Introduction

When World War II broke out on 1 September 1945, about twenty European countries declared themselves as neutral states, among these states were Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. When the Winter War broke out, Sweden changed its declaration to a non-belligerent state. Thereby Sweden was able to help and support Finland during the war without actively participating in the war. Out of the initial 20 European neutral states, only seven managed to hold its neutral status during WWII, among them Sweden. The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union (USSR) and Finland. It began with the Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939 and ended on 13 March 1940.

Norwegian Police Troops

established in Sweden during

WWII

German Occupation of Norway

The German occupation of neutral Norway and Denmark was launched on 9 April 1940 with the Operation Weserübung or Weserübung Nord which the invasion of Norway was called. Norway opposed the occupation, defended themselves, and managed to hold on for two months with the support of allied troops. In 1940, the Norwegian Army consisted of only six divisions with about 80,000 men. Their military training and qualifications were very low; in the 1930s, Norwegian draftees were called up for a military training period of only two and a half months. The Air Force was still in a process of development and had in April 1940 only about twenty fairly modern combat aircraft. The Navy consisted mostly of older vessels and a few modern destroyers. On 8 June 1940, the day before the surrender of Norway, the Norwegian Head of State and Government managed to escape to the UK where an exile government was formed. Instead, the Nazi German occupying power appointed a Nazi friendly government in Norway under the leadership of the Norwegian parliament member, Nazi Vidkun Quisling; this was a marionette government. Vidkun Quisling was the chairman of the Nazi Party Nasjonal Samling (NS) and was fully subordinated to the German occupation power which was under the Command of Commissary Josef Terboven. Nazism now took over the central administration of Norway and spread into the social society. In Denmark, the situation for its citizens was considerably better than in other German-occupied countries, at least until 1943. In Norway, it became difficult for the citizens immediately after the surrender and the streams of Norwegian refugees to Sweden began early and in considerably greater numbers than from Denmark.

Norwegian Police Troops Established in

Sweden

Police Troops (Norwegian: Polititroppene, or Reservepolitiet) was a deliberately misleading designation of the Norwegian army units established in Sweden during WWII, a cover-up simply. Also, Coast Artillery soldiers were being trained, but under the designation "Harbor Police". The very low profile of the Norwegian police troops in Sweden was because of the German military presence in next- door Norway, for that reason, the misleading designations, not to invoke an unnecessary interest of the Germans. Norway was occupied by German troops on 9 April 1940. After two months of resistance, the Norwegian army had to surrender to the Germans. All military equipment, weapons, etc. were then confiscated by the German army, except for some personal military equipment the Norwegian refugees brought to Sweden where they for some time were placed in internment. During WWII, between 50,000 and 60,000 Norwegian refugees crossed the border to Sweden. Many of those refugees were men in were in draft age. In Sweden, with this group of male refugees in draft age as a basis, recruitment and military training commenced of a Norwegian military force. At the end of the war, the Norwegian unit counted about 13,500 men, ready to be inserted in the final liberation of Norway. Besides these troops, a further few thousand men were undergoing military training. In total, about 15,000 Norwegian soldiers were military trained by Sweden during the war. This military training of Norwegians in Sweden was carried out in understanding of the Norwegian Exile Government in England. As a token of the Norwegian gratitude for the Swedish training and equipment of the Norwegian Police soldiers, the Norwegian King Olav, in 1983, handed over a Memorial to the Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf. The Norwegian Memorial was erected in the Park Djurgården in Stockholm.

Recruitment and Registering of the

Norwegian Refugees

When the Norwegian refugees arrived in Sweden they were placed in so-called transit camps. Two of these camps were Öreryd in Småland and Kjesäter in Södermanland. In the transit camps, they were registered and transferred out to the Swedish labor market for employments. Many Norwegians worked then as loggers which were important to secure the support of energy (firewood etc) during the war. One of the many Norwegians that arrived in Sweden was a surgeon by the name of Carl Semb. It was a wish for request from the Norwegian exile government that the young Norwegians of draft age were being military trained. However, the recruitment of these men had to be carried out in a concealed manner to avoid getting the Germans suspicious of what was going on. These concerns were partly solved when the Norwegian exile government contributed with funds for the establishment of ”health camps”. The military training could then continue in so-called “health camps” with the explanation that the Norwegian refugees needed medical examinations and vaccinations. The Norwegian surgeon Carl Semb played an important part in this game. The image to the right shows Carl Semb. A major transit camp for Norwegian refugees was opened in the spring of 1942 at Kjesäter country estate outside Vingåker in Södermanland. An important task at the camp was to find Nazi collaborators and German agents. The Swedish authorities could now call up Norwegian refugees for ”medical examinations”. About 40 camps were established during the summer and fall of 1943. These ”health camps” were in reality military registration centers. Each round of military training camp lasted several weeks, where the draftees went through several examinations and tests to find out which type of military service fitted best for each man. The recruitment was voluntary. These so-called health camps sorted under the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and the Minister of Social Affairs was Gustav Möller. The Swedish Ministry of Defense was not initially involved not to make the camps appear as military camps. Officially, Sweden was training Norwegian Police Troops to be used in Norway after the liberation to uphold law and order as an un-corrupt police force, when the German occupants had left Norwegian soil. The Johannesberg Country Estate in Gottröra, Uppland, was purchased and turned into a course center for the education of Norwegian police officers. The Swedish National Forensic Center, then Statens Kriminaltekniska Anstalt (SKA), had before the war been training and teaching Norwegian police officers in forensics.

Organization of the Camps

The training of the so-called ”Police Troops” was carried out in special training camps. Associate Professor Harry Söderman (known as ”Revolver- Harry”) with the Swedish National Forensic Center was an important and driving force in the establishment of these camps. He made sure that they were provided with all the necessary equipment needed. The image to the right shows Harry Söderman (1902 - 1956). The running of the training camps was funded by the Norwegian exile government via the Norwegian legation in Stockholm while the Swedish government contributed with all military equipment, which the National Forensic Center was permitted to requisition from Swedish army depots, for example, a couple of thousand sub-machine-guns, 750 Mauser rifles, and 750 army pistols. At the end of the war, they also had access to light artillery guns. The number of training camps varied overtime during the war. Initially, the weapons training only covered army handguns but gradually also included heavy weapons. Another type of training was the education of medical orderlies and signalmen. There were also a few secret training camps where Norwegian saboteurs were being trained. These units were also inserted in Norway during the raging war against the Germans. Example of training camps in Sweden: • Mälsåker Castle in Selaö outside Strängnäs: a shooting range and a training center of Norwegian officers; later also an artillery school. • Training school of special units, rangers in Ählby, Ekerö, an island in Lake Mälaren, west of Stockholm. • Training of officers, signalmen, and weapons technician at Runsten ("Torpet") near Johannesberg, Gottröra in Uppland. • Training of artillerymen in the Coast Artillery (”Harbor Police”) and radio signalmen at Mauritzberg in Vikbolandet (E). • Training of airmen in Skarpnäck, Stockholm. • Training of paratroopers and radio operators at the F 21 Kallax Air Wing, Luleå, Norrbotten. • The Finnmark Battalion was trained at Färna Bruk, outside Västerås. • Battalions I, II and V were trained in Övertorneå. • Battalion III was trained in Baggböle, Njurunda, south of Sundsvall. • Battalion IV was trained in Öreryd, Skara. Did the Germans find out about the military training of the Norwegian refugees in Sweden? The answer is Yes, by the time the Germans found out about these camps; they had agents everywhere. Nazi German Heinrich Himmler even filed a complaint with Swedish Commissary Folke Bernadotte about the training camps. However, the German fortune of war had by then (1942/1943) ended and wasn’t any longer able to act upon this information.

Field Exercises of the Police Troops

There was a critical shortage of trained officers with the Norwegian Police Troops. Since the Swedish Armed Forces were to be kept away from the training of the Norwegians due to this very sensitive political matter, the training camps weren’t able to get any assistance from the Swedish Army. This was about to change in 1944. The Norwegian Supreme Commander Ole Berg then personally contacted the Swedish Minister of Defense Per Edvin Sköld and asked for help with the military training of the Norwegians in the camps. The Swedish Army then organized a large field exercise for benefit of the Norwegian Police Troops. It was carried out between 1 and 8 December 1944 in Dalarna and contained 4,800 Norwegian soldiers. The exercise proved that the Norwegian soldiers showed great enthusiasm but that their officers had insufficient skill in commanding the troops as well as in upholding liaison duties and logistics. A second field exercise was therefore carried out in Hälsingland between 4 and 14 April 1945 in the area around Ljusdal-Bollnäs-Edsbyn, where the terrain was similar to the terrain in Norway where the police troops were to be inserted. In this field exercise, about 6,000 Norwegian soldiers participated which thereby was the largest field exercise of Norwegian soldiers since 1916. The Swedish commanders of the field exercise were Nils Swedlund and Prince Gustaf Adolf from the General Staff. Norway was represented by the Norwegian defense Attaché with the Norwegian legation in Sweden, Ole Berg, and Olaf Helset. On 12 January 1945, about 1,300 men with the in Sweden trained Norwegian Police Troops, were inserted in North Norway where they relieved an unit of the Soviet Red Army in Kirkenes, Finnmark. The Red Army had previously driven the occupying German forces out of Kirkenes on 25 October 1944. The retreating German force then set fire to the city. At the end of the war, the remaining soldiers with the Police Troops were transferred to Norway to uphold law and order and to arrest German collaborates.

The Uniform of the Norwegian Police Troops

At the beginning of the training, the men’s uniform consisted of a simple overall. However, this clothing wasn’t suited as a battle dress in combat. After some time, the Norwegian troops were equipped with a slightly modified version of the Swedish Army’s battle dress, m/1939. The Swedish buttons were removed and replaced with buttons with the Norwegian Lion imprinted instead of the Swedish Three Crowns. The coat was close-fitted at the waist and the pocket and pocket flaps were different. At the top of the left sleeve was a badge attached with the text “Norge” (Norway) and at the top of the right sleeve was a sign with the Norwegian flag. Under the coat, they wore a shirt and tie. Three headgear was used: garrison cap, peaked cap, and fur-hat m/1909. The helmet was the Swedish helmet m/1926 with av painted white "N" on each side. There was also a long coat, fur- coat, and ski wear. The uniform was designated Uniform A/44. The image to the right shows a Corporal with the Norwegian Police Troops wearing uniform A/44. A "Norge-badge" (“Norway badge”) was fitted at the top of the left sleeve. The uniform was a slightly modified version of the Swedish battle uniform m/39. Photo: Mimmi Nilsson (1887 - 1964). Kulturparken/Smålands museum, ID: MINI1442. DigitaltMuseum. For more information about the uniform, see The Norwegian Police Troops’ uniform A/44 .

Related Links

• The uniforms of the Norwegian and Danish Police Troops • Sweden’s military preparedness 1939 - 1945 • Swedish military war units 1939 - 1945 • Swedish Volunteer Corps in Finland in 1940 • Signals Intelligence - Crypto Department 1939 - 1945 • Swedish military intelligence • Swedish regiments • The organization of the Swedish armed forces in the 20th century - conscription • Uniforms of the Swedish Army - the 1900s • History of the Swedish Air Force

Source References

• Norska polistrupper i Sverige, Förberedelser och beslutsfattande på svensk sida vid polistruppernas tillkomst 1943 av Christer Granegård 2008, Scandia, Lunds universitet. • Sverige förberedde landstigning på Själland, Lars Ericson Wolke, publicerad i Populär Historia 3/2014 • ”Per Albin Hansson och den svenska D-dagen”, Per-Anders Lundström, Pennan & Svärdet. • Fönster till den fria världen 31 aug A.indd [Sic!] • Pilot i Den Danska Brigaden i Sverige under Andra Världskriget, Aage Sandqvist, 2019. • Beredskapens sista tid, av Lars Ericson Wolke, artikel i Populär Historia 28 april 2006. • Drabbades Danmark eller Norge värst av ockupationen? Lars Ericson Wolke, artikel i Populär Historia 10 oktober 2018. • Operation Weserübung i Norge, Jakob Sørensen, artikel i Populär Historia 8 april 2019. • Det tyska hotet mot Sverige, Anders Frankson, artikel i Militär Historia den 22 april 2020. • Wikipedia Top of Page

Danish Brigade established in

Sweden during WWII

German Occupation of Denmark

The German occupation of neutral Norway and Denmark was launched on 9 April 1940 with the Operation Weserübung or Weserübung Süd which the invasion of Denmark was called. Unlike in Norway, the Danish resistance was broken after a few hours and on the same day the Germans set up a cooperation with the Danish government and its government agencies. This cooperation made it possible for the Danes to keep Nazism out of the administration of Denmark. Thereby, the situation for Danish citizens was considerably better than in other German-occupied countries, at least until 1943. In 1943, the situation in Denmark got very tense and after many demonstrations, the Germans took over the administration of many Danish cities on 29 August 1943. A Nazi German Commissary seized control of the Danish government and Parliament. The Danish Army and Navy were disbanded. During the rest of the war, the German occupation was brutal, with torture and executions of members of the Danish resistance movement. In September 1944, the Danish police force was dissolved and about 2,000 Danish police officers were sent to Nazi concentration camps. Before August 1943, the Danish stream of refugees to Sweden was fairly low but from the fall of 1943, the number of Danish refugees to Sweden remarkably increased.

Danish Brigade Established in Sweden

Denmark was occupied by the German armed forces in Operation Weserübung on 9 April 1940. The Danish Army then consisted of only two divisions of 7,500 men each, in total about 15,000 men, due to several years of downsizing. Germany offered a so-called "Peace Occupation" since Germany claimed that Denmark wasn’t occupied with offensive attention. The German reason for the occupation of Denmark was to protect Denmark against an imminent British occupation. Denmark was permitted to keep domestic self-government and a coalition government was formed. Denmark was given the responsibility for domestic law and order and neither the Danish Army nor Navy were disbanded. However, in 1943, the crisis aggravated and the Germans took over the rule of Denmark on 29 August. A German Commissary seized control of the Danish government and Parliament and the Danish Army and Navy were disbanded. Like with the Norwegian Police Troops, a Danish police force was established in Sweden, called the Danish Brigade (Danish: Den Danske Brigade or Danforce). The establishment of a Danish force wasn’t going as fast as with the Norwegian force, since there was no Danish exile government to negotiate with. The establishment commenced on 1 November 1943. Like the military training of the Norwegian force, the training of the Danish force was called Police education not to invoke the interest of the Germans. However, from the fall of 1944, the training was considerably militarized. At the end of the war, the Danish Brigade consisted of about 3,600 men organized in 4 battalions, under the command of the Danish Major General Kristian Knudtzon (1888 - 1972). When the training of the Danes began in November 1943 in Sofielund, Småland, the force only counted 500 men but grew considerably in 1944. In 1944, the force adopted the name Danish Brigade (Den Danske Brigade) and the training now focused more on specific military training. The brigade was organized like the former Danish armed forces consisting of an army and navy force and a squadron of combat aircraft. The Danish soldiers were quartered in Håtunaholm, Sätra Brunn, Ronneby Brunn, Ryd Brunn, Tingsryd, and Sofielund. Since the establishment and training of foreign military units on Swedish soil conflicted with the Swedish Declaration of Neutrality stated at the beginning of the war in 1939, plenty of efforts were made to keep the real purpose and extent of the training camps a secret. The image to the right shows soldiers with the Danish Brigade being trained in Sätra Brunn near Sala, Västmanland, Sweden, in 1944. Image: Wikipedia. The Danish Brigade was thus a military unit consisting of Danish refugees being trained in Sweden between 1943 and 1945. The Brigade was going to participate in the Swedish military Operation Save Denmark (RD), i.e. the liberation of Denmark. The landing in Denmark was planned to be launched in May 1945. However, the Germans surrendered before the date of the landing, and the whole operation was canceled. Instead, the Danish Brigade was shipped from Helsingborg in Sweden, across the sound, to Helsingör in Denmark on 5 May 1945; in other words after the German surrender in Denmark. Just after midnight on 5 May 1945, the commander of the brigade, Major General Knudtzon ordered Navy Commander Kjölsen, who was in charge of the Danish vessels in Malmö, to transfer all vessels to Helsingborg and to have them in Helsingborg at the latest at 6:00 in the morning. At 3:00 in the night, Major General Knudtzon was flown from Stockholm in a Swedish Air Force bomber to the Ljungbyhed airbase in Skåne, and from there by car to Helsingborg, where he sat up his headquarters at 07:00 in the morning. A smaller part of the Danish Brigade had then already arrived in the Helsingborg harbor and the remaining part was scheduled to arrive later this morning. The German surrender and armistice were in effect as of 08:00 on 5 May, which is why the Danish crossing didn’t commence until after this hour. The loading of the troops began at about 08:00. However, the departure was delayed since the Danish commanders wanted to avoid a German navy unit consisting of a motor torpedo boat and several submarines that were passing the sound between Sweden and Denmark on a northerly course. Finally, at 10:00, the first round of the Danish vessels crossed the sound with about 2,000 of the brigade’s soldiers. Two Swedish destroyers were escorting the Danish vessels across the sound. At 13:00 on 5 May, the major part of the brigade was on Danish soil. The transportation of the heavy military equipment took a longer time, but the entire operation was completed in the afternoon of 6 May. , Then, in total 4,759 soldiers of the Danish Brigade and about 3,500 ton of military equipment and vehicles been shipped across the sound to Danish Zealand. When the brigade marched into Copenhagen, they were fired at from housetops by Danes in German service which caused 3 killed and 14 wounded soldiers of the brigade.

Uniforms

Unlike the Norwegian troops, the Danish troops were divided into different branches of the armed services (Army, Navy, and Air Force) and therefore wore different uniforms. The Danish Army Uniform used by the Brigade At the beginning of the training, the Danes’ uniform consisted of simple cotton overalls, a greatcoat, and a garrison cap. However, this clothing wasn’t suited as a battle dress in combat. For winter usage they were also supplied with ski wear. When the brigade was shipped to Denmark in May 1945, they were therefore dressed in a different uniform. This was a battledress produced in the summer of 1944 and consisted of a waist short jacket, trousers, a greatcoat, and a cap. The uniform was made of the same cloth as the Swedish battle dress m/1939. The short jacket had some resemblance to the British Battledress 1937. Officers wore shoulder belts. On one of the sleeves, the Danes attached an armlet of red cloth with white edges. The text on the armlet read “DANMARK” (Denmark) placed under a danish Crown. The image to the right shows a Danish soldier wearing the brigade’s army uniform with the short jacket. The Danish Navy Uniform used in Sweden The Danish navy’s personnel in Sweden numbered about 200 men and they were garrisoned at Karlskrona naval base in Blekinge, southern Sweden. These Danish sailors were wearing the Danish navy uniform. On the tally of the sailor’s cap, they wore the text “Orlogsflåden” which is the Danish name of their navy. During exercises ashore, they wore the Danish Brigade’s army uniform. On 29 August 1943, the Danish Navy managed to escape from Denmark with 13 navy ships. The Danish ships sought protection in Swedish ports which was granted by Swedish authorities. These ships were later brought to Karlskrona naval base. In the spring of 1944, these navy vessels were armed and thereafter kept a military preparedness for eventual forthcoming operations. The Danish Air Squadron’s Uniform used in Sweden Among the Danish refugees were a dozen pilots from the Danish Air Force. They were secretly placed two and two at different Swedish airbases and was trained to fly the Swedish light bomber aircraft Saab 17. The Danish airmen wore Swedish Air Force uniforms: the uniform m/1930 and the Swedish flying suit. However, the uniforms were worn without any insignias or badges. In the beginning of May 1945, the Danish airmen were assembled at the F 7 Såtenäs Air Wing, Västergötland, where they formed the Danish Brigade’s flying unit, a bomber squadron. The squadron’s main task was to support the brigade’s landing in Denmark. At the Såtenäs airbase, the Danish squadron was equipped with eight Swedish Saab B17 dive bombers. On the morning of 5 May 1945, the 8 Danish pilots and 8 air gunners/signalmen ready to take off. The aircraft had during the night been equipped with Danish nationality markings. The image to the right shows the Swedish light bomber Saab B17A. Image: Wikipedia. For more information about the Danish Brigade’s uniform, see The army uniform of the Danish Brigade.

Operation Save Denmark

Operation Save Denmark (Swe: Operation Rädda Danmark, RD) was a Swedish planned and prepared military operation at the end of WWII to intervene in German-occupied Denmark, i.e. to liberate Denmark. The plan was to land Swedish forces, together with the Danish Brigade (the brigade was established and trained in Sweden during the war), in the spring of 1945. However, the German forces in Denmark surrendered on 5 May 1945, i.e. before the landing was launched. As early as the beginning of the German occupation of Denmark in April 1940, the Swedish General Staff established military intelligence cooperation with officers of the Danish General Staff. In August 1943, the Danish intelligence officers had to go underground when the Germans severely tightened their grip on Denmark. The contacts with the Danish Intelligence were later resumed and at the beginning of 1945, the Swedish Armed Forces had very good insight and knowledge about the German troop’s positions in Denmark, above all in Zealand and the Copenhagen and Helsingör areas. This cooperation with the Danish intelligence was of uppermost importance when the Swedish General Staff in the fall of 1942 began the planning of a Swedish landing in Denmark (Zealand), Operation Save Denmark. The purpose was to enforce a pacification of the German occupation force in Denmark at a critical stage for the Germans when the end of the war was drawing near. Similar plans were prepared for the liberation of Norway and North Finland. After the Germans were defeated in North Africa and the USSR during the winter of 1942 - 1943, the Swedish General Staff also predicted a German surrender at all fronts including a breakdown in Denmark. The map to the right shows Denmark with the Island of Zealand in red. Copenhagen, the Danish capital, is located in Zealand. The gray territory to the right of Zealand is southern Sweden and the gray area to the south of Denmark is Germany. Image: Wikipedia. Already in the summer of 1944, several landing exercises were carried out at the west coast of Skåne in southern Sweden, and in the spring of 1945, a large-scale exercise was performed in the vicinity of Stockholm. On 4 May 1945 the Commander of the Swedish General Staff, Major General C A Ehrensvärd, informed that the preparations of the landing in Denmark were finished. The extent of the operation comprised a large-scale landing in Zealand and Bornholm, Denmark, with considerable army forces and with the support of Navy and Air Force units. The naval operating force also included the 13 Danish navy vessels based in the Karlskrona Naval Base. The purpose was to knock out all German armed resistance in Zealand and to secure law and order. To achieve a victory the Swedes planned to use a considerable force. Superiority in numbers was of uppermost importance. The Swedish Navy was to secure superiority at sea and the Swedish Air Force superiority in the air. In May 1945, there were about 28,000 German soldiers in service in Zealand. Destruction of the harbors was prepared. In the port of Copenhagen were a large number of German warships; cruisers Printz Eugen and Nürnberg, 4 destroyers, etc. The Swedish landing was to be carried out by the 3rd Army Corps, consisting of two army divisions and the 7th motorized brigade and, the 8th armored brigade. Besides, there were numerous independent units plus the 4,000 men in the Danish Brigade. In total, the army force numbered about 60,000 men with about 6,000 motor vehicles. Besides these men, there were also the men of the Navy and Air Force units. The image to the right shows the Swedish fighter aircraft J 22 (Swedish-made in 1942). In April 1945, considerable Swedish Navy units were deployed in southern Sweden preparing for the landing. In Skåne, the southern tip of Sweden, Coast Artillery units were deployed, ready to support the landing with its guns (15 cm and 21 cm guns). A major part of the Swedish aerial fleet of combat aircraft was moved south and based in southern Sweden for the sake of air support during the crossing. This strong concentration of the Swedish armed forces to southern Sweden made it impossible to intervene in Norway simultaneously. The image to the left shows two Swedish Destroyers, HMS Sundsvall (J 12) and HMS Malmö (J 7). The J 12, with a length of 98 m, was launched in 1942 and J 7 with a length of 95 m was launched in 1938. Image: Wikipedia. If the order to invade Denmark was given at the latest 5 May, the landing could commence about 18 May. The invasion was planned to begin with a quick surprise attack at the Helsingör harbor. Once the harbor was secured, the major landing was to follow; in the first wave 6,000 men. However, the war in Europe turned around in May 1945 and the German occupation force in Denmark surrendered at 08:00 on 5 May. The war ended before Operation Save Denmark was launched. Instead, the Danish Brigade was shipped across the sound from Sweden to Denmark on 5 May where they secured the transition into a free Denmark. A few days before the surrender, on 3 May 1945 in Flensburg, the Supreme Commander of the German Nation, Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, conferred with the German political leaders and their military commanders in Denmark and Norway, whether to surrender in these two countries or not. One topic at the meeting was Sweden’s standpoint to German final combat to the end in Norway and Denmark. German Werner Best referred to a previous statement made by the Swedish Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson that Sweden would intervene with military force if the Germans didn’t surrender in Denmark and Norway. Sweden would not accept an "ein mutwilliger Kampf" (a battle out of pure mischief) in Denmark and would intervene. Grand Admiral Dönitz asked Werner Best what he meant by "ein mutwilliger Kampf". Dr. Best answered: "Varje strid, ty varje strid är utsiktslös" (Every battle, since every battle would be hopeless). When Swedish Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson with emphasis made his standpoint clear to Dönitz, he was well aware he had the means and power to go through with it. Source: ”Per Albin Hansson och den svenska D-dagen”, Per-Anders Lundström, Pennan & Svärdet. The image to the right shows Per Albin Hansson (1885 - 1946), Swedish Prime Minister between 1932 and 1946. Image: Wikipedia.

Operation Save Norway

Operation save Norway was a planned Swedish military operation to liberate occupied Norway during the second half of WWII. However, the Germans surrendered before the operation was launched. In 1941, the Swedish General Staff stressed that an eventual German attack at Sweden would best be met with a counterattack on Norway. In the fall of 1942, Germany was forced to withdraw a lot of units from Norway because they needed them elsewhere. If the circumstances were favorable, for example in connection with an eventual Allied landing in Norway, the Swedish armed forces would move into Norway. The General Staff made plans for such an intervention in Norway and these plans were presented to the Swedish Minister of Defense, Per Edvin Sköld, on 30 November 1942 and the plans were in effect from 1 January 1943. The image to the right shows Per Edvin Sköld (1891 - 1972), Swedish Minister of Defense between 1938 and 1945. Image: Wikipedia. A Swedish intervention in Norway would require a major part of the Swedish Army. The army would deploy in Värmland and Dalsland and concentrate their attacks at the Olso area. Secondary attacks were planned at Trondheim and “Mo i Rana2. The operation also included the Norwegian Police Troops; troops that were established and trained in Sweden from 1943.

Sweden during WWII, 1939 - 1945

At the outbreak of WWII on 1 September 1939, Sweden made a partial mobilization two strengthen its military preparedness. These forces were called the Neutrality Watch (Swe: Neutralitetsvakten) and were in service throughout the war. However, the size of the Neutrality Watch varied a lot during the war depending on how Sweden at various times experienced the threats upon the nation. On 2 December 1939, Sweden made a more extensive partial mobilization, in connection with the Soviet attack on neighboring Finland, the so- called Winter War. An army division of 100,000 men was mobilized to protect Sweden’s north-eastern border with Finland and on 5 December, the Swedish Navy began laying mines in the Åland Sea between Sweden and Finland, east of Stockholm, to keep Soviet submarines away from the Gulf of Bothnia. When Denmark and Norway were invaded by the German armed forces on 9 April 1940, a majority of the Swedish military units were deployed to northern Sweden, to protect the border with Finland in the eventuality of a Soviet attack against Sweden. Therefore, on 11 April 1940, Sweden carried out a General Mobilizing, and the number of soldiers under arms was raised to 320,000 within two weeks. Also, many extra regiments were established, the so- called “redoubling regiments” (Swe: dubbleringsregementena.) In March 1941, Sweden’s military preparedness rose further in connection with the so-called March Crisis (Swe: Marskrisen) when a great tension arose between Sweden and Germany because of the German increasing nonchalance of the transiting agreement. Sweden, therefore, mobilized considerable forces in openness to show Germany that Sweden wasn’t going to give in. The crisis soon wore off. However, the now mobilized units were kept in service and were part of an extensive winter maneuver. At the beginning of the war, the Swedish military intelligence services managed to break the German encryption codes and Sweden thereby was able to read the German communication. In February 1942, the so-called February Crisis occurred. The Germans were then considerably strengthening their forces in Norway for a possible invasion of Sweden. This was known by the Swedish General Staff since the Swedish military intelligence was listening in on the German telecommunications. The Swedish answer was a further mobilization and about 300,000 Swedish soldiers were participating in a gigantic military maneuver in Jämtland by the Norwegian border. The Swedish units were well trained and well equipped. In total, about 1,000,000 Swedish conscripts were, in different stages, drafted for military service during the war, 1939 - 1945. The image shows Swedish officers wearing uniform m/1939. Photo: Arsenalen, Bildarkivet. For further information, see Sweden’s military preparedness 1939 - 1945