Bertil Stjernfelt

Lieutenant Colonel Henning Bertil Stjernfelt (24 July 1917 – 21 January 2017) was a Swedish Army officer and military historian. Stjernfelt graduated from the Royal Swedish Naval Academy in 1940 and immediately entered service with the Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment during the German invasion of Denmark and Norway. As a young lieutenant in World War II, he commanded an artillery battery in the northern Sea of Åland, maintaining full combat readiness throughout the war. His early passion for military history led to his first book ''Alarm in the Atlantic Wall'', which earned praise from Charles de Gaulle.

After the war, he pursued advanced military education in Sweden and the United Kingdom, later teaching at the Royal Swedish Naval Academy and Staff College. Stjernfelt became a strong advocate for amphibious units in Swedish defence, playing a decisive role in the establishment of the Coastal Rangers in 1956. He held several key command and staff positions, including head of the Coastal Artillery Warrant Officers' School, chief of staff in Gotland Coastal Artillery Defence, and later head of the Naval Staff's Intelligence Department.

Internationally, he commanded the Swedish UN contingent in Cyprus (1966–1967) and attended senior intelligence training in the United States. He concluded his career as head of the military history department at the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College, where he served until his retirement in 1977. In retirement, he pursued academic studies, conducted research, and remained an active writer and lecturer on military history, publishing works in multiple languages and contributing regularly to professional journals. Provided by Wikipedia