Balchen, Bernt, 1899-1973
Bernt Balchen (b. October 23, 1899, Tveit, Norway-d. October 17, 1973, Mount Kisco, New York), was an aviator, explorer, author, 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, Greenland. 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.
| Role | Title | Holding Repository | |
|---|---|---|---|
| referencedIn | Colonel Bernt Balchen biography file | National Air and Space Museum (U.S.). Archives Division. | |
| referencedIn | Oral History Interview with Sydney M. Wood ..., 2000. | Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center | |
| creatorOf | Artist file. Bernt Balchen | Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives | |
| referencedIn | Aviator Autograph Books (Mabel Perkins) 1920s-1940s. | National Air and Space Museum | |
| creatorOf | Bernt Balchen flying goggles, [1933]. | National Air and Space Museum | |
| referencedIn | Richard E. Byrd personal papers, 1882-1974 | The Ohio State University Library | |
| creatorOf | Balchen, Bernt, 1899-1973. Balchen collection, 1927-2000. | US Air Force Academy, McDermott Library | |
| creatorOf | Balchen, Bernt. [Letter] 1960 February 1, Chappaqua, N.Y. [to] Roy Jansen, Harrisburg, Pa. / Bernt Balchen. | Office of Commonwealth Libraries, Pennsylvania State Library | |
| referencedIn | New York Times Company records. Arthur Hays Sulzberger papers, 1823-1999 | New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division | |
| creatorOf | Colonel Bernt Balchen Papers, ca. 1899-ca. 1979 | National Archives at College Park | |
| referencedIn | Richard H. Anthony papers, 1923-1958, (bulk 1923-1929) | Brown University Archives, John Hay Library | |
| referencedIn | Ellsworth Trans-Antarctic Flight Expedition (1933-1934). Travel photographs, 1933-1934. | Campbell University, Wiggins Memorial Library | |
| creatorOf | Bernt Balchen Collection | Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum | |
| creatorOf | Bernt Balchen papers, 1925-1998 | University of Alaska Fairbanks, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library | |
| referencedIn | Colonel Bernt Balchen biography file | National Air and Space Museum (U.S.). Archives Division. | |
| referencedIn | Fairchild FC-2W2 "Stars and Stripes"; June, Harold I.; Byrd, Richard Evelyn; Balchen, Bernt. [photograph], circa 1928. | National Air and Space Museum | |
| creatorOf | Colonel Bernt Balchen collection, 1903-2002. | San Diego Aerospace Museum Library & Archives | |
| creatorOf | Byrd, Richard Evelyn, 1888-1957. Richard E. Byrd personal papers, 1882-1974. | Ohio State University Libraries | |
| creatorOf | Byrd, Richard Evelyn, 1888-1957. Expeditionary records, 1925-1961. | Ohio State University. Libraries. Rare Books and Manuscripts Library. | |
| creatorOf | Bernt Balchen Personal Papers | San Diego Air and Space Museum Library and Archives | |
| referencedIn | The Ellsworth Antarctic Expedition [videorecording], 1933-1934 | American Museum of Natural History | |
| creatorOf | Papers of Colonel and Mrs. Balchen. Scrap books [microform]. 1975 | University of Alaska Fairbanks, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library | |
| creatorOf | Bernt Balchen flying helmet, [1933] | National Air and Space Museum | |
| creatorOf | Bernt Balchen Papers, 1917-1998, (bulk 1928-1980) | Library of Congress. Manuscript Division | |
| referencedIn | Papers of Admiral Richard E. Byrd 1839-1980 | The Ohio State University. Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program. | |
| creatorOf | Visual materials from the Bernt Balchen papers, 1917-1973. | Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division | |
| referencedIn | Antarctic field photographs, 1934-1935. | Campbell University, Wiggins Memorial Library | |
| referencedIn | Anthony, Richard H., 1903-. Richard H. Anthony papers, 1923-1958 (bulk 1923-1929). | Brown University, Brown University Library |
| Role | Title | Holding Repository | |
|---|---|---|---|
| referencedIn | Oslo: Norske gymnasiaster velges ut til Amerikatur, 27. nov. 1947 | Norsk rikskringkasting | |
| referencedIn | Amelia Earhart with Bernt Balchen, undated | University of Texas at Dallas. Eugene McDermott Library | |
| referencedIn | Balchen, Wilkins, og ...?, Jan. 1, 1933. | Nasjonalbiblioteket | |
| referencedIn | Porträttfotografi av flygaren Bernt Balchen vid skrivbord. Inramat foto. | ||
| referencedIn | Med Byrd og Balchen mot Sydpolen : nordmennene i Little America = With Byrd and Balchen at the South Pole: Norwegians in Little America, by Carl O. Petersen | Nasjonalbiblioteket |
Filters:
| Place Name | Admin Code | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenland | 00 | GL | |
| Antarctica | 00 | AQ | |
| Tveitane | 17 | NO | |
| Arctic regions | |||
| Mount Kisco | NY | US |
| Subject |
|---|
| Aeronautics |
| Aeronautics |
| Aeronautics, Military |
| Air bases |
| Air bases |
| Air pilots |
| Antarctica Discovery and exploration |
| Cold-weather aviation |
| Explorers |
| Norwegian Americans |
| Scandanavian Airlines System |
| Transatlantic flights |
| World War, 1939-1945 |
| World War, 1939-1945 |
| World War, 1939-1945 |
| World War, 1939-1945 |
| World War, 1939-1945 |
| Occupation |
|---|
| Airforce officers |
| Air pilots |
| Air pilots, Military |
| Aviators |
| Explorers |
| Activity |
|---|
Person
Birth 1899-10-23
Death 1973-10-17
Americans,
Norwegians
Norwegian,
English
