HRH CROWN PRINCE FREDERIK REWARDS EXTRAORDINARY ENDEAVOURS

The Dane Anders Lassen, VC, MC & Two Bars, was a major in the British Special Boat Service during World War II. He was killed at the end of the war, sacrificing himself for his troops during a raid in Italy. Major Lassen’s courage is an example to all men and women in the Danish Defence, and since 1998 a private foundation named after the major has awarded an annual prize to a special, select few.

On a freezing January morning, protector of the foundation, HRH Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, received this year’s awardees at Amalienborg, the royal palace in Copenhagen.

The special crowd consisted of:

• Private Martin Paszkiewicz Aaholm of the Guard Hussars, Denmark. • Frogman Jonas L Awsy of the Frømandskorpset (Danish Frogmen Corps), the Danish equivalent to the British Special Boat Service.
• Chaplain Thomas Østergaard Aallmann.
• A small patrol unit from the Jægerkorpset (The Huntsmen Corps), the Danish Army equivalent to the British Special Air Service.


The Crown Prince praised the efforts of the award recipients.

The Crown Prince presented the prizes and then addressed the recipients, among other things saying:
- You have moved and you are still moving a lot of things. Some have paid a high personal price. That is regrettable, but part of being a soldier.

At the end of his speech, HRH concluded:
- You more than anyone else know that you have made a difference for your country.

After the ceremony his HRH spoke at length with the soldiers.

Martin Paszkiewicz Aaholm
Seriously wounded Martin Paszkiewicz Aaholm was seated during the ceremony, but does actually walk despite having had both his legs amputated.
- I am incredibly proud to be given this honour and to be sitting in such fine company when receiving it. This is a massive thing, the hussar said. He was wounded by an improvised explosive device in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on 1 July 2009.


HRH Crown Prince Frederik with Guard Hussar Martin Paszkiewicz Aaholm. Private Aaholm lost both his legs in Afghanistan.

Jonas L Awsy
Jonas L Awsy is a Frogman and was seriously wounded during an exercise. The accident has changed his life completely. The prize is awarded as a monetary support to help him through this change.

The Crown Prince himself has a remarkable military career behind him, the most notorious being his completion of the training to be a member of the Frømandskorpset.


Two Frogmen – HRH Crown Prince Frederik and Jonas L Awsy.

Thomas Østergaard Aallmann
Chaplain Thomas Østergaard Aallmann received his honours for showing an extremely high level of commitment and involvement in the lives of the soldiers he was stationed with. The chaplain was deployed in Afghanistan with the Danish ISAF team 5 in the first six months of 2008. A great personal courage has been prevailing in his work.


Thomas Ø Aallmann receives the prize. The chaplain recently buried the latest Danish Afghanistan casualty.

Huntsmen Corps patrol
The Jægerkorpset patrol received the prize for having shown extraordinary courage and efficiency during different deployments during 2009. Especially for a number of high-risk operations in Afghanistan in cooperation with the Danish Battle Group in Helmand.

The Anders Lassen Foundation
The foundation has its name from the exceptional character Major Anders Lassen, whose exploits in the British Special Boat Service is still remembered in that unit today. Major Lassen is the only member of the British Special Operation Forces to have received the Victoria Cross.

The aim of the Anders Lassen Foundation is:
• To reward significant military efforts.
• To give financial support as an acknowledgement or an encouragement to members or former members of the Jægerkorpset and the Frømandskorpset for special efforts, or to their surviving relatives.
• To support and encourage wounded Danish military personnel.
• To reward people who make or have made special humanitarian contributions, or their surviving relatives.
• To associate Anders Lassen as an icon for the two Danish Special Operations Corps, thus creating a tighter bond between the two units.

Major Lassen is buried in a war cemetery in Italy. The cemetery is administered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). The CWGC lists the casualty details of the major as follows:

“The London Gazette of 4th September, 1945, gives the following particulars: In Italy, on the night of 8th/9th April, 1945, Major Lassen was ordered to take out a patrol and raid the north shore of Lake Comacchio. His task was to cause casualties, capture prisoners and give the impression of a major landing. The patrol was challenged and came under machine-gun fire. Major Lassen himself attacked with grenades and silenced two enemy posts, capturing two prisoners and killing several Germans. The patrol had suffered casualties and was still under fire. Major Lassen moved forward and flung more grenades into a third enemy position, calling upon the enemy to surrender. He was then hit and mortally wounded, but whilst falling he flung a grenade, wounding more of the enemy and enabling his patrol to capture this last position. Finally, he refused to be evacuated lest he should impede the withdrawal and endanger further lives. His high sense of devotion to duty and the esteem in which he was held by the men he led, added to his own magnificent courage, enabled Major Lassen to carry out with complete success all the tasks he had been given.”