MILITARY PERSONNELS from Norway

Top 4

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Norwegian Military Personnels of all time. This list of famous Norwegian Military Personnels is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Peter Tordenskjold (1690 - 1720)

With an HPI of 52.65, Peter Tordenskjold is the most famous Norwegian Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages on wikipedia.

Peter Jansen Wessel Tordenskiold (28 October 1690 – 12 November 1720), commonly referred to as Tordenskjold (lit. 'Thunder Shield'), was a Norwegian nobleman and flag officer who spent his career in the service of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy. He rose to the rank of vice-admiral for his services in the Great Northern War. Born in the Norwegian city of Trondheim, Peter Wessel travelled to Copenhagen in 1704 and eventually enlisted in the navy. He won a name for himself through audacity and courage and was ennobled as Peter Tordenskiold by King Frederick IV in 1716. His greatest exploit came later that year, as he destroyed the supply fleet of Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Dynekilen, ensuring his siege of Fredriksten would fail. In 1720, he was killed in a duel. He ranks among the most famous naval captains in Denmark and Norway. He experienced an unusually rapid rise in rank and died when he was only 30 years old.

2. Otto Ruge (1882 - 1961)

With an HPI of 51.00, Otto Ruge is the 2nd most famous Norwegian Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Otto Ruge (9 January 1882 – 15 August 1961) was a Norwegian general. Ruge was Commander-in-chief of the Royal Norwegian Armed Forces after Nazi Germany's assault on Norway in April 1940.

3. Cort Adeler (1622 - 1675)

With an HPI of 47.63, Cort Adeler is the 3rd most famous Norwegian Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Cort Sivertsen Adeler (16 December 1622 – 5 November 1675), known in Denmark as Coort Sifvertsen Adelaer, in the Netherlands as Koert Sievertsen Adelaer and in Italy as Curzio Suffrido Adelborst, was the name of honour given to Kurt Sivertsen, a Norwegian seaman, who rendered distinguished service to the Danish and Dutch navies, and also to the Republic of Venice against the Turks.

4. Carl Gustav Fleischer (1883 - 1942)

With an HPI of 43.54, Carl Gustav Fleischer is the 4th most famous Norwegian Military Personnel.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Carl Gustav Fleischer (28 December 1883 – 19 December 1942) was a Norwegian general and the first land commander to win a major victory against the Germans in the Second World War. Having followed the Norwegian government into exile at the end of the Norwegian Campaign, Fleischer committed suicide after being bypassed for appointment as commander-in-chief of the Norwegian Armed Forces in exile and being sent to the insignificant post as commander of Norwegian forces in Canada.