Kristian Laake
| Kristian Kristiansen Laake | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
9 April 1875 Ullensaker, Norway |
| Died | 3 August 1950 (aged 75) |
| Allegiance |
 Norway
|
| Service/branch | Norwegian Army |
| Years of service | 1897–1940 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | Commanding General of the Norwegian Army (1931–1940) |
| Battles/wars |
Second World War: Operation Weserübung |
| Awards |
Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav (Commander with Star) Order of the White Rose of Finland (Grand Cross) Order of the Sword (Grand Cross) Order of the Dannebrog (Knighthood) |
| Spouse(s) | Signe Henaug (m. 1901–50) |
Kristian Kristiansen Laake (9 April 1875 – 3 August 1950) was a Norwegian military officer. He is best known for having commanded the Norwegian Army in the first days after the German invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940, and for having been replaced because of what was seen by the leading Norwegian politicians as passive leadership.
He was born in Ullensaker as a son of farmers Kristian Gulbrandsen Laake (1835–1875) and Karen Pedersen Taugland (1839–1903). His older brother Knut M. Laake, a cavalry officer, became a politician and activist, and Kristian Laake joined the Liberal Party as well.
On 24 September 1901, Laake married Nes-born farmer's daughter Signe Henaug (28 November 1879 – 1960). The couple had three children, and in 1908 they acquired the farm Stalsberg in Skedsmo, Akershus. One of their daughters married entomologist Leif R. Natvig.
He finished his secondary education in 1894 and graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy in 1897 and the Norwegian Military College in 1900. He served in the artillery, and reached the rank of colonel in 1928. Laake commanded the 3rd Artillery Regiment in 1928-1929, and then the 1st Artillery Regiment from 1929. He spent April–May 1929 with the 2nd Prussian Artillery Regiment in Germany. In 1931 he was appointed as the Commanding General of Norway. He received the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1934, and held the Order of the White Rose of Finland (Grand Cross), the Order of the Sword (Grand Cross) and the Order of the Dannebrog (Knighthood).
The appointment on 6 February 1931 of Kristian Laake as Commanding General of the Norwegian Army was a controversial one. The preceding Commanding General, Ivar Bauck, reached the age limit for Commanding Generals on 12 February of that year. When the Liberal Party cabinet appointed Laake, it was generally viewed as a political move to enable the cabinet to push through reforms of the Norwegian Army. A member of the Liberal Party himself, Laake fully expressed full support for the politicians as they reduced the budgets for the Norwegian armed forces. The general had taken part in shaping the party's new reduced-size army plans, which his predecessor had opposed vigorously. In Laake's opinion it was vital for soldiers to loyally accept the decisions of the politicians in all respects. Laake's appointment was also criticized because of his lack of previous service on the general staff. Laake had only served in the general staff until 1912, at that time holding the rank of adjoint, the second lowest officer's rank in the general staff. It was almost unheard of that an officer with such limited general staff experience should be appointed Commanding General.
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