The areas in southern Denmark, especially Schleswig, were a conflict zone between Germany and Denmark in the 19th century. The area is inhabited by both German and Danish speakers. Twice these tensions in the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein led to war.The two duchies have been linked to the Danish Crown (not the state of Denmark) since the 15th century.The German population in the southern part of Schleswig and Holstein increasingly gravitated towards Germany in the 1840s. They wanted independence from Denmark and to join the then still loose confederation of German states that was taking shape with Prussia and the smaller German states (although it took until 1871 for the confederation to be completed).Denmark was willing to let Holstein go, but at the same time wanted to incorporate Schleswig into Denmark proper.
The First War 1848 - 1850
The escalating conflict resulted in an uprising in Schleswig-Holstein on March 24, 1848. This German national uprising was supported by Prussia. A wave of nationalism swept across Europe, especially after the Paris Revolution of 1848. On April 23, 1848, the Danish troops were defeated at the town of Schleswig and the Danish army retreated north. The Schleswig-Holstein army was expanded and reinforced with German units. The army consisted of 9,000 men from Schleswig-Holstein as well as 12,000 Prussians and 10,000 from northern German states. Approximately 12,000 Danish soldiers had gathered at the defense facilities in Dybböl. On June 5, 1848, a bloody battle took place at Dybböl. The Danes managed to repel the German attack. Learn more about the Danish-German War 1848 - 1850.The Swedish King Oscar I offered Denmark an alliance in 1856 in which Sweden promised to guarantee with 16,000 men that Schleswig would remain Danish. Denmark declined, however, as Holstein was not included in the guarantee.
The Second War 1864
In 1864, the conflict flared up again. With the so-called November Constitution of 1863, known as “marspatentet”, Denmark gave Holstein a special status in an attempt to bind the Duchy closer to Denmark. The Act included Holstein but not Schleswig. It was interpreted as a pure provocation by Prussia. Bismarck reacted immediately and demanded that the Danes revoke the so-called “marspatentet”.In July 1863, the Swedish King Karl XV (who had succeeded Oscar I) and the Danish King Frederik VII met in Skåne, Sweden. Karl XV promised to send 20,000 soldiers to the defense of Schleswig. Now, Karl had not anchored this decision in the Swedish Parliament and he alone did not have the authority to make such a pledge. However, the Swedish government decided to sound out France and England. If it could count on their support in the conflict, Sweden would join the war. But neither France nor Britain wanted to go to war with Prussia, and so Sweden's cause also fell. Talks with Denmark continued, however.Prussia was now much stronger than in 1848 and in alliance with Austria. On December 24, 1863, German units entered Holstein. They sent an ultimatum to the Danish government, which did not arrive until January 18, 1864, in Copenhagen. The war was a fact. The Prussian Navy was still inferior to the Danish-Swedish one, which is why the Germans were very careful not to drag Sweden into the war on the Danish side.
The Defense Rampart
Danevirke is a system of defensive ramparts across the southernmost part of Jutland (Jylland) in Schleswig and was the main line of defense for the Danish army. Danevirke has a total length of about 30 km and stretches from the bay of Slien (Schlei) in the east to the marshy areas of the Ejderen (Eider) in the west.
The Battles of 1864
On February 1, 1864, the first battles were fought. On February 2, an attack at Mysunde was repulsed by the Danes. Mysunde village is located on the southern bank of the river Slien in the eastern part of Danevirke, and here there was a defense wall built by the Danes. To prevent the Germans from going around the defense rampart on the ice over Slien and thus falling on the Danes' backs, a wide channel was cut open in the ice to prevent a German crossing. The channel was just finished when the Germans attacked at Mysunde.At the beginning of February, there were 40,000 Danes at the ramparts, facing around 57,000 on the German side. On the night of February 5-6, the Danish forces at Danevirke were evacuated after some minor clashes with the Prussian-Austrian forces at the various entrenchments of the ramparts. The line of defense that had protected Denmark in the south was thus abandoned. The Danish forces retreat to Dybböl and are pursued by the Germans.The abandonment of Danevirke caused great bitterness and despair among the Danish people. On March 8 Vejle was lost and later that month Kolding was also lost. On March 17, some fighting breaks out at the outposts at Dybböl. The Danes lost their advanced positions at Dybböl, which gave the Germans the opportunity to begin their siege work unhindered. These battles were the first in which Swedes took part.The Danish side lost 679 men in the fighting.On March 28, the Germans attempted to storm the Danish positions at Dybböl. However, the attack is repulsed by the Danish forces and the Danish army is given a respite. The Danish side loses 201 men in the fighting. The first Swede, Corporal G. R. Göransson of the 2nd Infantry Regiment (former soldier in the Second Life Guards, Sweden), is killed in these battles.On April 18th, after a period of siege, the Danish defense positions at Dybböl are stormed again. Before the storming, the defenses were subjected to heavy artillery fire for 6 hours. Already before the day of the storming, the defenses had been subjected to daily German artillery fire for 14 days. At 10 a.m., the Germans attacked in 6 storm columns. After a valiant resistance, the approximately 11,000 Danes had to withdraw from their defense positions due to the overwhelming German forces of 37,000 men. The Danes retreated to the island of Als. Danish losses amounted to over 4,800 men killed, wounded, and captured. German losses amounted to 1,200 men. After these battles, the Swedish corporal of the 2nd Fortress Company, G. Hammarström was among the first Swedes in this war to receive the Dannebrogmännens hederstecken (Dannebrog Men's Badge of Honor). The other Swedes who received the award on this occasion were the sergeant of the 4th Fortress Company, C. G. Elgström, and the corporal of the 6th Fortress Company, O. Forstberg. Among the Swedes were 4 killed, 4 wounded, and 12 captured by the Germans.
Awards and Distinctions
The following Swedes are listed under the award "The bravest among the brave" after the battle:Officers:1.Holmertz, A. R. Second Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry Regiment (POW)2.Knorring, von, G. H. Second Lieutenant, 22nd Infantry Regiment (killed in action)3.Lindberg, J. F. O. First Lieutenant of the 18th Infantry Regiment 4.Lundegren, J. S. G. Second Lieutenant, 22nd Infantry Regiment (killed in action)5.Silfversparre, K. J. N. A. Second Lieutenant of the 3rd Regiment of the Corps of Engineers6.Åkerhjelm, K. W. H. Baron, Second Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry Regiment (wounded and POW)Non-commissioned officers:1.Elgström, C. G. Sergeant of the 4th Fortress Company (wounded) 2.Hammarström, G. Corporal of the 2nd Fortress Company 3.Heinemann, A. Sergeant of the 13th Field Battery 4.Forsberg, O. Corporal of the 6th Fortress Company 5.Lundström, L. A. Sergeant, 6th Fortress Battery (killed in action) 6.Rosell, O. E. Sergeant, 4th field battery (POW) 7.Zanddell, Corporal of the 11th Field Battery The fourth Swede killed in the battle was C. L. Roos, Second Lieutenant of the 20th Infantry Regiment.Furthermore, a large number of Swedes are listed who "with honor and distinction fulfilled their war duties".
The Naval Battle
However, the Danish fleet won the only naval battle of the war. The battle took place at Helgoland on 9 May 1864, in which 3 Danish warships faced 5 Austro-Prussian ones. The Danish naval force included the steam frigates "Jylland" (44 guns) and "Nils Juel" (42 guns) and the steam corvette "Heimdall" (16 guns). The enemy naval force consisted of 2 Austrian steam frigates "Schwartzenberg" (50 guns) and "Radetzky" (31 guns) and the 3 Prussian steam gunboats "Blitz", "Basilisk" and "Alder". The gunboats each carried 2 guns. The naval battle was fought 25 km southeast of Heligoland and began with the 'Schwartzenberg' opening fire on the Danish ships. The squadrons of both sides steered the ships in courses towards each other in a north-south direction. When the Danish ships passed the Austrian frigates, they turned to starboard to get between the frigates and the Prussian gunboats. The Austrian frigates also turned and ended up broadside with the Danish ships. "Nils Juel" took up the fight with "Schwartzenberg" and "Jylland" and "Heimdall" with "Radetzky". The Prussian gunboats kept their distance. After almost 2 hours of fighting, "Schwartzenberg" caught fire and was forced to withdraw from the battle. The Danish ships took up the pursuit, all the time shelling the enemy ships. The enemy squadron then sought refuge in a neutral harbor.On board the "Heimdall" was the Swede I. Bennet, employed as a reserve officer. Danish losses amounted to 14 killed and 54 wounded.On May 12, 1864, a truce began. When the armistice ended, the Prussian army continued its offensive. In June 1864, the Germans gathered more than 600 vessels to ferry the German troops to the island of Als. At two a.m., June 29, 1864, the Germans begin the crossing and landing on Als. The landing took place in 5 different places on the island. During the crossing, the Danish positions were shelled with German artillery fire. After heavy fighting, the Germans took the island, and the Danish forces were forced to retreat to Kegenäs in the north of the island, where the last units arrived at 1 pm. From there, an evacuation to Funen (Fyn) began. It was not until the next day that all Danish troops were shipped out of Als.Around 3,200 Danes were lost in the fighting on Als, most of them as German prisoners of war. Among the Swedes, 3 were killed in action while 15 were taken prisoners of war. 36 Swedes received honorable mention after the fighting on Als.The three fallen Swedes were:1.Berzelius, H. W. S. Second Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry Regiment2.Hammarström, G. Corporal, 2nd Fortress Company 3.Lindblad, P. F. C. private soldier, 5th infantry regimentCorporal Hammarström had twice before been wounded in the fighting at Dybböl and was killed in action here in a brave defense of entrenchment on the Als coastline.A new armistice began on July 20, 1864. In the ensuing peace negotiations, Denmark lost not only Holstein but also the whole of Schleswig and with it a large part of the Danish-speaking population.It was not until after the First World War that Denmark regained the northern part of Schleswig.
Summary of the Battles in the 1864 War:
•2 February, a skirmish at Mysunde •5 - 6 February evacuation of Danevirke's defense position, battle at Sandelsmark Lake•7 - 8 February, the Danish forces are withdrawn to Dybböl and the island of Als•17 March, outpost battles at Dybböl redoubts (Dyppelskansarne)•28 mars, The Germans attempt to storm the Dybbölskansen. The attack is repulsed.•18 March, The Dybböl redoubts are stormed and captured by the Germans.•9 May, the naval battle of Helgoland•29 June, the Germans take the Danish positions on the island Als •3 July, Battle of Lundby
Swedish volunteers
In this Danish-German conflict, too, many Swedes volunteered to serve in the Danish armed forces. Between January 15 and May 7, 1864, the Swedish government granted leave of absence to 50 officers and 18 non-commissioned officers to serve in the Danish armed forces in the war against Germany. Most of these were from the Swedish infantry. In total, 75 Swedes served as officers in the Danish army. A total of 434 Swedes served as volunteers in Denmark during the war, 228 in the Danish infantry, 29 in the cavalry, 3 naval officers in the Danish navy, 37 in the artillery, and 1 in the High Command.When the volunteers arrived in Denmark, they first had to go through a recruit school, either in Helsingör or Copenhagen. The first Swedish volunteers were out on their units in March, so the first battles in which Swedes took part were the outpost battles at Dybböl redoubts on March 17.Unlike the previous war of 1848-49, a special unit of Swedish volunteers was formed, the so-called Strövkåren. Strövkåren. It included 134 Swedes and formed 2 companies. About one-third of the Swedes served in the Strövkåren. There were also some Norwegians in the Strövkåren. Lieutenant Hugo Rabb of the Swedish Kalmar Regiment became commander of one of the two companies in the corps, namely the 1st Company. Hugo Rabb also became the Swedish Chief of General Staff in 1873.The Strövkåren was a unit that can be likened to free companies, i.e. they waged an independent war against the Germans, a kind of guerrilla war. On the night between April 10 and 11, they made a surprise landing and attack on the Germans at Kirkeby. In this war, there were far fewer students among the Swedish volunteers, only 11. On the other hand, the volunteer element of craftsmen was large among those with a civilian background. There were also many doctors among the volunteers.Most of the Swedes who were killed in action did so at the battles of Dybböl in April and Als in June 1864. At Dybböl 4 Swedes were killed, 2 wounded and 10 captured by the Germans. At Als, 3 Swedes were killed and 15 were taken prisoners of war.
Prisoners of war or not?
The Swedes who were captured by the Germans were in trouble. In Berlin, they were not considered prisoners of war because Germany was not at war with Sweden. They were to be regarded as irregular soldiers and brought before a court-martial, which would probably have meant execution. However, after investigation, Bismarck and King Wilhelm I decided that the Swedes should also be treated as prisoners of war, which saved the lives of the captured Swedes. However, Germany protested strongly to the Swedish government, and no new leaves of absence were granted by the government to Swedish soldiers who wanted to go to Denmark after May 7. On the other hand, the Swedish government did not withdraw leave for those who had already joined the Danish forces.In early July 1864, Berlin again protested against the Swedish presence in the fighting Danish forces.In August, when the war was over, the Swedish prisoners of war were also sent home.In total, 11 Swedes fell during the war, 12 were wounded in action and 22 became prisoners of war.
Volunteers from other Nordic countries:
In addition to the approximately 427 from Sweden, 78 from Norway (of which 4 were officers) and 11 from Finland (of which 4 were officers) also participated. In addition to Norwegian soldiers, 11 doctors from Norway also took part.
1.Berättelser från 1864-års danska krig samt om deri deltagande svenska, norska och finska frivilliga. A. W. Möller, 1865.2.Svenske statsborgare i krigen 1864. Robert Lemming, Århus, 1996.3.Historien om Sverige, Ånga och Dynamit. Herman Lindqvist, 19994.Svenska frivilliga. Lars Ericsson, 19965.Medborgare i vapen. Lars Ericsson, 19996.Organiserandet av svenska frivilliga till Danmark 1848-50 och 1864 vid de dansk-tyska krigen; Uppsats vid Försvarshögskolans Chefsutbildning 1998, LHU 19 100:6126. Mikael Boox, 1998.
The areas in southern Denmark, especially Schleswig, were a conflict zone between Germany and Denmark in the 19th century. The area is inhabited by both German and Danish speakers. Twice these tensions in the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein led to war.The two duchies have been linked to the Danish Crown (not the state of Denmark) since the 15th century.The German population in the southern part of Schleswig and Holstein increasingly gravitated towards Germany in the 1840s. They wanted independence from Denmark and to join the then still loose confederation of German states that was taking shape with Prussia and the smaller German states (although it took until 1871 for the confederation to be completed).Denmark was willing to let Holstein go, but at the same time wanted to incorporate Schleswig into Denmark proper.
The First War 1848 - 1850
The escalating conflict resulted in an uprising in Schleswig-Holstein on March 24, 1848. This German national uprising was supported by Prussia. A wave of nationalism swept across Europe, especially after the Paris Revolution of 1848. On April 23, 1848, the Danish troops were defeated at the town of Schleswig and the Danish army retreated north. The Schleswig-Holstein army was expanded and reinforced with German units. The army consisted of 9,000 men from Schleswig-Holstein as well as 12,000 Prussians and 10,000 from northern German states. Approximately 12,000 Danish soldiers had gathered at the defense facilities in Dybböl. On June 5, 1848, a bloody battle took place at Dybböl. The Danes managed to repel the German attack. Learn more about the Danish-German War 1848 - 1850.The Swedish King Oscar I offered Denmark an alliance in 1856 in which Sweden promised to guarantee with 16,000 men that Schleswig would remain Danish. Denmark declined, however, as Holstein was not included in the guarantee.
The Second War 1864
In 1864, the conflict flared up again. With the so-called November Constitution of 1863, known as “marspatentet”, Denmark gave Holstein a special status in an attempt to bind the Duchy closer to Denmark. The Act included Holstein but not Schleswig. It was interpreted as a pure provocation by Prussia. Bismarck reacted immediately and demanded that the Danes revoke the so-called “marspatentet”.In July 1863, the Swedish King Karl XV (who had succeeded Oscar I) and the Danish King Frederik VII met in Skåne, Sweden. Karl XV promised to send 20,000 soldiers to the defense of Schleswig. Now, Karl had not anchored this decision in the Swedish Parliament and he alone did not have the authority to make such a pledge. However, the Swedish government decided to sound out France and England. If it could count on their support in the conflict, Sweden would join the war. But neither France nor Britain wanted to go to war with Prussia, and so Sweden's cause also fell. Talks with Denmark continued, however.Prussia was now much stronger than in 1848 and in alliance with Austria. On December 24, 1863, German units entered Holstein. They sent an ultimatum to the Danish government, which did not arrive until January 18, 1864, in Copenhagen. The war was a fact. The Prussian Navy was still inferior to the Danish-Swedish one, which is why the Germans were very careful not to drag Sweden into the war on the Danish side.
The Defense Rampart
Danevirke is a system of defensive ramparts across the southernmost part of Jutland (Jylland) in Schleswig and was the main line of defense for the Danish army. Danevirke has a total length of about 30 km and stretches from the bay of Slien (Schlei) in the east to the marshy areas of the Ejderen (Eider) in the west.
The Battles of 1864
On February 1, 1864, the first battles were fought. On February 2, an attack at Mysunde was repulsed by the Danes. Mysunde village is located on the southern bank of the river Slien in the eastern part of Danevirke, and here there was a defense wall built by the Danes. To prevent the Germans from going around the defense rampart on the ice over Slien and thus falling on the Danes' backs, a wide channel was cut open in the ice to prevent a German crossing. The channel was just finished when the Germans attacked at Mysunde.At the beginning of February, there were 40,000 Danes at the ramparts, facing around 57,000 on the German side. On the night of February 5-6, the Danish forces at Danevirke were evacuated after some minor clashes with the Prussian-Austrian forces at the various entrenchments of the ramparts. The line of defense that had protected Denmark in the south was thus abandoned. The Danish forces retreat to Dybböl and are pursued by the Germans.The abandonment of Danevirke caused great bitterness and despair among the Danish people. On March 8 Vejle was lost and later that month Kolding was also lost. On March 17, some fighting breaks out at the outposts at Dybböl. The Danes lost their advanced positions at Dybböl, which gave the Germans the opportunity to begin their siege work unhindered. These battles were the first in which Swedes took part. The Danish side lost 679 men in the fighting.On March 28, the Germans attempted to storm the Danish positions at Dybböl. However, the attack is repulsed by the Danish forces and the Danish army is given a respite. The Danish side loses 201 men in the fighting. The first Swede, Corporal G. R. Göransson of the 2nd Infantry Regiment (former soldier in the Second Life Guards, Sweden), is killed in these battles.On April 18th, after a period of siege, the Danish defense positions at Dybböl are stormed again. Before the storming, the defenses were subjected to heavy artillery fire for 6 hours. Already before the day of the storming, the defenses had been subjected to daily German artillery fire for 14 days. At 10 a.m., the Germans attacked in 6 storm columns. After a valiant resistance, the approximately 11,000 Danes had to withdraw from their defense positions due to the overwhelming German forces of 37,000 men. The Danes retreated to the island of Als. Danish losses amounted to over 4,800 men killed, wounded, and captured. German losses amounted to 1,200 men. After these battles, the Swedish corporal of the 2nd Fortress Company, G. Hammarström was among the first Swedes in this war to receive the Dannebrogmännens hederstecken (Dannebrog Men's Badge of Honor). The other Swedes who received the award on this occasion were the sergeant of the 4th Fortress Company, C. G. Elgström, and the corporal of the 6th Fortress Company, O. Forstberg. Among the Swedes were 4 killed, 4 wounded, and 12 captured by the Germans.
Awards and Distinctions
The following Swedes are listed under the award "The bravest among the brave" after the battle:Officers:1.Holmertz, A. R. Second Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry Regiment (POW)2.Knorring, von, G. H. Second Lieutenant, 22nd Infantry Regiment (killed in action)3.Lindberg, J. F. O. First Lieutenant of the 18th Infantry Regiment 4.Lundegren, J. S. G. Second Lieutenant, 22nd Infantry Regiment (killed in action)5.Silfversparre, K. J. N. A. Second Lieutenant of the 3rd Regiment of the Corps of Engineers6.Åkerhjelm, K. W. H. Baron, Second Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry Regiment (wounded and POW)Non-commissioned officers:1.Elgström, C. G. Sergeant of the 4th Fortress Company (wounded) 2.Hammarström, G. Corporal of the 2nd Fortress Company 3.Heinemann, A. Sergeant of the 13th Field Battery 4.Forsberg, O. Corporal of the 6th Fortress Company 5.Lundström, L. A. Sergeant, 6th Fortress Battery (killed in action) 6.Rosell, O. E. Sergeant, 4th field battery (POW) 7.Zanddell, Corporal of the 11th Field Battery The fourth Swede killed in the battle was C. L. Roos, Second Lieutenant of the 20th Infantry Regiment.Furthermore, a large number of Swedes are listed who "with honor and distinction fulfilled their war duties".
The Naval Battle
However, the Danish fleet won the only naval battle of the war. The battle took place at Helgoland on 9 May 1864, in which 3 Danish warships faced 5 Austro-Prussian ones. The Danish naval force included the steam frigates "Jylland" (44 guns) and "Nils Juel" (42 guns) and the steam corvette "Heimdall" (16 guns). The enemy naval force consisted of 2 Austrian steam frigates "Schwartzenberg" (50 guns) and "Radetzky" (31 guns) and the 3 Prussian steam gunboats "Blitz", "Basilisk" and "Alder". The gunboats each carried 2 guns. The naval battle was fought 25 km southeast of Heligoland and began with the 'Schwartzenberg' opening fire on the Danish ships. The squadrons of both sides steered the ships in courses towards each other in a north-south direction. When the Danish ships passed the Austrian frigates, they turned to starboard to get between the frigates and the Prussian gunboats. The Austrian frigates also turned and ended up broadside with the Danish ships. "Nils Juel" took up the fight with "Schwartzenberg" and "Jylland" and "Heimdall" with "Radetzky". The Prussian gunboats kept their distance. After almost 2 hours of fighting, "Schwartzenberg" caught fire and was forced to withdraw from the battle. The Danish ships took up the pursuit, all the time shelling the enemy ships. The enemy squadron then sought refuge in a neutral harbor.On board the "Heimdall" was the Swede I. Bennet, employed as a reserve officer. Danish losses amounted to 14 killed and 54 wounded.On May 12, 1864, a truce began. When the armistice ended, the Prussian army continued its offensive. In June 1864, the Germans gathered more than 600 vessels to ferry the German troops to the island of Als. At two a.m., June 29, 1864, the Germans begin the crossing and landing on Als. The landing took place in 5 different places on the island. During the crossing, the Danish positions were shelled with German artillery fire. After heavy fighting, the Germans took the island, and the Danish forces were forced to retreat to Kegenäs in the north of the island, where the last units arrived at 1 pm. From there, an evacuation to Funen (Fyn) began. It was not until the next day that all Danish troops were shipped out of Als.Around 3,200 Danes were lost in the fighting on Als, most of them as German prisoners of war. Among the Swedes, 3 were killed in action while 15 were taken prisoners of war. 36 Swedes received honorable mention after the fighting on Als.The three fallen Swedes were:1.Berzelius, H. W. S. Second Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry Regiment2.Hammarström, G. Corporal, 2nd Fortress Company 3.Lindblad, P. F. C. private soldier, 5th infantry regimentCorporal Hammarström had twice before been wounded in the fighting at Dybböl and was killed in action here in a brave defense of entrenchment on the Als coastline.A new armistice began on July 20, 1864. In the ensuing peace negotiations, Denmark lost not only Holstein but also the whole of Schleswig and with it a large part of the Danish-speaking population.It was not until after the First World War that Denmark regained the northern part of Schleswig.
Summary of the Battles in the 1864 War:
•2 February, a skirmish at Mysunde •5 - 6 February evacuation of Danevirke's defense position, battle at Sandelsmark Lake•7 - 8 February, the Danish forces are withdrawn to Dybböl and the island of Als•17 March, outpost battles at Dybböl redoubts (Dyppelskansarne)•28 mars, The Germans attempt to storm the Dybbölskansen. The attack is repulsed.•18 March, The Dybböl redoubts are stormed and captured by the Germans.•9 May, the naval battle of Helgoland•29 June, the Germans take the Danish positions on the island Als •3 July, Battle of Lundby
Swedish volunteers
In this Danish-German conflict, too, many Swedes volunteered to serve in the Danish armed forces. Between January 15 and May 7, 1864, the Swedish government granted leave of absence to 50 officers and 18 non-commissioned officers to serve in the Danish armed forces in the war against Germany. Most of these were from the Swedish infantry. In total, 75 Swedes served as officers in the Danish army. A total of 434 Swedes served as volunteers in Denmark during the war, 228 in the Danish infantry, 29 in the cavalry, 3 naval officers in the Danish navy, 37 in the artillery, and 1 in the High Command.When the volunteers arrived in Denmark, they first had to go through a recruit school, either in Helsingör or Copenhagen. The first Swedish volunteers were out on their units in March, so the first battles in which Swedes took part were the outpost battles at Dybböl redoubts on March 17.Unlike the previous war of 1848-49, a special unit of Swedish volunteers was formed, the so-called Strövkåren. Strövkåren. It included 134 Swedes and formed 2 companies. About one-third of the Swedes served in the Strövkåren. There were also some Norwegians in the Strövkåren. Lieutenant Hugo Rabb of the Swedish Kalmar Regiment became commander of one of the two companies in the corps, namely the 1st Company. Hugo Rabb also became the Swedish Chief of General Staff in 1873.The Strövkåren was a unit that can be likened to free companies, i.e. they waged an independent war against the Germans, a kind of guerrilla war. On the night between April 10 and 11, they made a surprise landing and attack on the Germans at Kirkeby. In this war, there were far fewer students among the Swedish volunteers, only 11. On the other hand, the volunteer element of craftsmen was large among those with a civilian background. There were also many doctors among the volunteers.Most of the Swedes who were killed in action did so at the battles of Dybböl in April and Als in June 1864. At Dybböl 4 Swedes were killed, 2 wounded and 10 captured by the Germans. At Als, 3 Swedes were killed and 15 were taken prisoners of war.
Prisoners of war or not?
The Swedes who were captured by the Germans were in trouble. In Berlin, they were not considered prisoners of war because Germany was not at war with Sweden. They were to be regarded as irregular soldiers and brought before a court-martial, which would probably have meant execution. However, after investigation, Bismarck and King Wilhelm I decided that the Swedes should also be treated as prisoners of war, which saved the lives of the captured Swedes. However, Germany protested strongly to the Swedish government, and no new leaves of absence were granted by the government to Swedish soldiers who wanted to go to Denmark after May 7. On the other hand, the Swedish government did not withdraw leave for those who had already joined the Danish forces.In early July 1864, Berlin again protested against the Swedish presence in the fighting Danish forces.In August, when the war was over, the Swedish prisoners of war were also sent home.In total, 11 Swedes fell during the war, 12 were wounded in action and 22 became prisoners of war.
Volunteers from other Nordic countries:
In addition to the approximately 427 from Sweden, 78 from Norway (of which 4 were officers) and 11 from Finland (of which 4 were officers) also participated. In addition to Norwegian soldiers, 11 doctors from Norway also took part.
1.Berättelser från 1864-års danska krig samt om deri deltagande svenska, norska och finska frivilliga. A. W. Möller, 1865.2.Svenske statsborgare i krigen 1864. Robert Lemming, Århus, 1996.3.Historien om Sverige, Ånga och Dynamit. Herman Lindqvist, 19994.Svenska frivilliga. Lars Ericsson, 19965.Medborgare i vapen. Lars Ericsson, 19996.Organiserandet av svenska frivilliga till Danmark 1848-50 och 1864 vid de dansk-tyska krigen; Uppsats vid Försvarshögskolans Chefsutbildning 1998, LHU 19 100:6126. Mikael Boox, 1998.
