Swedish Volunteer Corps (Winter War)

Last updated
Osasto Roininen and Swedish Volunteer Corps at Salla. Salla Phase2.png
Osasto Roininen and Swedish Volunteer Corps at Salla.
The Commander of Swedish volunteers General Ernst Linder (right) and his Chief of Staff Carl August Ehrensvard in Tornio. Ernst Linder and Carl August Ehrensvard.png
The Commander of Swedish volunteers General Ernst Linder (right) and his Chief of Staff Carl August Ehrensvärd in Tornio.

The Swedish Volunteer Corps (Swedish : Svenska frivilligkåren) during the Winter War numbered 9,640 officers and men. Sweden was officially non-belligerent during the war, so the Corps was used by Finland. The Swedish volunteers were in the front lines in the northern Salla area starting from February 28, 1940. Their losses included 33 dead, 10 missing, 50 wounded, and 130 disabled by frostbite. [1] There were also 25 aircraft that served in the Swedish Voluntary Air Force, F19. Swedish volunteers also defended Turku in an anti-aircraft battery.

Swedish language North Germanic language spoken in Sweden

Swedish is a North Germanic language spoken natively by 9.6 million people, predominantly in Sweden, and in parts of Finland, where it has equal legal standing with Finnish. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to some extent with Danish, although the degree of mutual intelligibility is largely dependent on the dialect and accent of the speaker. Both Norwegian and Danish are generally easier for Swedish speakers to read than to listen to because of difference in accent and tone when speaking. Swedish is a descendant of Old Norse, the common language of the Germanic peoples living in Scandinavia during the Viking Era. It has the most speakers of the North Germanic languages.

Winter War 1939–1940 war between the Soviet Union and Finland

The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union (USSR) and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peace Treaty on 13 March 1940. The League of Nations deemed the attack illegal and expelled the Soviet Union from the organisation.

Sweden constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe

Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Scandinavian Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north and Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund, a strait at the Swedish-Danish border. At 450,295 square kilometres (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the largest country in Northern Europe, the third-largest country in the European Union and the fifth largest country in Europe by area. Sweden has a total population of 10.2 million of which 2.4 million has a foreign background. It has a low population density of 22 inhabitants per square kilometre (57/sq mi). The highest concentration is in the southern half of the country.

Contents

By the end of the war, the Volunteer Corps was composed of 8,260 Swedes, plus 725 Norwegians, and 600 Danes. [1] They demonstrated a strong Nordic unity that was symbolized in their "four brother hands" insignia which represented Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

Nordic countries Geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic

The Nordic countries or the Nordics are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic, where they are most commonly known as Norden. The term includes Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, as well as Greenland and the Faroe Islands—which are both part of the Kingdom of Denmark—and the Åland Islands and Svalbard and Jan Mayen archipelagos that belong to Finland and Norway respectively, whereas the Norwegian Antarctic territories are often not considered a part of the Nordic countries, due to their geographical location. Scandinavians, who comprise over three quarters of the region's population, are the largest group, followed by Finns, who comprise the majority in Finland; other groups are indigenous minorities such as the Greenlandic Inuit and the Sami people, and recent immigrants and their descendants. The native languages Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese are all North Germanic languages rooted in Old Norse. Native non-Germanic languages are Finnish, Greenlandic and several Sami languages. The main religion is Lutheran Christianity. The Nordic countries have much in common in their way of life, history, religion, their use of Scandinavian languages and social structure. The Nordic countries have a long history of political unions and other close relations, but do not form a separate entity today. The Scandinavist movement sought to unite Denmark, Norway and Sweden into one country in the 19th century, with the indepedence of Finland in the early 20th century, and Iceland in the mid 20th century, this movement expanded into the modern organised Nordic cooperation which includes the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. Especially in English, Scandinavia is sometimes used as a synonym for the Nordic countries, but that term more properly refers to the three monarchies of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Geologically, the Scandinavian Peninsula comprises the mainland of Norway and Sweden as well as the northernmost part of Finland.

Norway constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe

Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northwestern Europe whose territory comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula; the remote island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard are also part of the Kingdom of Norway. The Antarctic Peter I Island and the sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island are dependent territories and thus not considered part of the kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of Antarctica known as Queen Maud Land.

Denmark Sovereign state and Scandinavian country in northern Europe

Denmark, officially the Kingdom of Denmark, is a Nordic country and the southernmost of the Scandinavian nations. Denmark lies southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and is bordered to the south by Germany. The Kingdom of Denmark also comprises two autonomous constituent countries in the North Atlantic Ocean: the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Denmark proper consists of a peninsula, Jutland, and an archipelago of 443 named islands, with the largest being Zealand, Funen and the North Jutlandic Island. The islands are characterised by flat, arable land and sandy coasts, low elevation and a temperate climate. Denmark has a total area of 42,924 km2 (16,573 sq mi), land area of 42,394 km2 (16,368 sq mi), and the total area including Greenland and the Faroe Islands is 2,210,579 km2 (853,509 sq mi), and a population of 5.8 million.

Commanders

Organization

Swedish Volunteer Corps - Svenska Frivilligkåren

Count Carl Carlsson Bonde af Björnö, more known as Carl C:son Bonde was a Swedish Army officer. Bonde was serving in the Swedish Army until 1939 when he joined the Swedish Volunteer Corps during the Winter War in Finland. Back in Sweden he became head of the department for interior affairs at the Defence Staff and finally retired from the military in 1957.

Carl-Oscar Agell

Carl-Oscar Agell was a Swedish Army officer. He served in Finland during the Winter War and back in Sweden he became commanding officer of the Jämtland Ranger Regiment. Agell headed the Swedish contingent of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) and became the civil defense chief in Norrköping before retiring in 1958.

Viking Tamm

Viking Sebastian Henricsson Tamm was a Swedish Army officer. In addition to the years he served in the Swedish Army, Tamm led a group of Swedish officers who developed the Ethiopian military school's officer training and he was a volunteer in the Winter War in Finland in 1940 commanding the II. Battlegroup of the Swedish Volunteer Corps. Back in Sweden he eventually became Chief of Army Staff and the General Staff Corps (1948–53) and commander of the I Military Area (1953–61) before retiring as a Lieutenant General in 1961.

Weapons

Vehicles

Losses

33 men of the Swedish Volunteer Corps were killed. These were: [2]

ID no.NameBornRankUnitDate killedNote
753Zachau, Anders Robert1906-08-31 Löjtnant Air Force 1940-01-12 [note 1]
897Sjöqvist, John Magnus1918-09-23 Fänrik Air Force1940-01-23
2121Sjödin, Sven Adolf1916-04-19 Private II grp, stabskomp.1940-02-23
3399Persson, Helmer Ove Albin1915-03-04 Översergeant II grp, stabskomp.1940-02-23
553Dyrssen, Magnus Peder Vilhelm1894-05-18 Överstelöjtnant Cmdr, I grp1940-03-01
2437Wibble, Per Arne1920-03-23PrivateII grp, 3. skkomp.1940-03-01
3347Hjukström, Evald Ossian1909-06-22ÖversergeantII grp, 4. jkomp.1940-03-02
230Hömqvist, Gunnar Ingemar1915-03-11ÖversergeantII grp, 4. jkomp.1940-03-02
9076Svensson-Myhr, Olof1912-10-08ÖversergeantII grp, 4. jkomp.1940-03-02
2601Wallman, Helge Bernhard1913-07-12 Sergeant II grp, 4. jkomp.1940-03-02
2595Johansson, Karl Jonas Adolf1912-07-14PrivateII grp, 4. jkomp.1940-03-02
1342Karlsson, Gustaf Per1915-06-11PrivateII grp, 4. jkomp.1940-03-02 [note 2]
4149Palm, Knut Algot1918-05-13PrivateII grp, 4. jkomp.1940-03-02
2742Öjstad, Torbjörn1916-02-04FänrikII grp, 4. jkomp.1940-03-02
389Janson, Bror Sixten Valdemar1908-03-29II grp, 4. jkomp.Sergeant1940-03-02
1349Johansson, Linus J. W.1917-02-28PrivateII grp, 4. jkomp.1940-03-02
1555Andersson, Arvid1912-01-26Norwegian PrivateI grp, 3. skkomp.1940-03-02
681Wemstedt, Melcher Wasa Bo G.1909-09-22LöjtnantI grp, stabskomp.1940-03-07
2210Winlöf, Karl Erik1893-10-30PrivateI grp, 4. jkomp.1940-03-07
8444Thegerström, Jan Henrik1918-01-16PrivateII grp, 3. skkomp.1940-03-08
752Hildinger, Sten Åke1914-06-06LöjtnantAir Force1940-03-10
9404Christensen, Abraham, Joh.1891-12-19Norwegian PrivateII grp, 1. skkomp.1940-03-10
2352Roth, Carl Willy1908-11-23Private2. bilkomp.1940-03-12
2431Jonsson, Anders1917-09-04Översergeant2. bilkomp.1940-03-12
2185Cederborg, Knut Ragnar1910-10-01PrivateI grp, 1. skkomp.1940-03-13
3893Eriksson, Filip E. Volger1905-07-27PrivateI grp, 3. skkomp.1940-03-13
8301Andersson, Bernt Einar1917-05-22PrivateII grp, 4. jkomp.1940-03-13
3298Brandin, Bror Atle1910-12-02PrivateII grp, 4. jkomp.1940-03-13
255Svensson, Karl Olle August1915-09-14SergeantII grp, 4. jkomp.1940-03-13
3242Gustafsson, Gustaf1910-06-10Private2. pvplut.1940-03-13
8389Johansson, Erik Harald1914-01-15Private2. pvplut.1940-03-13
2592Lindegren, Anders Hugo1916-05-13Private2. pvplut.1940-03-13
8686Månsson, Gösta Georg1897-09-13SergeantII grp, 2. skkomp.1940-03-31

See also

Footnotes

  1. The 33-year-old Anders Zachau, a forest officer from Uddevalla, followed his aircraft to the ground and was killed. He thus became the first person ever of the Swedish Air Force who died in battle. His remains were found in 1942 and was then transferred to Sweden for burial in Uddevalla. His name is remembered in the Swedish Air Force Memorial Hall. [3]
  2. Per-Gustaf Karlsson from Morjärv was badly wounded on 2 March 1940, behind the Soviet front line at Märkäjärvi, but could not be brought back its own line. After the end of the Continuation War, a body was found buried at a former Soviet medical site. The remains could not be identified and were placed in a German mass grave at Kellosälkä (Salla area). When the German casualties there were taken to Germany, it was noted that it was Per-Gustaf Carlsson's remains. The funeral service could then take place at Morjärv Church on 17 January 1960 with interment at its cemetery. [4]

Related Research Articles

Sweden and the Winter War

The Winter War was fought in the four months following the Soviet Union's invasion of Finland on November 30, 1939. This took place three months after the German invasion of Poland that triggered the start of World War II in Europe. Sweden did not become actively involved in the conflict, but did indirectly support Finland. The Swedish Volunteer Corps provided 9,640 officers and men that saw action in some of the bloodiest parts of the war such as the Battle of Tali-Ihantala. The Swedish Voluntary Air Force also provided 25 aircraft that destroyed twelve Soviet aircraft while only losing six planes with only two to actual enemy action and four to accidents. Sweden also provided a big portion of the weapons and equipment used by the Finns throughout the war.

The Southern Front was a Front – a roughly Army group sized formation – of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. The Southern Front directed military operations during the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina in 1940, and then was formed twice after the June 1941 German invasion, Operation Barbarossa.

The Lapland Group was a formation of the Finnish Army during the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. The group was formed on 13 December 1939 from troops of the North Finland Group. The group was placed under the command of Major General Kurt Martti Wallenius and had its headquarters at Rovaniemi. The forces took part in the Battle of Salla and the Battle of Petsamo.

HSwMS <i>Wachtmeister</i> (10) Swedish destroyer

HSwMS Wachtmeister (10), later (26), was a destroyer of the Swedish Navy during World War I, built at Lindholm Shipyard in Gothenburg, and was launched on December 19, 1917, as the second of two destroyers of the Wrangel class. The ship class were among the most modern destroyers in the world just after the end of World War I. At the outbreak of World War II in 1939 she was stationed as part of the Gothenburg Squadron. Wachtmeister was decommissioned in 1947 and was subsequently sold for scrap in 1950. The ship was named after the Swedish noble family Wachtmeister.

HSwMS <i>Ehrensköld</i> (11) Swedish destroyer

HSwMS Ehrensköld (11), was the lead ship of her class of destroyer in the Swedish Navy during World War II. Together with the sister ship HSwMS Nordenskjöld (12), she constituted the Ehrensköld class, which, with its size and speed, was a major step in the Swedish destroyer fleet. Initially, Ehrensköld had pennant number 11, which was later changed to 1. In 1951-1952, the ship was converted to frigate, and then received the pennant number 71. She was decommissioned in 1963 and was sold for scrapping in 1973.

Fokker C.V

The Fokker C.V was a Dutch light reconnaissance and bomber biplane aircraft manufactured by Fokker. It was designed by Anthony Fokker and the series manufacture began in 1924 at Fokker in Amsterdam.

Bengt Nordenskiöld Swedish Air Force general

Bengt Gustafsson (G:son) Nordenskiöld was a Swedish Air Force general who was Chief of the Air Force from 1942 to 1954. In 1910 Nordenskiöld started his military career as a volunteer in the Svea Life Guards, later attending the Royal Swedish Army Staff College. In 1928, he was made a captain in the General Staff. During 1931 he went through aircraft recognition training at the Swedish Air Force Flying School, after which he was trained as a pilot. In 1936, Nordenskiöld started to serve in the recently created Air Staff under general Torsten Friis, later becoming a lieutenant general. He was appointed in Chief of the Swedish Air Force in 1942 as the first Chief of Air Force with pilot training. Nordenskiöld was promoted general and retired from active service in 1954.

Sri Lanka Artillery

The Sri Lanka Artillery (SLA) is the artillery arm of the Sri Lanka Army. It is made up of 12 regular regiments and 2 volunteer (reserve) regiments. The SLA is headquartered at Panagoda Cantonment, Panagoda.

The Göta Artillery Regiment, designation A 2, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 17th century. It was disbanded in 1962. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from Götaland, and it was also garrisoned there.

Göta Engineer Regiment

The Göta Engineer Regiment, designation Ing 2, is a Swedish Army engineer regiment that traces its origins back to the 19th century. It is still in active service, and is currently garrisoned in Eksjö.

Ernst Linder Swedish Army officer and equestrian

Ernst Linder was a Swedish general of Finnish descent who served in the Swedish Army from 1887 to 1918, after which he participated in the Finnish Civil War as the commander of the Satakunta and Savo army groups, whose responsibility stretched from Finland's western coast adjoining the Gulf of Bothnia to Näsijärvi. Linder was friends with the White Commander, Marshal Gustaf Mannerheim. Following the war, he served as Inspector of Cavalry until retiring in 1920.

F 1 Hässlö Swedish Air Force air wing

Västmanland Air Force Wing, also F 1 Hässlö, or simply F 1, is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located at Hässlö Airport in Västerås in central Sweden.

Arthur Nordenswan sport shooter

Arthur Georg Nordenswan was a Swedish Army officer and sport shooter who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.

The Hawaii Air Depot Volunteer Corps (HADVC) was a civilian Paramilitary unit at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii during World War II. The HADVC took on a wide variety of roles helping in the routine operations of the airfield. Along with the Businessmen's Military Training Corps (BMTC), Hawaii Defense Volunteers, Women's Army Volunteer Corps (WAVC), 1st Oahu Volunteer Infantry, and 2nd Oahu Volunteer Infantry, they formed the Organized Defense Volunteer Regiments. Surprisingly for a civilian militia, they had anti-aircraft guns in their arsenal.

Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten

Prince Gustaf Adolf Oscar Fredrik Arthur Edmund, Duke of Västerbotten was a Swedish prince, directly in line of succession to the Swedish throne. He was the eldest son of Gustaf VI Adolf, who ascended the Swedish throne after his son's death. The current king, Carl XVI Gustaf, is Prince Gustaf Adolf's son.

Eric Virgin (officer) Swedish officer (1876-1950)

Eric Virgin was a Swedish Air Force general. Originally a Swedish Army officer, Virgin became commanding officer of the Svea Train Corps in 1926 and was appointed Inspector of the Swedish Army Service Troops the year after. In 1931 he was appointed Chief of the Air Force for the newly established Swedish Air Force. Virgin left the position as major general in 1934 to become advisor to the Emperor of Abyssinia. He left Abyssinia two days before the outbreak of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War in 1935 and back in Sweden he was placed in the Swedish Air Force reserve where he remained until 1947. Virgin died three years later.

Stig Norén

Carl Stig Norén was a Swedish Air Force general. Norén started his military career in the Swedish Navy and was after a few years transferred to the Swedish Air Force where he would remain for over 30 years. Norén finished his career by being the Chief of the Air Force from 1968 to 1973.

HSwMS <i>Wrangel</i> (25) Swedish destroyer

HSwMS Wrangel (25), formerly (9), was a destroyer in the Swedish Navy, built at Lindholm Shipyard in Gothenburg, and was launched on September 24, 1917 as the first of two destroyers of the Wrangel class. Wrangel was a sister ship to HSwMS Wachtmeister. The ship class were among the most modern destroyers in the world just after the end of World War I. At the outbreak of World War II in 1939 she was stationed as part of the Gothenburg Squadron. Wrangel was decommissioned in 1947 and was subsequently used as a pilot and target vessel and sunk on Hårsfjärden in 1960. The ship was named after admiral Carl Gustaf Wrangel.

HSwMS <i>Psilander</i> (18) Sella-class destroyer

HSwMS Psilander (18) was a Psilander-class destroyer of the Swedish Navy from 1940 to 1947. The ship was purchased from Italy by Sweden in 1940, along with her sister ship HSwMS Puke. Before that, she served in the Regia Marina as Giovanni Nicotera, one of four members of the Italian Sella class. Psilander was scrapped in 1949.

References

  1. 1 2 Dahlberg, Hans (1983). I Sverige under 2:a världskriget[In Sweden during World War II] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier fakta. p. 269. ISBN   91-34-50308-0.
  2. Tigerstedt, Örnulf, ed. (1940). I österled: en bokfilm om svenska frivilligkåren (in Swedish). Stockholm: Självständighetsförb. p. 96. LIBRIS   1372129.
  3. Bydén, Micael (12 January 2015). "Flygvapnets första strid och första förlust" [The Swedish Air Force's first combat and first casualty] (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces . Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  4. "In memoriam". www.svenskafrivilliga.com (in Swedish). Retrieved 12 April 2018.