Warriors of the North said:
Chapter One: The Year it all Began
The year 1936 could be said to be like any other year since the beginning of that turbulent decade. The world was still struggling to recover from the Great Depression, and very few countries were showing signs of improvement. Among those nations was Sweden, the Scandinavian powerhouse that had escaped with its economy mostly intact. Thanks to its strong supplies of natural resources, primarily its iron ore deposits, Sweden was in a unique position to prosper, despite the Depression still wreaking havoc on the world around it.
Despite this, the problem was simple. Which nations would be willing to trade for Swedish iron, with their economies in shambles? As it turned out, one way the Swedish government was able to gain trade was its southern, and rousing, neighbor. Germany had dragged itself out of the Depression, lead by the able (if heavy-handed) leadership of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party. Naturally there were whispers that he shouldn't be trusted and that Germany was not as well as she appeared, but the lucrative trade offer was more than Sweden could refuse. Not with the Depression still gripping Europe.
The persistent whispers remained however. Germany was well remembered as a brutal foe in the Great War. Sweden had been neutral during that horrible War, but that did not mean they were blind. The Swedish officer corps had watched the fights on the Western Front, and they had seen what Germany was capable of. The amount of iron that Hitler requested just rose even more warning flags in Stockholm, considering the fact that very few new buildings were being built. That left the Heer, Luftwaffe and Kreigsmarine as the likely destination of the Swedish iron. This knowledge was not met well in Stockholm, the Swedish Military being what it was at the time.
Having not fought a war since the days of Napoleon, the Swedish Military was inexperienced. The argument could be made that it was not obsolete, but the fact remained that no matter how well armed its troops, sailors, and pilots may have been, they lacked any experience in combat. And with Scandinavian iron flowing into German factories, it was doubtful that whatever technological edge they may have had would last long. And it wasn't just Germany that could be a threat. The Soviet Russian Bear was always looming, and while Finland would be the one to bear the brunt of any fighting against the Bolsheviks, it wouldn't mean that Sweden would escape, especially if the Finns should fall.
With this knowledge in mind, a rearmament program was begun.
Pictured: Stridsvagn m/21, Sweden's first 'tank' and HMS Drottning Victoria of the Sverige Class
The Swedish industry was mobilized as much as was possible, given its deplorable state. Nowhere near what the great powers of the world could manage, Sweden would never have a large military. Lack of manpower and lack of available factories left the Swedes in a risky position. If they expanded their military too far, and too fast, it might draw unwanted attention from the more powerful neighbors. This was well known in Stockholm at the time, and it worried military planners and government officials alike. None of them were ready for a war, and the Swedish military most definitely was not ready. It had just recently been reorganized as it stood.
Previously, all the Swedish Armed Forces had been under joint command from Stockholm. This was seen as inefficient for a modern military, so one of the first effects of the modernization and build-up was a drastic reworking of the command network. Instead of the Army being commanded from Stockholm, it would be split into three Corps, to be reinforced as new troops were called up and trained. These were the Northern Corps, under the command of Archibald Douglas, a veteran of the Finnish Civil War. The Central Corps, responsible for the defense of Stockholm among other tasks, would fall under General von Rosen. The Southern Corps, based in Malmo, fell under General Olof Thörnell.
Please ignore the Baltic States under Soviet Rule. It was a typo by the map maker.
This reorganization was hoped to better prepare Sweden for any potential War. Douglas had experience with the Finns, so having his command on the border with Finland would provide easy support if needed. Thörnell on the other hand, was the highest ranking officer in Sweden, so to the High Command it only made sense for him to be in command of the equally problematic border with Denmark...something that may well become the German border in the future for all they knew at the time. However, reorganizing the army could only do so much good.
Among the Swedish command, there was a sobering knowledge. As advanced and forward thinking as they were, Sweden just did not have the same educated population as larger nations. They would never be able to keep up in technology with Germany, Russia or Britain. At best, Sweden could keep up in a couple select areas, if most of their time and effort were spent exclusively on those areas. The same went for their production. While advanced, Sweden just lacked the number of factories to keep up in an arms race. Thus, it was decided that they would focus on improving the Royal Swedish Navy, the Infantry arm of the Royal Army, and the Royal Swedish Air Force first and foremost. Anything else, aside from squeezing everything possible from their limited industry, was considered secondary to their goals.
It would be a modern, infantry based army with a modernized Baltic-based Navy that would protect Sweden. And a modern Air Force that would bring the battle to anyone who broke their hard-fought neutrality. While 1935 had ended on a good note aside from the Depression, January 1936 was the beginning of the end for world peace. And Sweden would be ready when and if a war came.
Note the Submarine Flotilla taking up production space. Once that is complete, infantry will be trained and equipped using its space.
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Phew...that took longer than expected due to some technical difficulties. Anyway, since none of the pics showed it, Sweden has 33 IC to start with. Thus, I'll never have a very full production queue (as it stands, I'm already pushing upgrades down until the Subs are finished in April). I also have some tech screens that I didn't post here, if anyone wants to see them, just ask and I'll post them. Let me know what you think!