Odd Bull
| Odd Bull | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | June 28, 1907 |
| Died | September 8, 1991 (aged 84) |
| Allegiance | Norway |
| Service/branch | Royal Norwegian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1928–1969 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Unit |
No. 242 Squadron RAF No. 107 Squadron RAF |
| Commands held |
No. 331 (Norwegian) Squadron RAF No. 332 (Norwegian) Squadron RAF |
| Other work | Chief of Staff, UNTSO, 1963–70 |
Norwegian General Odd Bull (1907–1991) was a career officer in the Royal Norwegian Air Force who eventually rose to the position of Chief of Air Staff. He is probably best known outside Norway for his role as Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) between 1963 and 1970, a period which coincided with the Six Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbours. He wrote a memoir of his experiences during this time, a book entitled War and Peace in the Middle East: The Experiences and Views of a U.N. Observer.
Odd Bull was born on June 28, 1907. He traces his family origins back to 1700 when the family patriarch, a ship's captain named Jacob Bull, first settled in Norway. Odd is a common Norwegian given name, and Bull is an Anglo-Saxon surname. Jacob Bull's descendants retained their seafaring connection until the arrival of Odd Bull's father Gjert, who did not go to sea but became manager of a tobacco factory instead.
Odd Bull grew up in Oslo and received the first twelve years of his education at Vestheim School. At his leaving examination in 1925, he did worse than expected and decided to spend twelve months at a military academy. He enjoyed the experience so much that he eventually decided to take the two-year officer training course, graduating in 1928 as a first lieutenant in the 4th Infantry Division. During his training however, he had become interested in flying, and in 1929 he applied and was accepted into the Army Flying School. After two years of flying experience he became a flying instructor in 1931.
In April 1940, Nazi Germany invaded Norway. Taken by surprise, the Norwegians were unable to mobilize their armed forces in time to conduct an effective defence and were conquered in a 62-day campaign. Many Norwegian servicemen however, including Bull, escaped by boat to Britain where they hoped to carry on the struggle.
Once in Britain, Bull attempted to organize some Norwegian air squadrons, but no airfields were available. Eventually however, the Canadian government offered the Norwegians the Toronto Island Airport as a training centre. As word got out about the centre, hundreds of Norwegians from around the world made their way to Canada to train as pilots.
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