Portal:Norway/Selected biography/9

Carl Gustav Fleischer KCB (1883-1942) was a Norwegian general and the first land commander to win a major victory against the Germans in World War II. Fleischer was born in 1883 as the son of a Church of Norway pastor in Trøndelag. His father died while he was very young and Fleischer moved with his mother to grow up in Trondheim. His childhood home was one characterized by Christianity, simplicity and frugality. Motivated by economic uncertainties, Fleischer joined the Norwegian Military Academy and graduated as the second best student in 1905. In 1919-1923 he was the Staff officer of the Norwegian 6th division before becoming Commanding Officer of Infantry Regiment 14 (IR 14) in Mosjøen. While serving in North Norway Fleischer became an avid writer of military manuals and worked continually on developing the Norwegian Defence Forces in line with the special prerequisites caused by the Norwegian nature and society. On January 16, 1939 he was made Major General (generalmajor) and Commanding Officer of the Norwegian 6th division, the position that would lead him to become the first allied general to defeat the Wehrmacht in a head-on land confrontation. (Full article...)