Wilhelm Mohr

PrefacePreface
Working on this book has truly been an honour. It has been a voyage
into a period (WWII) that arguably is the historical period that has
most shaped the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF). However, first
and foremost, it has been a journey into the history of one of the most
influential officers of the RNoAF, Lieutenant General (retired) Wilhelm
Mohr.
In early December 2008, 91-year-old Wilhelm Mohr was standing in
front of a Spitfire at the Norwegian Air Force Museum in Bodø, Norway,
lecturing cadets from the RNoAF Academy. For two hours one
could almost hear a needle drop as the cadets listened to Mohr describing
his experiences during WWII. Later that night, the cadets and a
handful of RNoAF generals – including Wilhelm Mohr – had dinner
inside the museum. Above the table, suspended from the ceiling, was a
Fokker CV – the aircraft type Mohr was flying when Germany attacked
Norway on 9 April 1940 (although in April 1940, he flew a model dating
from 1924). In fact, several of the aircraft Mohr had flown surrounded
us, including a Spitfire, of which Mohr says: ’It was an admirable aircraft
– loved by pilots as well as ground crews’. 1 After dinner, Wilhelm
Mohr asked me if I was interested in some written material he had at
the hotel where he was staying. Naturally, I was, so we took a taxi back
to his hotel, where he then provided me with three of the five articles
that make up the core of this small book.
The aim of this book is to provide a publication that adequately
covers the writings on WWII by Lieutenant General (r) Wilhelm
Mohr. By summarizing his thoughts I hope to not only contribute
to expanding the understanding of the man and his influence during
WWII, but also to provide some knowledge of and insight into perhaps
the most fascinating part of RNoAF history.
1 Wilhelm Mohr, telephone conversation with the author, 20 May 2009.
5