Balchen, Bernt, 1899-1973

Bernt Balchen (b. October 23, 1899, Tveit, Norway-d. October 17, 1973, Mount Kisco, New York), was an aviator, explorer, and Air Force officer. He participated in the Amundsen relief expedition in 1925, served as mechanic and stand-by crew member for the Amundsen-Ellsworth-Noble flight over the North Pole in the dirigible "Norge" in 1926, participated in the Byrd (1928-30) and Ellsworth (1934) Antarctic expeditions, and distinguished himself as a member of the OSS during World War II. He became a U.S. citizen in 1931 and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Alaska in 1954. Bernt Balchen was born in Norway in 1899, became a pilot in 1921 and then served with the Royal Norwegian Naval Air Service. In 1929 he became famous as the first man to pilot a plane over the South Pole accompanied by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, the navigator and organizer of the Antarctic expedition. He was made a United States citizen in 1931, appointed a captain in the Army Air Corps in 1941, and placed in charge of constructing an air base in Greenland to ferry bombers to England during World War II. An expert in cold weather survival skills and rescue techniques, Balchen trained military personnel in those procedures to rescue downed airmen on the icecap of Greenland. Many of those practices are now universally used in cold weather search and rescue operations. After the war, Balchen worked with Norwegian Airlines, then returned to active duty with the U. S. Air Force where, in 1951, he was in charge of the construction of the air base in Thule, Greeland. Bernt Balchen retired from the Air Force in 1956 and worked as a consultant with engineering firms until his death in 1973. Colonel Balchen was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery and his grave is located next to that of Admiral Byrd. Aviator, explorer, and Air Force officer; born in Tveit, Norway, he was subsequently granted U.S. citizenship. Born, Tviet, Norway

1916: Degree in forestry engineering, Forestry School, Moseby, Norway

1920 - 1921 : Trained as a pilot in the Norwegian Royal Naval Air Force, Horten, Norway

1924: Commissioned flight lieutenant, Norwegian Royal Naval Air Force

1926: Mechanic for Roald Amundson's dirigible flight over North Pole Assisted Richard Evelyn Byrd in preparations for flight over North Pole in trimotor Fokker Josephine Ford

1927: Relief pilot, Richard Evelyn Byrd's transatlantic flight in trimotor Fokker America; given control of the plane when weather deteriorated and landed successfully in waters off the French coast

1929: Piloted first flight over the South Pole for Richard Evelyn Byrd

1930: Granted U.S. citizenship by special act of Congress

1933 - 1935 : Chief pilot, Lincoln Ellsworth's antarctic expedition

1935 - 1940 : Chief inspector, Norwegian Airlines (Norske luftfartselskap)

1941 - 1943 : Appointed captain in U.S. Army Air Corps and charged with constructing an air base in Greenland to ferry bombers to England

1942: Promoted to colonel; awarded Distinguished Flying Cross

1943 - 1945 : Named chief of the Allied Air Transport Command for Scandinavia and the Soviet Union; actively supported Norwegian underground resistance movement

1946 - 1948 : President, Norwegian Airlines

1948: Returned to active duty with U.S. Air Force; commanded the Tenth Search and Rescue Squadron, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska

1951 - 1956 : Special assistant on Arctic affairs to the secretary of the air force

1951: Project officer for construction of air base at Thule, Greenland

1956: Retired from the U.S. Air Force

1958: Published autobiography Come North with Me. New York: E. P. Dutton and Co.

1959: Consultant, General Precision Laboratory, Pleasantville, N.Y.

1966: Consultant, Engineering and Program Development Department, General Dynamics, New York, N.Y.

1973, Oct. 17: Died, Westchester County, N.Y.

From the guide to the Bernt Balchen Papers, 1917-1998, (bulk 1928-1980), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)

Biographical/Historical note