sweden (set up for harassing and denying air superiority to Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe over Finland and occupied Norway). In Warfare a theater or theatre is defined as a specific geographical area of conduct of armed conflict bordered by areas where no combat is taking place Luleå () ( Lule sami: Luleju, Finnish: Luulaja) is a city (pop Kangerlussuaq (Søndre Strømfjord is a settlement in west Greenland at the head of a Fjord of the same name "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Starting with the invasion of April 9, 1940, Norway was under Military occupation of German forces and civil rule of a German He helped to set up an escape route between the United Kingdom and Sweden that enabled Norwegians and others to flee the Nazis. From March to December 1944, Balchen commanded an air transport operation that safely evacuated at least 2,000 Norwegians, 900 American internees and 150 internees of other nationalities from Sweden.

Balchen also commanded a clandestine air transport operation, transporting strategic freight and numerous important diplomats and Armed Forces officers. From July to October 1944, 64 tons of operational supplies were transported from Scotland to the underground in occupied Norway. Between November 1944 and April 1945, Balchen transported 200 tons of Arctic equipment and operational supplies from England to Sweden that were used to make secret overland transport from Sweden to Norway possible. During winter 1945, using C-47 aircraft under his command, Balchen shipped communications equipment into northern Norway that was of inestimable value to the Allied Expeditionary Force's intelligence operations.

Another Norwegian at Kallax during the same period, serving under Balchen, who became a good friend, was marine biologist and explorer-to-be Thor Heyerdahl, later of Ra I and II and Kon-Tiki fame. Thor Heyerdahl ( October 6, 1914 Larvik, Norway &ndash April 18, 2002 Colla Micheri, Italy) was a Kon-Tiki is the Raft used by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl in his 1947 expedition across the Pacific Ocean

Postwar

From November 1948 to January 1951, he commanded the 10th Rescue Squadron of the United States Air Force, which was headquartered in Alaska but ranged across the entire northern tier of North America rescuing downed airmen, and led the squadron in the development of the techniques that are now universally used in cold weather search and rescue operations. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent Balchen was directly responsible for the U. S. military acquiring the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, that became the primary air search and rescue aircraft of the Arctic. The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single engined high wing Propeller -driven STOL aircraft developed by De Havilland Canada, primarily known In May 1949, while commanding the 10th Rescue Squadron, he flew a C-54 Skymaster from Fairbanks, Alaska via the North Pole to Thule Air Base, Greenland—thus becoming the first person to have piloted aircraft over both poles. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Fairbanks (ˈfɛrbæŋks is a Home Rule City in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States.

Balchen was primarily responsible for the pioneering and development of the strategic air base at Thule, Greenland, built secretly in 1951 under severe weather conditions which, by extending the range of the Strategic Air Command, increased the capabilities that made the SAC a significant deterrent to Soviet aggression during the Cold War. The Strategic Air Command (SAC was both a major command and a "specified command" in the U

After retiring from the USAF in 1956, Col. Balchen continued to serve the Air Force on special assignments and aviation and energy industries as a consultant. In his native Norway, Balchen was a driving force in the establishment of Det Norske Luftfartselskap (D. Det Norske Luftfartselskap, or DNL The Norwegian Airline Company was Norway's flag carrier between 1933 and 1948 N. L. ) ("The Norwegian Airline Company"), with which he pioneered commercial Europe↔US airline flights across the North Pole. D. N. L. later merged with Danish and Swedish airlines into the major carrier Scandinavian Airlines. Scandinavian Airlines System ( SAS) is a multi-national Airline for Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and the leading carrier in the

Balchen continued to work in consultancy until his death in 1973 at Mount Kisco, New York. Mount Kisco is both a village and a town in Westchester County, New York, United States.

Honors and tributes

Balchen was a Harmon Trophy winner, as well as a recipient of the following military decorations:

Balchen, at his death, became one of the few Norwegian-born people buried at Arlington Cemetery. The American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal is a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6 The World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. The National Defense Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States, established during the American Civil War He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, in Section 2, grave 4969; right next to Admiral Byrd.

Quote

“ Today goes fast and tomorrow is almost here. Maybe I have helped a little in the change. So I go on to the next adventure looking to the future but always remembering my teammates and the lonely places I have seen that no other man saw before. ”
 
— Bernt Balchen, found on his memorial stone, [2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Letter to G.P. Putnam to be directed to Bernt Balchen Quote: "Please tell Bernt Balchen how deeply I appreciate all that he did to make this flight possible. In the early days of Norwegian aviation the Norwegian enthusiasts lacked an engine and were therefore unable to perform real flights Of course he is about the finest flyer and technical expert in the world but beyond that it was his confidence in my ability which helped so much. " May 22, 1932
  2. ^ Arlington Cemetery

Bibliography

External links


Persondata
NAME Balchen, Bernt
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Aviator, Author, Explorer
DATE OF BIRTH 23 October 1899
PLACE OF BIRTH Tveit, Kristiansand, Norway
DATE OF DEATH 17 October 1973
PLACE OF DEATH Mount Kisco, New York
Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - Year 1899 ( MDCCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Tveit is a former municipality in Vest-Agder county Norway Tveit was established as a municipality January 1 1838 (see Formannskapsdistrikt) (formerly "Christianssand" is a city and municipality, and the capital of the county of Vest-Agder, Norway and of the geographical Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Mount Kisco is both a village and a town in Westchester County, New York, United States.
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