Warriors of the North said:
Chapter 1.1: Military of Sweden in 1936
The topic of the Swedish Military was briefly touched on in the previous section. To better understand the situation the military found itself in, one must understand its history. Sweden had, historically, been the strongest of the Scandinavian powers. Even when under Danish rule during the Kalmar Union, Sweden was arguably the most powerful militarily of the three Kingdoms. In the centuries after the end of the Union, the same held true. There are always exceptions, and at times Sweden would be weaker than its neighbors. Nonetheless, the Swedes can be said to have a powerful and noble military history, something to be proud of.
For all of that tradition and history however, Sweden has not fought a war since a victory over Norway in 1814. While the long-lasting neutrality has preserved the Kingdom's borders and people, sans the relative few who fought in other armies such as during the Finnish Civil War, it has also left its military inexperienced in modern warfare. While their neighbors to the south in Germany fought hard in the Great War, Sweden sat on the sidelines. Its officers watched the war, but did not participate. Thus, it can be said that Sweden is completely unprepared for a new war, should one break out. Its army and navy are relatively large, certainly compared to its former Union mates in Denmark and Norway. However, they are inexperienced and, until recently, organized badly.
New plans were thus put into effect in 1936. Each branch of the military shall be observed in detail, showing its state at the start of the modernization, and the plans to modernize it. Starting with the Army.
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Swedish Royal Army:
The largest branch of the Swedish military in 1936 was the Army. The force was the largest in Scandinavia proper, with only the Finns having a larger force. Part of this is due to Sweden's large territory, part of it is the tradition previously mentioned. To go into more detail, one must look at the organization of the Army. As previously explained, it was reorganized at the start of the year into three Army Corps, each with a set portion of the Nation to defend. These three Corps had, at the start of 1936, merely six Infantry Divisions to spread in their various zones of control. The fact that this force was the largest in Scandinavia (again, aside from the Finns) shows how much these states valued their neutrality. Moving on from the small size, we shall examine the way these Divisions are organized.
Three of the divisions are assigned to the Southern Corps, two to the Central Corps, and one to the Northern. Each of these Divisions were different in how they are formed, with only a couple exceptions to the rule. Two of the divisions were made up of three Infantry Brigades. These are designed for medium combat, earmarked for the defense of Malmo in the event of a war with Denmark, or a Germany that had occupied the Danes. The Infantry were, at the time, armed with Swedish modified Mausers, in use since before the Great War.
The so-called 'Swedish Mauser', the Gevär m/96.
A further two divisions were designed with mobile combat in mind. These divisions were made up of the standard three Infantry Brigades, but they also included a detachment of Armored Cars, meant to help flank enemy formations, as Sweden could ill-afford to invest in tanks, or Panzers as their southern neighbor called them.
The final two divisions are as different from the others as they could be. One was made up of four Infantry Brigades, designed to reinforce whatever Corps needed it the most. The other, and the only one in the Northern Corps before the modernization and rearmament programs came into play, had the only (at the time) Mountain Brigade in Sweden. These elite men were supported by two regular Infantry Brigades, and another detachment of Armored Cars. This force was meant to help Finland, in the event of a war with the Soviet Union.
All in all, the Swedish Army was tailored to its unique position. However, it would need serious work to prepare for what was seen at the time as an unlikely event...another Great War. It would need to expand in size, and develop new tactics to fit the situation Sweden found itself in. The Great War had shown, even to neutral nations such as Sweden, that relying on numbers was not necessarily going to win a fight. This was especially true to
all the Nordic nations, not just Sweden. None of these states had the men to support a Western Front style fight. Sweden's Infantry heavy army could defend the nation well, but it would be quickly outclassed if other nations had the right ideas.
Because of this, a choice was made. Sweden would look to making its forces more mobile, and quick to strike. New Infantry recruited would travel lighter, and faster. Cavalry would be raised, to exploit breakthroughs until Sweden could find a supplier of tanks.
Blitzkrieg...a name that would live in infamy, and the way Sweden was taking its new army.
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The Royal Swedish Navy:
Arguably the best off of the Swedish military was the Navy. With the Army designed to hold the homeland and not invade other states, it came down to the Navy to cover Sweden's long coastline and prevent invasions. This was something it had been designed for, and it could be said it was perfectly suited to its job. While Germany and Britain built large battlefleets in the Great War, with dreadnoughts and battlecruisers providing the power, Sweden had a fleet based around what most nations considered Heavy Cruisers. In the confines of the Baltic, it wasn't seen as necessary to have anything larger, as fleets would need to maneuver in relatively tight spaces.
The perfect example of these Nordic ships were the
Sevrige-class. Seven thousand tons, armed with four 11.1 inch Bofors cannons and eight 6 inch secondaries. By all rights, the weaponry of a battlecruiser of the German or British navy, on the hull of a light cruiser. These ships were cramped, but they were undeniably effective on their home turf. The three ships of this class formed the core of the Swedish Navy, with the remaining six heavy cruiser analogues serving as battlegroup leads, or escorts for the more powerful
Sevriges. Escorting the escorts were destroyers, the most advanced of which were the
Klas Horn-class ships.
Comparison of the Heavy Cruisers, with the Klas Horn.
The remaining ships of the pre-war Navy were the two light cruisers, and three submarine flotillas, with a fourth sub group well along in its construction. Of these, the most advanced were the
Gotland cruiser, and the
Draken submarine. These ships were at least as advanced as any other in Europe at the time, and quite possibly more advanced in some ways. Especially in the case of the submarines. While small, like most Swedish ships, they were still quite capable of causing problems for larger navies in the Baltic. It was these subs that would likely be the first to see combat in any war.
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The Royal Swedish Air Force:
The final, and newest branch, of the Swedish military was its Air Force. Still relatively new, at the start of 1936 it was confined to two squadrons based in Stockholm. Of these two squadrons, one were light bombers. These bombers were CVM S-6's. Not the most modern planes, but they were effective in training drills, and certainly not obsolete. It was believed in the Swedish command they would be sufficient until at least 1938 or 1939. That was the hope at any rate, and it allowed Sweden to concentrate on what they viewed as more important--improving their fighter designs and training. The Navy and Army both claimed they needed air cover, more than they could do on their own. Because of this, bomber design work was put on hold, and all was put into improving the fighters.
At the time, Sweden was using a British design, the Bristol Bulldog, for its single fighter squadron. Heavily modified for Swedish use or not, it was still a biplane in an age where the monoplane was on the rise. This was the main reason why fighter designs were considered so much more important in Sweden, compared to the bombers. It was hoped that by 1937, monoplanes would come into service...even if they had to be bought from other nations. The Swedish aircraft industry was gearing up, but it would require waiting for the Army, so until then, it would remain foreign designs.
Either way, the Air Force was second only to the Army in priority for upgrades at the start of 1936.
The Swedish Air Force. Such as it was.
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That was fun to write. Hope you all enjoyed it, and the next update will be progressing through 1936!