Vagn Bennike
Encyclopedia
Vagn Bennike was an army engineer and demolition
s expert. During the occupation of Denmark
during World War II
he worked in the Danish resistance movement
in Jutland
, where he was attached to the army's illegal tasks unit. In the summer of 1944 he took charge of resistance operations in Jutland, and was at times criticized by other resistance groups for the priority in operations he gave to his loyalty to the army.
On April 28, 1945, with the liberation of Denmark, he was promoted to Major General
, and spent the next 8 years as Inspector General of Engineers. He was subsequently appointed in 1953 to succeed William E.Riley as the UN overseer in charge of monitoring the truce lines between Israel and her Arab neighbours, becoming Chief of Staff of UNTSO, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
, a post in which he served for the period between June 1953 and August 1954. One of his first decisions, in September 1953, was to overrule his predecessor Riley's go-ahead to Israel for work on the proposed hydro-electric project from B'not Yaakov Bridge to Lake Kinneret, which ran through part of the demilitarized zone. Vagn Bennike suspended the work until multilateral negotiations could settle the dispute.
After the Qibya massacre
, he was called to testify before the United Nations Security Council
in October 1953
He also wrote a forward to his colleague Commander E.H.
Hutchison's book Violent Truce: The Arab-Israeli conflict 1951-1955.
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
s expert. During the occupation of Denmark
Occupation of Denmark
Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark began with Operation Weserübung on 9 April 1940, and lasted until German forces withdrew at the end of World War II following their surrender to the Allies on 5 May 1945. Contrary to the situation in other countries under German occupation, most Danish...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he worked in the Danish resistance movement
Danish resistance movement
The Danish resistance movement was an underground insurgency movement to resist the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Due to the unusually lenient terms given to Danish people by the Nazi occupation authority, the movement was slower to develop effective tactics on a wide scale...
in Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
, where he was attached to the army's illegal tasks unit. In the summer of 1944 he took charge of resistance operations in Jutland, and was at times criticized by other resistance groups for the priority in operations he gave to his loyalty to the army.
On April 28, 1945, with the liberation of Denmark, he was promoted to Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
, and spent the next 8 years as Inspector General of Engineers. He was subsequently appointed in 1953 to succeed William E.Riley as the UN overseer in charge of monitoring the truce lines between Israel and her Arab neighbours, becoming Chief of Staff of UNTSO, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
The United Nations Truce Supervision Organization is an organization founded on 29 May 1948 for peacekeeping in the Middle East. Its primary task was providing the military command structure to the peace keeping forces in the Middle East to enable the peace keepers to observe and maintain the...
, a post in which he served for the period between June 1953 and August 1954. One of his first decisions, in September 1953, was to overrule his predecessor Riley's go-ahead to Israel for work on the proposed hydro-electric project from B'not Yaakov Bridge to Lake Kinneret, which ran through part of the demilitarized zone. Vagn Bennike suspended the work until multilateral negotiations could settle the dispute.
After the Qibya massacre
Qibya massacre
The Qibya massacre, also known as the Qibya incident, occurred in October 1953 when Israeli troops under Ariel Sharon attacked the village of Qibya in the West Bank. Sixty-nine Palestinian Arabs, two thirds of them women and children were killed. Forty-five houses, a school, and a mosque were...
, he was called to testify before the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
in October 1953
He also wrote a forward to his colleague Commander E.H.
Hutchison's book Violent Truce: The Arab-Israeli conflict 1951-1955.