Nils Swedlund
| Nils Swedlund | |
|---|---|
|
Swedlund (left) and chief of staff Richard Åkerman (right), 1 April 1951. | |
| Birth name | Nils Per Robert Swedlund |
| Nickname(s) | Stora Bullret[1] |
| Born |
16 May 1898 Gävle, Sweden |
| Died |
28 June 1965 (aged 67) Saltsjöbaden, Sweden |
| Buried | Skogsö cemetery, Saltsjöbaden |
| Allegiance | Sweden |
| Service/branch | Swedish Army |
| Years of service | 1919–1961 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held |
Norrbotten Regiment (I 19) Chief of the Defence Staff Supreme Commander |
Nils Per Robert Swedlund (16 May 1898 – 28 June 1965) was a Swedish Army general who was Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces from 1951 to 1961. He was one of the strongest advocates for a Swedish nuclear weapons program. He worked hard to convince the government that they were necessary.
Biography
Swedlund was born in Gävle, Sweden, the son of major Gustav Swedlund and his wife Ellen (née Reuterskiöld) and brother of the archivist and historian Robert Swedlund. He passed studentexamen at the Högre allmänna läroverket in Gävle in 1917 and became a second lieutenant in Hälsingland Regiment (I 14) in 1919.[2] Swedlund became captain of the General Staff Corps in 1933 and conducted rehearsals and was a teacher at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1934 to 1938 and from 1940 to 1942. He was promoted to major in 1940 and lieutenant colonel in 1942. Swedlund was head of department at the Defence Staff in 1942 and was deputy and section chief of the Defense Staff in 1944. He was promoted to colonel the same year.[3]
During World War II Swedlund was involved in the Swedish training of Norwegian police troops.[4] Swedlund was then commanding officer of Norrbotten Regiment (I 19) from 1946 to 1947 and the Chief of the Defence Staff from 1947 to 1951. He was promoted to major general in 1948, lieutenant general in 1951 and finally general in 1951. Swedlund was the Supreme Commander from 1951 to 1961.[3] As Supreme Commander Swedlund was a strong supporter of nuclear weapons and a driving force in continuing the Swedish nuclear weapons program. He regarded them as necessary for the Swedish defence and worked hard to gain the government's support on the issue. He was also involved in the secret operations for the formation of a Swedish resistance movement in the event of a Soviet invasion, the so-called Stay-behind movement.[5]
Other work
He became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences in 1943 and an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences in 1952.[3]
Personal life
In 1927 Swedlund married Brita Broberg (born 1901), the daughter of major Alfred Broberg and Ebba Ståhle.[2] Swedlund died in Saltsjöbaden on 28 June 1965 and was buried at the Skogsö cemetery in Saltsjöbaden.[6]
Dates of rank
- 1919 – Fänrik
- 19?? – Lieutenant
- 1933 – Captain
- 1940 – Major
- 1942 – Lieutenant Colonel
- 1944 – Colonel
- 1948 – Major General
- 1951 – Lieutenant General
- 1951 – General
Awards
- Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword[7]
- Commander of the Order of the Polar Star[7]
- Knight of the Order of Vasa[7]
- Royal Order of the Seraphim
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog[2]
- Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland[2]
- Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav[2]
- Grand Decoration of Honour of the Order of Merit of the Austrian Republic[2]
- King Christian X's Liberty Medal[2]
- Commemorative medal for humanitarian work (Medaljen för humanitär verksamhet)[2]
References
- ↑ "Mellan Thörnell och Syrén" [Between Thörnell and Syrén]. Kristianstadsbladet (in Swedish). 1 December 2003. Retrieved 2013-03-24.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1962). Vem är vem? 1, Stor-Stockholm [Who is who? 1, Greater Stockholm] (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem. p. 1249.
- 1 2 3 Burling, Ingeborg, ed. (1956). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1957 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1957] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 933.
- ↑ Pierre, Erik (14 November 2005). "15 000 norrmän fick hemlig polisutbildning" [15,000 Norwegian received secret police training]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 March 2009.
- ↑ Övervakningen av nazister och högerextremister: forskarrapporter till Säkerhetstjänstkommissionen (PDF). Statens offentliga utredningar, 0375-250X ; 2002:94 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 2002. ISBN 91-38-21775-9.
- ↑ Åstrand, Göran (1998). Känt och okänt på Stockholms kyrkogårdar [Known and unknown at the Stockholm cemeteries] (in Swedish). Bromma: Ordalaget. p. 158. ISBN 91-973128-2-7.
- 1 2 3 Sveriges statskalender. 1963 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1963. p. 346.
External links
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Carl August Ehrensvärd |
Chief of the Defence Staff 1947–1951 |
Succeeded by Richard Åkerman |
| Preceded by Helge Jung |
Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces 1951–1961 |
Succeeded by Torsten Rapp |