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 nameTorgil Vilhelm Hildebad Thorén
Born(1892-03-30)30 March 1892
Döderhult, Sweden
Died11 March 1982(1982-03-11) (aged 89)
AllegianceSwedish Armed Forces
BranchSwedish Navy
Years of service1912–1957
RankCaptain
Other workDG of National Defence Radio Establishment

Early life

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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

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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

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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

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Awards and decorations

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Thorén's awards:[1]

Swedish

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Foreign

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Honours

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References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ West, Nigel (2012). Historical dictionary of signals intelligence. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 209. ISBN 9780810871878. SELIBR 19941446.
  3. ^ West, Nigel (2007). Historical Dictionary of World War II Intelligence. Scarecrow Press. p. 82. ISBN 9780810864214.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1969). Sveriges statskalender. 1969 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. p. 98. SELIBR 3682754.
  6. ^ "Tildelinger av ordener og medaljer" [Awards of medals and medals]. www.kongehuset.no (in Norwegian). Royal Court of Norway. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  7. ^ 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.
Military offices
Preceded by
Johan Eskil Gester
Defence Staff's Cryptology Department
1940–1942
Succeeded by
None
Government offices
Preceded by
None
Director-General of National Defence Radio Establishment
1942–1957
Succeeded by
Gustaf Tham