Sven-Olof Olson

Olson was born on 26 November 1926 in Oskarshamn, Sweden, the son of Axel Olson, a furniture dealer, and his wife Ellen (née Ingvarsson). He passed studentexamen in Kalmar in 1945 and became an air force officer in 1948. He served at the Västmanland Air Force Wing (F 1) from 1948 to 1957.[4] In 1951 he received the newspaper Stockholms-Tidningen gold medal after having saved a J 30 Mosquito fighter aircraft from a serious situation. This helped to explain previous accidents and prevent new ones.

In 1954 Olson attended the Royal Swedish Air Force Staff College's general course and in 1957 its technical course.[4] He was head of the Department of Combat Management System at the Air Staff's Planning Department from 1957 to 1962. Olson was promoted to major in 1960 and was responsible for operational planning and construction of STRIL 60 from 1958 to 1962 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1963. He was head of the Planning Department at the Defence Staff from 1963 to 1967 when he was promoted to colonel.[4]

Olson attended the Military Academy Karlberg and the Swedish National Defence College and was head of the Planning Department at the Defence Staff in 1963. Olson was a military expert in the 1965 Defense Investigation from 1965 to 1967 and commanding officer of the Flygvapnets krigsskola (F 20) from 1967 to 1971 and commanding officer of Uppland Air Force Wing (F 16) from 1971 to 1973, both in the city of Uppsala.[5] He became major general and Vice Chief of the Defence Staff in 1973 and was commanding officer of the Attack Group (E 1) from 1977 to 1980 when he was promoted to lieutenant general. In 1980-1982 Olson was the military commander of the Southern Military District (Kristianstad) in Sweden. He was assumed the position of Chief of the Air Force on 1 October 1982[6] and left the command on 30 September 1988. After that Olson was president of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences from 1988 to 1991.[5]

Olson was CEO of AB Afoma, chairman of the board of Nyge CSE Aviation AB and member of the board of Volvo lastvagnar AB, Celsius AB and Maynard AB.[5] He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences.[7]

In 1950 he married the dance teacher Yvonne Jahn (born 1931), the daughter of John Jahn and Birgitta (née Bergman-Olson).[5] He is the father of Tom (born 1951), Ylva (born 1955) and Åsa (born 1966).[4]

• 1948 – Fänrik
• 19?? – Lieutenant
• 1957 – Captain
• 1960 – Major
• 1963 – Lieutenant Colonel
• 1967 – Colonel
• 1973 – Major General
• 1980 – Lieutenant General

• Olson, Sven-Olof, ed. (1969). Flygvapnets krigsskola, [Uppsala]: [25:e officersexamen F 20, 18.6.69] (in Swedish). Uppsala: Flygvapnets krigsskola.

• Short clip from a film about Sven-Olof Olson