Uniform m/1957 kv

Uniform m/1957 kv was introduced as a complement to the uniform m/1942 kv. A new jacket, skirt, and blouse were adopted. However, the garments of the former uniform m/1942 kv were still officially in use. Jacket m/1957 kv was made of gray-brown-green twill and was single-breasted with five buttons. On each side of the jacket, there was a side pocket with flaps. The voluntary badge m/1946 (Swe: Frivilligtecken) was worn on the right breast. Women in the Home Guards that served with the field hospital medical care wore a Red Cross badge. The image to the right shows jacket m/1957 kv. Image: Miliseum, ID: MILI.006527. The uniform was comprised of: • Jacket m/1957 kv • Skirt m/1957 kv • Blouse m/1957 kv On the left arm, a badge was fixed denoting the branch of the armed services (Försvarsgrensmärke m/1957 kv) the wearer served with; The Army, Navy, or Air Force. The image to the right shows Volunteer badge m/1946 for the Home Guards. Image: Armémuseum, ID: AM.011666.

Uniform m/1960 kv

At the beginning of the 1960s, the former uniforms of the Women’s Voluntary Defense Service, m/1942 kv and m/1957 kv, were now beginning to be old- fashioned. In 1960, a new uniform was adopted, uniform m/1960 kv. The jacket m/1960 kv was steel-gray, close-fitting, single-breasted, and was buttoned with 5 buttons. Further, the jacket was equipped with a turn-down collar, lapels, and two side pockets with flaps. At the back, a detachable half-belt. The voluntary badge (Swe: Frivilligtecken) was worn on the right breast. On the left arm, a badge was fixed denoting the branch of the armed services (Försvarsgrensmärke m/1960 kv) the wearer served with; The Army, Navy, or Air Force. Officers wore rank insignias below the service badge. The image to the right shows jacket m/1960 kv. On the left arm, a service branch badge denoting the Army. Image: Armémuseum, ID: AM.118340. Uniform m/1960 kv was comprised of: • Jacket m/1960 kv • Blouse m/1960 kv • Skirt m/1960 kv • Coat m/1960 kv • Beret m/1960 kv • Garrison cap and winter service cap m/1960 kv • Field-trousers m/1960 kv • Shoulder strap m/1960 kv for the coatdress • Gloves • Shoes, black • Tie • Belt • Riding breeches m/1960 kv and riding boots • Coatdress m/1960 kv The image to the right shows a service branch badge denoting the Army (two crossed swords under a Royal Crown). Below the badge is the rank insignia, two bars denoting the rank of Lieutenant. Image: Miliseum, ID: MILI.006682. Coatdress m/1960 kv was manufactured of steel- gray cloth and was equipped with shoulder straps, two side pockets, and a belt made of cloth in a matching color. The collar was white. A steel-gray felt beret, Beret m/1960 kv, was the headgear. A badge denoting the Army was worn upfront on the beret. As an alternative, garrison cap m/1960 kv or winter cap m/1960 kv was worn. Blouse m/1960 kv was made of steel-gray cloth and equipped with a turn- down collar. the blouse had two breast-pockets and long sleeves and cuffs. Coat m/1960 kv was a steel-gray raglan coat. It was single-breasted with five buttons and equipped with a detachable hood. Shoulder straps were worn on the coatdress equipped with an army batch and rank insignias. On jacket m/1960 kv, rank insignias were worn on the left sleeve.

Military Uniforms for Women’s

Voluntary Defense Services

Introduction

There are many Swedish women’s voluntary defense services such as the Lotta Corps (Lottakåren), the Women’s Transport Service (Bilkåristerna), and the Swedish Red Cross (Svenska Röda Korset), etc. Internally, these women’s voluntary auxiliary defense services early established a dress or garb for their work. However, these garments weren’t suitable for field service. The article below describes the military uniforms of the Women’s Voluntary Defense Service. For information about the Women’s defense service’s official internal garbs, see Uniforms of the Swedish Lotta Corps. From 1936, all these women’s voluntary defense services were allowed to serve in the field also in times of war. When they served under field conditions they wore military uniforms. The first women’s field uniform was established in 1942, the uniform m/1942 kv. The “kv” is short for “kvinna” which means Woman.

Designation System of Military Uniforms

The Swedish military uniforms have a designation system for introduced uniforms consisting of a prefix, the lower-case letter “m” followed by a slash “/” and the year of issue. This year is referred to as the year of model or model year. The designation code for the uniforms is written as m/YYYY. For example, uniform m/1942 was first issued in 1942.

Uniform m/1942 kv

In 1942, the women’s voluntary defense service got its first women’s military uniform, uniform m/1942 kv. This uniform was designed with the Swedish battledress m/1939 as a prototype. The women’s uniform m/1942 was made of gray-brown-green woolen cloth. The jacket m/1942 kv was single- breasted with four buttons, a turn-down collar, and lapels. The jacket was equipped with two overlaying- breast-pockets and a vent at the back. Shoulder straps were worn on the jacket, coat and blouse were rank insignias and unit insignias were fixed. The headgear was a garrison cap m/1942 kv of the same type and model as the garrison cap worn with the regular army’s battledress m/1939. The cap was equipped with the Swedish nationality badge and a unit insignia (service badge). The nationality badge is a round cap badge, roundel, in the Swedish colors yellow and blue. The service badges were different depending on the Women’s Voluntary Corps they served with; Lotta Corps, Women’s Transport service, Red Cross, etc. Before 1946, armlets were worn to separate these services instead of service badges. The first image to the right shows jacket m/1942 kv. Image: Miliseum, ID: MILI.006513. The second image to the right shows garrison cap m/1942 kv with the Swedish nationality badge m/1941 and the service badge for the Red Cross service personnel. Image: Armémuseum, ID: AM.116763. The uniform m/1942 kv was comprised of: • Jacket m/1942 kv • Blouse m/1942 kv • Skirt m/1942 kv • Coat m/1942 kv • Garrison cap m/1942 kv • Field-trousers m/1942 kv • Shoulder straps m/1942 kv • Shoes • Tie • Belt • Riding breeches m/1942 kv and riding boots • Overall m/1942 kv Rank Insignias: Rank insignias and unit insignias were worn on the shoulder straps. Between 1942 and 1946, the rank insignias were comprised of dark-blue ribbons (cords). In 1946, the women’s voluntary defense service changed to the same type of rank insignia system being used on the battledress uniform worn by the regular army, however with dark-blue rank insignias. The service badges (Swe: Tjänstetecken) were different depending on the Women’s Voluntary Corps they served with; Lotta Corps, Blue Star, Red Cross, etc. Before 1946 each voluntary service denoted its service with an armlet equipped with the service badge. The service badge, together with the Swedish nationality badge m/1941, were worn upfront on the garrison cap m/1942 kv for the three above mentioned women’s voluntary services. Other women’s voluntary services wore just the nationality badge on their garrison cap. The first image to the right shows the rank insignias together with unit designations worn on uniform m/1942 kv. The second image shows the service badges worn on the armlets and the garrison caps. The coat m/1942 kv was of the same model and type as the coat m/1939 used by the regular army. Skirt m/1942 kv was manufactured in two variants, of woolen cloth for winter service and of cotton for summer service. The length of the skirt reached 10 cm below the knees. Blouse m/1942 kv had a turn-down collar and long sleeves with cuffs. Long-trouser m/1942 kv came in two variants; field trouser and riding breeches. Overall m/1942 kv was a two-piece overall comprised of jacket and trousers of gray-brown cotton cloth. The jacket was close-fitted and equipped with two breast- pockets. The trousers were buttoned at the sides. Below, the service badges for the Lotta Corps (SLK), the Blue Star, and the Red Cross:

Women can Fill all Positions in the Armed

Forces from 1989

From the fall of 1989, women can fill all positions in the Swedish Armed Forces, including combat units. The first branch of the Swedish Armed Forces to accept women among their ranks was the Air Force. • 1978, Women are accepted to fill positions as officers with the Swedish armed forces. In the first stage as officers with the Air Force in positions with ground services. • 1980, The first women began their military training with the Air Force at the F 16 Air Wing in Uppsala. • 1989, Women can fill all positions in the Swedish Armed Forces, including combat units. The last services to fall and accept women was positions as fighter pilots and submarine service. Since women have been able take up all kind of positions from 1989, there is no longer any need to have different uniforms for men and women. In the 1990s, a unisex combat uniform was adopted, combat uniform 90 as well as the service dress uniform m/1987.

Uniform m/1987

A new service dress uniform was enacted in 1987, uniform m/1987. This uniform replaced the former uniforms; m/1960, m/1968, and m/1960 kv. The m/1987 has a similar cut as the m/1960 uniform and is produced in 4 models: Uniform m/1987 is a uniform system used with some variants in all branches of the Armed Forces; The Army, Navy, and Air Force. Uniform m/1987A (Army) is gray and is worn by the Army and Home Guards. Uniform m/1987, the base variant, is dark-blue and is worn by the Air Force, Navy, and Amphibious Corps. However, the Navy personnel foremost wearing the Navy uniform m/1948. The uniform m/1987 is comprised of black shoes m/1903 long- trousers m/1987, white shirt m/1978, black tie m/1987. Women have also skirt m/1987. The image to the right shows the Air Force variant of uniform m/1987. Image, Swedish Armed Forces. For information about the uniform, see Uniform System m/1987.

Combat Uniform 90

A new combat uniform system was introduced at the beginning of the 1990s, Combat Uniform 90, replacing the former combat uniforms m/1958, m/1959, and uniform m/1970 kv. This was the first combat uniform with a camouflage pattern used by the Swedish Armed Forces. The uniform was officially enacted in 1990 but many units were equipped with this uniform during the second half of the 1980s. The uniform comes in several different variants: Combat uniform 90 (the standard uniform), Combat uniform 90 Light, Combat uniform 90 Armored Troops, Combat uniform 90 Tropical Green, Combat uniform 90 Tropical Beige, and Combat uniform 2002 ADYK (special operations). For information about the uniform, see Combat Uniform 90. The image to the right shows the standard variant of Combat Uniform 90. Image, Swedish Armed Forces.

Tropical Uniform m/1969 kv

In the 1960s, Sweden intensified its commitments to the UN by contributing with troops abroad. A light uniform for service in tropical climates was then needed. Uniform m/1961 was a service dress uniform adopted for service abroad in tropical regions. This uniform was similar to the service dress uniform m/1960 but khaki-colored. The uniform came with a short-sleeved shirt, shorts, and gray-brown knee socks. Since the number of Swedish women in UN service increased, a women’s variant of the tropical uniform was adopted in 1969, tropical uniform m/1969 kv. The image to the right shows jacket m/1969 kv, tropical uniform, for Swedish servicewomen in UN service. Single-breasted with collar, lapels, and shoulder straps. Image: Armémuseum, ID: AM.009788. Headgear with the uniform m/1969 kv, was a blue beret while in UN service, otherwise a garrison cap. Other garments were a blouse, shorts, skirt, long- trousers, pumps, shoes, etc.

Combat Uniform m/1970 kv

Before 1970 there were several uniforms adapted for servicewomen, however, none were intended for field service. The first such uniform for servicewomen was introduced in 1970, combat uniform m/70 kv. This uniform was a mixture of the army’s battledress m/1959 and the women’s voluntary service uniform m/60 kv. Combat uniform m/1970 kv was used by servicewomen until the 1990s when a unisex combat uniform was adopted, combat uniform 90. Combat jacket m/1970 kv was manufactured of olive-green cloth. It was single-breasted with five buttons and equipped with two side pockets at the front. Combat trousers m/1970 kv was equipped with two pockets on the trouser legs and one hip pocket. The trousers were buttoned on the sides. Blouse m/1970 kv had a soft turn-down collar and long sleeves. The peaked field cap and the winter cap was of the same type as the field cap m/1959. The image to the right shows combat jacket m/1970 kv for the Swedish Lotta Corps. Image: Armémuseum, ID: AM.118342. Combat uniform m/1970 kv was comprised of: • Fältjacka m/1970 kv • Fältbyxa m/1970 kv • Blouse m/1970 kv • Skirt m/1970 kv • Coat m/1970 kv • Garrison cap and winter cap m/1959 • Fur-lined greatcoat m/1959 • Marching-boots • Shoes On the collars of the combat jacket and the fur-lined greatcoat (Swe: vindrock), collar tab m/1958 was worn on each side. On the right collar tab, a badge was fixed denoting the branch of the armed forces and on the left collar tab, rank insignias. Enlisted personnel wore the branch bade on both collar tabs. The women’s voluntary badge (Swe: Frivilligtecken) was worn by all voluntary personnel on the right breast. This badge was worn also on the blouse and fur-coat.

Related Links

• Uniforms of the Swedish Army • Uniforms of the Swedish Navy • Uniforms of the Swedish Air Force • Uniforms of the Swedish Lotta Corps (Lottakåren) [Swedish Women’s Voluntary Defense Service] • Swedish military rank insignias • Swedish Voluntary Defense Services • Sweden’s military preparedness 1939 - 1945 • Aircraft Warning Service - Lotta Corps • The Swedish Armed Forces, official site, English • Swedish Voluntary Defense Services

Reference Literature

• Svenska arméns uniformer 1875 - 2000 av Simon Olsson, 2011. • Uniformen berättar, Mikael Hoffsten, 2020. • Hemvärnet 1940 - 1990, Alf Åberg m.fl. 1990. • Svenska lottakårens klädselföreskrifter 2019-01-09. • Wikipedia • Armémuseum (Army Museum) • Miliseum Top of page