General Olof Gerhard Thörnell (19 October 1877 – 25 July 1977) was a senior Swedish Army officer.

He began as a lieutenant in the Uppland Regiment in 1900, later graduating from the Royal Swedish Army Staff College in 1906 and rising to the rank of captain.

Despite being viewed as a rigid bureaucrat by some, he proved loyal to the government and took a cautious approach to Sweden's neutrality during World War II.

However, Thörnell's pro-German stance and the receipt of the Grand Cross of the Order of the German Eagle in 1940 led to criticism.

[4] The choice of regiment gave him time to lay the groundwork for solid language knowledge at the Uppsala University during vacant periods, including in Russian.

In future commissions to foreign units in Austria, France and the Netherlands, he had additional opportunities to improve his language skills alongside the professional studies.

[6] Thörnell had a harsh and sarcastic personality, and was commonly known as LM, short for Lustmördaren, "the lust murderer", among the younger officers in the Defence Staff.

The circle around Helge Jung had no respect for Thörnell, they saw him as a "chair warmer", a temporary solution until someone from their own ranks had enough years of service to take over his post.

[8] Thörnell was criticized by Torgny Segerstedt among other, because he, on 7 October 1940, received the Grand Cross of the Order of the German Eagle by the hands of the Prince of Wied with a letter signed by Adolf Hitler.

He was also a politically cautious general, overcautious some thought, who took active part in the intricate game about the Swedish neutrality during the first dangerous war years.