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Edited and
Designed by:

Johnny E. Balsved

 

The Wardroom

Vice Admiral Johan Olfert Fischer

Vice Admiral
Johan Olfert Fischer

Join the Wardroom

The Wardroom invites you to learn more of the Officers in question.

The build up of these pages will be divided into three phases.

Phase One - The Military Records

First you will find military records/short biographies for of most of the Navy Officers mentioned on this web-site.

These short biographies are mainly based upon the sources referred to below, ad are primary detailing their military records.

44Click here for the Index of Naval Officers Military Records/Biographies...

Phase Two - The Heroes

The second part will bring more detailed biographies of some of the com-manders and officers.

Years back, my elder brother would constantly claim, that the civil service and the military were one big playground for indifferent leaders.

During 30 years of service, I have met some of those. Those who felt that a tennis lawn was an important issue to their career. Fortunately, those indifferent leaders were a small minority.

A great number of talented commanders and leaders have been doing their outmost for the Royal Danish Navy and to fly the flag, despite various political majorities.

The history of the Royal Danish-Norwegian Navy, and from 1814 The Royal Danish Navy, has shown that the real heroes are still there.

Lieutenant Peter Willemoes
commanding the Floating Battery no. 1 during the Battle of Copenhagen,
April 2, 1801
- one of the well known
Danish naval heroes

Some heroes are more known to the public than others.

Almost any Danish child know Niels Juel and Olfert Fischer, and not to forget Tordenskjold and Willemoes.

Actually, there are a great number of real heroes, not well known to the public. There deeds are indeed as glamorous. Those deeds will be revealed on this website as well.

Admiral C. W. Jessen

Rear Admiral
Carl Wilhelm Jessen

- not that known to the public, but still a great hero

The Definition of a Hero

"Daddy, how come that someone's are called heroes?

This is a reasonable question for a son to ask his father, specially on some memorial day.

However, if the father wants to be honest to his son, he can't just answer; that everyone risking his life in combat, is a hero! - He might better answer this: There are no heroes.

You will find people doing their outmost duty, and people acting on behalf of their conscience. Some of them died during those duties. They probably all  anticipated to survive the dangerous situations, that were going to be their final.

No human being wants to risk his life; however, some people are prepared to run a risk - even a great risk.

Those, that you named heroes, were ordinary people. Probably, they were all afraid of dying.

We try to remember those, for they did their outmost."

  • Above is a translation of: Hvad venter vi på? (What are we waiting for?), by Hans Edvard Teglers, published by Spektrum, Copenhagen, 1966.

Phase Three

The third phase will be the military records for all Officers of the Royal Danish Navy serving during the timeline of this web-site.

The construction of the database and scanning the photos are time consu-ming, so please be patient.

Most biographies of the Danish Naval officers are based on the sources lis-ted below. In many cases further information have been added. In these cases further sources are listed at the actual page.

44Click here for the Index of Naval Officers Military Records/Biographies...

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Sources:

&

Danske Søofficerer 1933-1982, edited by S. E. Pontoppidan and J. Teisen, published by Søe-Lieutenant-Selskabet, Copenhagen, 1984

&

Det Danske Søofficerskorps 1801-1919, by Th. A. Topsøe-Jensen, Gyldendals Boghandel and Nordisk Forlag, Copenhagen, 1919

&

Officerer i den Dansk-Norske Søetat 1660-1814 og den Danske Søetat 1814-1932, Bind I og II, by Th. A. Topsøe-Jensen og Emil Marquard, H. Hagerups Forlag, Copenhagen, 1935

44You are also referred to the Naval Bibliography

- Do you miss a major event on this Site,
or do you hold a great story?

Are you able to contribute to the unfolding of the Danish Naval History,
please e-mail me, enclosures are welcome.
Please remember to list your sources.

You can also use the Naval Web Forum on this web-site.

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This page was last updated: May 6, 2002

This page was first published: September 21, 2001

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