Sweden is in second. The importance of the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Denmark, Sweden) in the Second World War

Sweden's neutrality is an almost unique phenomenon, since only two significant European countries - Sweden and Switzerland - have managed to refrain from interfering in European military operations for several years. That is why the neutrality of Sweden and Switzerland acquired a mythical connotation in everyday consciousness and began to be considered by many politicians and even in some scientific publications as a kind of ideal form of policy of non-interference by a small state in military conflicts and non-participation in military blocs and alliances. This approach to the neutrality of Sweden and Switzerland, especially in isolation from historical reality, does not correspond to reality. In addition, Sweden's neutrality was systematically violated throughout the 20th century, and Sweden itself balanced between various powers to maintain its political independence and territorial integrity.

Swedish neutrality in the First World War

Sweden's neutrality was due to many reasons: firstly, it is a small country with few human resources and little economic potential; secondly, Sweden exported raw materials (mainly iron ore, nickel, non-ferrous metals, coal) both to the Entente countries and to the countries of the Triple Alliance. Since this brought considerable profits, there was no incentive to spoil relations with leading countries; thirdly, Sweden's neutrality was not strict.

According to K. Mulin, “Since universal conscription was introduced in 1901, the problem of national security has acquired an amazing ability to periodically cause real storms of political emotions.”. Particularly heated discussions were caused by obvious and exaggerated threats to Swedish neutrality.

Swedish neutrality in World War II

After June 1940, Germany achieved almost complete dominance in the Scandinavian region. The balance of power was disrupted both in the East (Moscow Treaty) and in the West (as a result of the defeat of France). The conditions for maintaining Sweden's strict neutrality have deteriorated significantly; Sweden was faced with the inevitable need to adapt to a certain extent to the new conditions.

On June 18, 1940, the Swedish government agreed to Germany's demand for permission to transit German soldiers on leave from Germany to Norway and back via Swedish railways. Sometimes Sweden's policy towards Germany in the period from 1940 to 1941 is called a policy of concessions. However, writes A.V. Johansson “This term is too categorical to comprehensively characterize the essence of Swedish-German relations. The Germans believed that German victories would make latent pro-German sentiments apparent. The Swedes wanted to avoid provoking the Germans, while emphasizing at the same time that relations with Germany must be maintained within the framework of the neutrality declared by the Swedes.”.

After the start of the war between the USSR and Germany, public opinion in Sweden was sympathetic to the USSR. Thus, despite various kinds of extremist antics, the Swedish government maintained a policy of neutrality during the Second World War, but this policy was very dubious from a moral point of view.

During the Second World War "neutrals"-Sweden and Switzerland continued to maintain economic cooperation with the Nazi regime and other fascist states - this was an example of economic selfishness, since the Second World War was fundamentally different from all previous wars - it was a war with fascist ideology. And the violation of neutrality by Sweden and Switzerland is a shameful episode in the history of these states.

Swedish neutrality during the Cold War and its aftermath

Immediately after the Second World War, Sweden tried to maintain a balance between the antagonistic blocs that were then in the process of formation. This was expressed, on the one hand, in large-scale credit and trade agreements with the Soviet Union in 1946 and, on the other hand, in participation in the Marshall Plan in 1948. Sweden joined the Council of Europe, formed in 1949, and The following year it became a treaty member of the GATT. However, Sweden did not join the EEC because it believed that the supranational goals of this organization were incompatible with neutrality. Although the Nordic countries have different security policy orientations, there has been widespread integration, partly within the Nordic Council; however, defense issues do not fall within its competence.

With the coming to power of Olof Palme, a new generation came to the leadership of the SDLP. Incredible temperament, deep interest in all matters, extraordinary oratorical abilities made Olof Palme the mouthpiece of a generation of young people who responded to the isolation of the Second World War. Being a neutral state with neither a colonial past nor political ambitions, Sweden during the liberation struggle "third world" carried a special mission - to spread ideas of international solidarity.

Swedish neutrality was not isolationist: “we pursue a policy of active neutrality”- stated U. Palme. Since the early seventies, Swedish defense spending has decreased: over the past 20 years, its share in GNP has decreased from 5 to 2.8%, and the defense spending item in the state budget has been cut from almost 20 to 8%. In the nineties, Sweden's position towards the EU (European Community) became of paramount importance on the issue of integration. The Social Democratic government refused membership in this organization, citing concerns about maintaining Swedish neutrality; However, one of the decisive considerations may also have been concerns about the future of the Swedish welfare state model in a united Europe - for an export-dependent state such as Sweden, this was fraught with serious problems in trade and foreign policy.

After graduation “cold war” the almost reached consensus on the importance and inevitability of Swedish neutrality collapsed. Political commentators and historians have criticized the post-war foreign policy of the Social Democrats and accused them of being too benevolent and soft in their approach to the USSR, overly critical of the United States and of inadequately assessing some regimes in the countries "third world". The Social Democrats were also accused of being unfounded in their portrayal of Swedish foreign policy as a moral model for the free world.

Since coming to power in 1991, the new non-socialist government has largely departed from its previous foreign policy line on several issues. It cut Sweden's broad commitments to various countries "third world" and chose instead to concentrate its foreign policy activities in Europe and in those countries that are close to Sweden geographically, primarily in the Baltic states.

At the same time, the Social Democrats inevitably had to rethink the idea of neutrality in the new conditions. Now, writes A.V. Johansson, “It is still difficult to assess the existing points of view due to the rapidly changing situation in the world. In any case, the dogmatic course towards maintaining neutrality appears to be a thing of the past.”. Thus, Sweden's neutrality policy at the present stage is subject to significant changes, which could even lead to a complete departure from the principle of sovereignty.

Along with this look:
Swiss neutrality
ICRC in ethnic conflicts
ICRC

By the beginning of World War II 1939 - 1945. Among the Nordic countries, Sweden had the most powerful Armed Forces. Despite the fact that Sweden has maintained military neutrality since 1814 and did not officially participate in military conflicts, many citizens of this country in the 19th - first half of the 20th centuries. actively participated in many wars as volunteers. For example, in the civil war of 1936 - 1939. 500 Swedish citizens participated in Spain. At the beginning of World War II, Swedish volunteers (8260 people, 33 people died) in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939 - 1940. fought on the side of Finland. In the spring and summer of 1940, 300 Swedish volunteers served in the Norwegian army. Since the summer of 1941, 1,500 Swedish volunteers fought against the Red Army in the Finnish army (25 people died), and 315 in the German army (40 people died).

Swedish volunteers in Spain. 1937

In addition, Sweden has traditionally been one of the world's largest producers and suppliers of various types of weapons. Since 1923 the company AB Landsverk produced tanks and exported them to many armies of the world, and the company AB Bofors was a manufacturer and supplier of various types of artillery pieces. In this regard, the Swedish army has always been well equipped technically and equipped with the latest weapons.

King Gustav V of Sweden

The difficult international situation in Europe in the second half of the 1930s. forced the Swedish government to take drastic measures to increase the defense capability of the country's Armed Forces. Since 1936, by decision of the Swedish parliament, annual spending on the army and navy was increased from 118 million to 148 million US dollars. Of these, expenses for the Air Force increased from 11 million to 28 million US dollars. Firm AB Svenska Järnvägsverkstädernas Aeroplanavdelning began the development and production of combat aircraft.

With the outbreak of the World War, spending on the Armed Forces increased sharply. Since 1942, Sweden's annual military budget has amounted to US$755 million.

As of September 1939, the Swedish Armed Forces numbered 110,000 people. By the beginning of active hostilities in Northern Europe, mobilization was carried out in Sweden and the number of military personnel increased to 320,000 people. Also in June 1940, civil defense units were formed, which included 5,000 people. In total, by 1945, the Swedish Armed Forces included up to 600,000 soldiers and officers.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Swedish Armed Forces was King Gustav V ( Gustaf V).

Since 1937, the direct leadership of the army was carried out by the “chief of the army” ( chefen for armen) Lieutenant General Per Sylvan ( Per Sylvan).

Lieutenant General Per Sylvan (right). 1940

In 1940, Per Sylvan was replaced by Lieutenant General Ivar Holmqvist ( Carl Axel Fredrik Ivar Holmquist).

Lieutenant General Ivar Holmqvist

Earl William Archibald Douglas. 1919

Since 1944, the position of “chief of the army” was held by a veteran of the Finnish Civil War of 1918, Lieutenant General Count Wilhelm Archibald Douglas ( Vilhelm Archibald Douglas).

By the beginning of 1941, the Swedish land army had increased from five to 10 infantry divisions ( Fordelning). The divisions were consolidated into six military districts. The troops on the island of Gotland were under a separate command, forming the 7th Military District.

The infantry division included three infantry and one artillery regiment. The cavalry was organized into four regiments (each with four machine guns and two cannon armored vehicles) and organized into two cavalry brigades. Each brigade was assigned one battalion of armored vehicles (four armored vehicles).

The infantry were armed with 6.5 mm rifles M/38, 6.5 mm rapid-fire rifles M/42, 9 mm submachine guns M/37-39 And Suomi-KP Model 1931, 6.5 mm light machine guns M/37, 6.5 mm heavy machine guns M/42, 4 mm mortars M/40, 20 mm heavy machine guns M/36 And M/40, 80 mm heavy mortars M/29, 120 mm heavy mortars M/41, 20 mm anti-tank rifles M/42, backpack flamethrowers M/41.

Swedish machine gunners. 1943

The Swedish infantry was sufficiently equipped with powerful (3-ton) Swedish-made trucks ( Scania-Vabis lastvogn LB350, Volvo terränlastvagn n/42 and others), which significantly increased the degree of its mobility.

Swedish truck Volvo n/42. 1943

In 1942 - 1943, equipped with armored cars, trucks and motorcycles, the infantry was organized into two motorized and one bicycle brigades.

Swedish motorized infantry. 1942

The artillery had 37 mm anti-tank guns M/38, 105 mm howitzers M/39, 105 mm howitzers M/40H And M/40S, 150 mm howitzers M/38 And M/39, 105 mm field guns M/34. Swedish artillery was equipped for transportation with armored tractors Terrangdragbil M/40 and M/43 Volvo, as well as belt tractors Allis-Chalmers, although some of the light artillery was transported by horse.

Swedish artillery tractor M/43 Volvo

Since 1940, the Swedish coast began to be fortified with numerous machine gun nests, and by 1942 a powerful coastal defense system had emerged, equipped with large-caliber artillery - a 152-mm gun M/98, 152 mm gun M/40, 210 mm gun M/42, as well as light rapid-fire 57 mm guns M/89V.

210-mm M/42 coastal artillery gun. 1944

In 1939, two air defense regiments were formed, armed with 20-mm M/40 machine guns, 40-mm M/36 anti-aircraft guns, 75-mm M/30 anti-aircraft guns, 75-mm M/37 and 105 anti-aircraft guns -mm anti-aircraft guns M/42, as well as 1500 mm searchlights M/37 and radar installations.

Swedish radar

In September 1939, in addition to Swedish-made tanks, the combat schedule of the Swedish Armed Forces included French and Czechoslovakian tanks. At this period the tanks in service were: small StrvM/37(48 cars), light Strv M/31 (three cars), StrvM/38(16 cars), StrvM/39(20 cars), StrvМ/40L og K(180 cars), StrvM/41(220 cars) and medium StrvM/42(282 cars). In addition, among the Swedish armored vehicles were armored personnel carriers Tgbil M/42 KP(36 vehicles), armored vehicles Landsverk L-180(five cars) and Pbil m/39(45 cars).

Since 1943, a self-propelled artillery mount was adopted Sav M/43 in the amount of 36 cars.

Swedish self-propelled gun Sav M/43. 1943

Until 1942, self-propelled guns, tanks and armored vehicles were part of the staff of several cavalry (tank squadrons) and infantry regiments:
- tank battalion of the Life Guards Gotha Infantry Regiment;
- tank battalion of the Skaraborg Infantry Regiment;
- tank battalion of the Södermanland Infantry Regiment;
- tank squadron of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment;
- tank squadron of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment;
- tank squadron of the Skonsky Cavalry Regiment;
- tank squadron of the Norland Dragoon Regiment.

In 1942 - 1943 all tank regiments were consolidated into three separate tank brigades and the Life Guards Gotha Tank Regiment (two motorized battalions and one tank company).

Swedish tank M/42. 1943

The Swedish Air Force, which arose in 1926, by 1945 included about 800 aircraft of various types (fighters, attack aircraft, bombers, torpedo bombers, reconnaissance aircraft) and of various production - Swedish, German, English, Italian, American.

In August 1941, a parachute battalion (595 people) was formed as part of the Swedish Air Force. The paratroopers landed from Swedish-made gliders ( Lg 105) and by parachute.

Swedish glider Lg 105. 1944

The Swedish Navy was the only branch of this country's troops that took part in military clashes during the Second World War. In 1940, the Swedish Navy carried out mining of its territorial waters, and also in 1942 occasionally conducted military operations against the USSR Navy. As a result, Swedish Navy losses amounted to eight ships and 92 killed personnel.

By August 1, 1943, the Swedish Navy consisted of 228 warships - one air cruiser with 11 aircraft on board, seven coastal defense battleships, one light cruiser, 11 destroyers, 19 submarines, 64 patrol, mine sweeping and patrol ships, 54 torpedo boats.

Swedish battleship Gustav V. 1943

The most likely enemy was the General Staff of the Swedish Armed Forces in 1940 - 1943. defined Germany, and in 1943 - 1945. - THE USSR. Sweden's military potential made it possible to provide serious resistance in the event of an enemy invasion. Also in April 1945, Sweden planned to land its troops in Denmark. This operation was prevented by the diplomatic efforts of the countries participating in the Anti-Hitler coalition.

Svergies Militara Bedredskap 1939 - 1945, Militarhistoriska forlaget, Militarhogskolan 1982.
Svensk Upplsagsbok, Forlagshuset Nordens Boktryckeri, Malmo 1960.

"...In the very first days of the war, a German division was passed through the territory of Sweden for operations in Northern Finland. However, the Prime Minister of Sweden, Social Democrat P. A. Hansson, immediately promised the Swedish people that no more troops would be allowed through the territory of Sweden. one German division and that the country would in no way enter into a war against the USSR. And yet, through Sweden, the transit of German soldiers and military materials to Finland and Norway began; German transport ships transported troops there, taking refuge in Swedish territorial waters, and until the winter of 1942/ 43 they were accompanied by a convoy of Swedish naval forces. The Nazis secured the supply of Swedish goods on credit and their transportation mainly on Swedish ships..."

"...It was Swedish iron ore that was the best raw material for Hitler. After all, this ore contained 60 percent pure iron, while the ore received by the German military machine from other places contained only 30 percent iron. It is clear that the production of military equipment made of metal smelted from Swedish ore, it cost the treasury of the Third Reich much less.
In 1939, the same year when Nazi Germany unleashed World War II, it was supplied with 10.6 million tons of Swedish ore. After April 9, that is, when Germany had already conquered Denmark and Norway, ore supplies increased significantly. In 1941, 45 thousand tons of Swedish ore were supplied daily by sea for the needs of the German military industry. Little by little Sweden's trade with Nazi Germany grew and eventually accounted for 90 percent of all Swedish foreign trade. From 1940 to 1944, the Swedes sold more than 45 million tons of iron ore to the Nazis.
The Swedish port of Luleå was specially converted to supply iron ore to Germany through the Baltic waters. (And only Soviet submarines after June 22, 1941, at times caused great inconvenience to the Swedes, torpedoing Swedish transports in whose holds this ore was transported). Supplies of ore to Germany continued almost until the moment when the Third Reich had already begun, figuratively speaking, to give up the ghost. Suffice it to say that in 1944, when the outcome of the Second World War was no longer in doubt, the Germans received 7.5 million tons of iron ore from Sweden. Until August 1944, Sweden received Nazi gold through the banks of the same neutral Switzerland.

In other words, wrote Norschensflamman, “Swedish iron ore ensured the Germans’ success in the war. And this was a bitter fact for all Swedish anti-fascists.”
However, Swedish iron ore came to the Germans not only in the form of raw materials.
The world-famous SKF concern, which produced ball bearings, supplied these, not so, at first glance, tricky technical mechanisms to Germany. Ten percent of the ball bearings received by Germany came from Sweden, according to Norschensflamman. Anyone, even someone completely inexperienced in military affairs, understands what ball bearings mean for the production of military equipment. But without them, not a single tank will move, not a single submarine will go to sea! Note that Sweden, as Norschensflamman noted, produced bearings of “special quality and technical characteristics” that Germany could not obtain from anywhere else. In 1945, economist and economic advisor Per Jakobsson provided information that helped disrupt the supply of Swedish bearings to Japan.

Let's think: how many lives were cut short because formally neutral Sweden provided Nazi Germany with strategic and military products, without which the flywheel of the Nazi war mechanism would, of course, continue to spin, but certainly not at such a high speed as it was? The question of the “infringed” Swedish neutrality during the Second World War is not new; Russian Scandinavian historians and diplomats, who by their nature worked in the USSR Foreign Ministry in the Scandinavian direction, are well aware of this. But not even many of them are aware that in the autumn of 1941, that very cruel autumn, when the existence of the entire Soviet state was at stake (and therefore, as a consequence, the fate of the peoples inhabiting it), King Gustav V Adolf of Sweden sent Hitler a letter in which he wished “dear Reich Chancellor further success in the fight against Bolshevism”..."

Hermann Goering and Gustav V Adolf

1939-1940
8,260 Swedes took part in the Soviet-Finnish War.

1941-1944
900 Swedish Nazis participated in the occupation of the USSR as part of the Finnish army.

Wallenberg family
With great reluctance and awkwardness, the Wallenberg family remembers that during the war years the Wallenbergs took part in the financing and supply of iron ore to Hitler's Germany from Sweden (from 1940 to 1944, the Nazis received more than 45 million tons of ore), steel, ball bearings, electrical equipment, tools , pulp and other goods that were used in military production.

Many in Sweden still remember this and reproach the Wallenbergs for collaborating with the Nazis.

The Wallenberg family, through banking and industrial empires from major corporations and stakes in other large companies, controls a third of Sweden's GDP.
The family controls more than 130 companies.
The largest: ABB, Atlas Copco, AstraZeneca, Bergvik Skog, Electrolux, Ericsson, Husqvarna, Investor, Saab, SEB, SAS, SKF, Stora Enso. 36% of shares listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange belong to the Wallenbergs.

The Wallenberg-owned bank SEB received more than $4.5 million from the German Central Bank between May 1940 and June 1941 and acted as a purchasing agent (through intermediaries) for the German government in the purchase of bonds and securities in New York. .

In April 1941, Finance Minister Ernst Wigforss and SEB Bank President Jacob Wallenberg agreed to issue a loan to Germany for the construction of ships in Swedish shipyards, the Nazis received a very significant amount for those times - 40 million crowns, which corresponds to today's 830 millions of crowns.

Swedish historian and ambassador Christer Wahl Brooks, together with archivist Bo Hammarlund, proved the duality of the Swedish Ministry of Finance's policies during the Second World War. The head of this department, Ernst Wigforst, went down in history as an opponent of the passage of Nazi troops through Sweden during the attack on Norway. Val Brooks found out that Wigforst actively helped Nazi Germany with money, although he did it in Swedish interests.

As part of a routine check in the archives of the Ministry of Finance, Hammarlund found a document in the form of a letter dating from April 1941, reports the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. This letter was written by the director of the Swedish bank Skandinaviska Banken, Ernst Herslov, but was never officially registered.

The letter provides a summary of the conversation between the Minister of Finance and Herslov. Wigforst argued for the need to send Germany loans that would allow the Nazis to pay for the work of Swedish shipbuilders. “The minister made it clear that it would be desirable to provide loans,” Herslov wrote. In reality, the money was supposed to help Sweden increase exports to Nazi Germany. According to historians, the existence of such secret deals is a much more serious indication of assistance to the Nazis than the opening of borders for the free movement of Nazi troops.

The researcher was shocked that such important conversations from a state point of view were conducted one-on-one between the minister and the banker. By law, a decision to provide loans to a foreign country would have to be approved by the Swedish government. “One can understand why Wigforst avoided publicity in this matter,” writes Dagens Nyheter.

The text of the letter indicates that Wigforst managed to secure the allocation of loans.

Historians found confirmation of their hypothesis in the diaries of the head of the Swedish central bank, Ivar Rooh. He mentioned that his company allocated significant sums to ensure that Germany supplied Sweden with fewer products in response to iron ore and other raw materials exported from Scandinavia for the war industry.

According to Val Brooks and Hammarlund, the amount of bribes reached 40 million crowns.

The letter also indicates that in the spring of 1941 Germany continued to actively build ships in Sweden, although Stockholm officially declared its neutrality. A similar policy was pursued by Madrid, which helped with the basing of Nazi submarines and the placement of Berlin spies, but did not officially consider itself a belligerent.

Ingvar Feodor Kamprad(Swedish: Ingvar Feodor Kamprad) (born March 30, 1926) is an entrepreneur from Sweden. One of the richest people in the world, founder of IKEA, a chain of stores selling household goods.

In 1994, personal letters from Swedish fascist activist Per Engdahl were published. From them it became known that Kamprad joined his pro-Nazi group in 1942. At least until September 1945, he was actively raising money for the group and attracting new members. The timing of Kamprad's departure from the group is unknown, but he and Per Endahl remained friends until the early 1950s. After these facts became known, Kamprad said that he bitterly regretted this part of his life and considered it one of his biggest mistakes. After this, he wrote a letter of apology to all Jewish IKEA employees.

The founder of the Swedish furniture concern IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad, was much more closely associated with the Nazi movement than was previously known. Thus, Kamprad was not only a member of the fascist movement “New Swedish Movement” / Nysvenska rörelsen, but also in the Nazi Lindholm Association / Lindholmsrörelse. This became known from a book by an employee of the Swedish television SVT - Elisabeth Åsbrink.

This book also publishes for the first time data that a case was opened against the 17-year-old Kamprad, already in 1943, by the Swedish Security Police Säpo, where he was held under the heading “Nazi.”

After the war, in the 50s, Kamprad continued to be friends with one of the leaders of the Swedish fascists, Per Engdahl. And just a year ago, in a conversation with Elisabeth Osbrink, he called Engdahl a “great man.”

Ingvar Kamprad's involvement in the Nazi movement in Sweden was known earlier, but this information had not been published before.

Ingvar Kamprad's spokesman, Per Heggenes, said that Kamprad had already repeatedly apologized and asked for forgiveness for his past Nazi views. He has repeatedly said that today he has no sympathy for the Nazis or Nazism.

“This whole story is 70 years old,” said Pär Heggenes, noting that Kamprad himself knew nothing about the fact that he was being monitored by the Security Police.

Historians question Sweden's neutrality during World War II

A number of studies commissioned by the Swedish government confirm assumptions that Sweden, which officially remained neutral during the Second World War, was ready to meet Nazi Germany halfway in many ways.

The revelation may add fuel to debate over the country's immigration policies and Sweden's decision not to join NATO.

Once powerful and warlike, Sweden last went to war 200 years ago. The Second World War was a serious test of Swedish neutrality. The prospect of an invasion by both fascist troops and allies seemed quite realistic at that time.

Until now, Sweden seemed to be quite pleased with itself. Yes, it supplied a significant amount of iron ore to Germany, allowed Nazi troops to pass unhindered through its territory and did not allow in Jews fleeing from the Germans.

However, at the same time, they allowed the Allies to develop an intelligence network on their territory, and at the end of the war they provided refuge to Jews from neighboring countries occupied by the Germans. They also developed an emergency plan to participate in the liberation of Denmark.

Thus, Swedes who married Germans had to provide evidence that their parents, as well as grandparents, did not have Jewish roots. Marriages between Germans and Swedish Jews were annulled.

By order of their German partners, German companies fired Jewish employees. Newspapers were ordered not to criticize Hitler and not to publish articles about the concentration camps or the occupation of Norway.

Cultural ties between Sweden and Nazi Germany remained very close.

Meanwhile, the Nazis' attitude towards the Swedes remains very vague. On the one hand, they were respected as "an exceptionally pure example of the Nordic race." On the other hand, the German leadership complained that modern Swedes had become too peace-loving and non-conflict, that is, they bore little resemblance to the ideal of the Aryan warrior.

Neighboring countries often accuse Sweden of taking an overly preachy tone when it comes to moral and ethical debates. Some attribute this to the country's Protestant heritage. Some see this as a throwback to Sweden's once "dominant" position. Still others believe that complacency is explained by the fact that Sweden has not been at war for a long time.

Whatever the real reason, it is likely that Swedes will now be more willing to moderate their tone and become more self-critical, and recognize that their past may not seem so blameless to other countries. An example of this is the recent controversy over Sweden's controversial human sterilization program.

According to the 1935 "racial hygiene" law, because they did not have a sufficiently "Nordic" appearance, they were born from parents of different races or showed "signs of degeneration."

In the 1920s, 30s and 40s. The idea of “racial hygiene” was extremely popular not only in Germany. Denmark, Norway, Canada, and 30 American states have implemented sterilization programs.

Marie Stopes, a pioneer of family planning in Britain, was a strong advocate of this idea: she argued that by encouraging working-class people to have fewer children and upper-class people to have more children, the gene pool of the Anglo-Saxon nation could be improved.

However, most European countries abandoned this idea after the war. The Swedish Institute of Racial Biology continued to operate until 1976.

It is also interesting that sterilization was advocated not only by far-right nationalists, but also by governments formed by Social Democrats.

Sweden received even more military orders after the outbreak of World War II. And mostly these were orders for Nazi Germany. Neutral Sweden became one of the main economic pillars of the national Reich. Suffice it to say that in 1943 alone, of the 10.8 million tons of iron ore mined, 10.3 million tons were sent to Germany from Sweden. Until now, few people know that one of the main tasks of the ships of the Soviet Navy that fought in the Baltic was There was not only a fight against fascist ships, but also the destruction of ships of neutral Sweden transporting cargo for the Nazis.

Well, how did the Nazis and the Swedes pay for the goods they received from them? Only by what they plundered in the territories they occupied and most of all - in Soviet occupied territories. The Germans had almost no other resources for settlements with Sweden. So, when they once again tell you about “Swedish happiness,” remember who paid for it for the Swedes and at whose expense.

Hermann Goering and Gustav V Adolf

1939-1940
8,260 Swedes took part in the Soviet-Finnish War.

1941-1944
900 Swedish Nazis participated in the occupation of the USSR as part of the Finnish army.

Many in Sweden still remember this and reproach the Wallenbergs for collaborating with the Nazis.

The text of the letter indicates that Wigforst managed to secure the allocation of loans.

According to Val Brooks and Hammarlund, the amount of bribes reached 40 million crowns.

Ingvar Kamprad's involvement in the Nazi movement in Sweden was known earlier, but this information had not been published before.

“This whole story is 70 years old,” said Pär Heggenes, noting that Kamprad himself knew nothing about the fact that he was being monitored by the Security Police.

Historians question Sweden's neutrality during World War II

The revelation may add fuel to debate over the country's immigration policies and Sweden's decision not to join NATO.

Thus, Swedes who married Germans had to provide evidence that their parents, as well as grandparents, did not have Jewish roots. Marriages between Germans and Swedish Jews were annulled.

Cultural ties between Sweden and Nazi Germany remained very close.

According to the 1935 “racial hygiene” law, about 60 thousand Swedes were deprived of the opportunity to have children due to the fact that they did not have a sufficiently “Nordic” appearance, were born from parents of different races, or showed “signs of degeneration.”

In the 1920s, 30s and 40s. The idea of “racial hygiene” was extremely popular not only in Germany. Denmark, Norway, Canada, and 30 American states have implemented sterilization programs.

However, most European countries abandoned this idea after the war. The Swedish Institute of Racial Biology continued to operate until 1976.

It is also interesting that sterilization was advocated not only by far-right nationalists, but also by governments formed by Social Democrats.

In Russian educational institutions, teachers together with students are busy preparing a lesson on peace. And if just a few years ago, let’s be honest, even in the teaching community the peace lesson held on September 1 was perceived as something more “on duty” than truly relevant, now the situation has changed radically. It has changed, since the very concept of “peace” has been updated against the background of well-known events.

And it’s difficult to stay outside of this actualization when very close by exactly the same people are experiencing the whole nightmare that war brings with it: they are losing loved ones and relatives, they are losing their homes, they are faced with the reincarnation of ideas of misanthropy.

Along with the realization that a peace lesson in absolutely any educational institution in the country ceases to be a “passing” event, but by definition must carry a very deep meaning, the increased interest of the younger generation (and not only the young) of Russians in history is noteworthy . The reasons are basically the same - events in a neighboring state, where distortion of history is becoming one of the main drivers of the fratricidal war.

During a conversation with students, teachers involved in preparing a lesson on peace, we touched upon a very interesting topic. The topic concerns how, in the conditions of world wars, some states resist aggressive campaigns, while others, without hesitation, declare their neutrality and quite calmly turn enormous human grief into a more than profitable business. The topic seemed relevant also due to the fact that for a considerable number of representatives of modern students with whom they have the opportunity to work, information about the presence of “neutrals” in World War II who escaped the Nazi occupation and the need for armed resistance was a real revelation. And I will quote one of the questions voiced verbatim, especially since it, as they say, hits the nail on the head: “Was it possible?” It’s not that the young man who asked such a question wanted to say that the USSR also had to declare neutrality, it’s just that we are talking about a completely understandable surprise, which the very fact of the possibility of declaring neutrality in a WORLD WAR can cause.

Historiography tells us that one of the European states that declared neutrality in World War II was Sweden. This state and its “neutrality” will be discussed in the material. In order for the subject of discussion to be, as they say, illustrated, it is worth immediately presenting this entertaining photograph.

The photographer reports that the photo shows the diplomatic mission of the Third Reich in May 1945 in the Swedish capital. On the flagpole crowning the diplomatic mission, you can see the flag of Nazi Germany at half-mast in connection with (attention!) the death of Adolf Hitler... It would seem that this is some kind of phantasmagoria, a theater of the absurd: the victory of the Allies, May 1945, neutral Sweden and suddenly - mourning of death the main ideologist of a monstrous campaign that claimed the lives of tens of millions of people around the world. Just one question: How is this possible?..

But this question is actually easy to answer. By and large, Sweden during the Second World War, declaring its neutrality, did not intend to be neutral at all. Quite definite sympathies for Nazi Germany and its leader showed themselves in the mid-30s. To be honest, at that time not only German citizens applauded Hitler’s speeches and raised their hands in a Nazi salute...

Even the occupation of Sweden's neighbor Norway by the Nazis, which began in 1940, did not cause a negative reaction from neutral Stockholm. After several meetings of the “neutral” Swedish king Gustav V with representatives of the top of the Third Reich, “independent” Swedish newspapers and magazines, as if by the wave of a conductor’s baton, suddenly stopped publishing articles that contained at least some hint of criticism of the actions of the Nazis in Europe. All this was called "temporary censorship due to the military situation in Europe."

A Swedish newspaper calls the war unleashed by Hitler "European liberation" --
And a few years before this, the Swedish church begins to speak out in the spirit that the National Socialists of Hitler’s Germany “are on the right path, since they are fighting for the purity of the Aryan race.” At the same time, the Swedish Church from about 1937-1938. officially distributes a circular in which local priests were prohibited from blessing marriages between ethnic Swedes and representatives of the so-called “Untermensch” - Jews, Slavs, etc. Such information became public knowledge after the end of World War II thanks to research conducted at one of the oldest universities in Sweden - Lund University.

From more ancient history: Sweden declared itself a non-aligned state in peacetime and a neutral state in wartime at the beginning of the 19th century. This happened in 1814 immediately after the signing of the truce agreement with Norway. The Declaration of Swedish Neutrality was officially proclaimed in 1834 by King Charles XIV Johan (the founder of the Bernadotte dynasty still ruling in Sweden). A remarkable fact can be considered that the non-aligned status of Sweden and its sovereignty in the event of a major war was announced by a man born as Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, who at the beginning of the 19th century received the rank of Marshal of the Empire in the Napoleonic army. Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte took part in the Battle of Austerlitz. In 1810, Bernadotte was dismissed from service in France and, according to historians, was officially invited to the post of Swedish and Norwegian monarch "in connection with his humane treatment of Swedish prisoners." After ascending to the Swedish throne, the newly-crowned Charles XIV Johann formed an alliance with Russia and began to fight on the side of the anti-Napoleonic coalition... After all these tossing and turning, the king-marshal was reportedly drawn to proclaiming the neutral status of the Kingdom of Sweden, which Sweden skillfully used.

Returning to the events of the Second World War, it should be noted that the “testaments” of Charles XIV Johan were applied exclusively from a pragmatic point of view. Thus, the grandson of King Gustav V, who ruled Sweden from 1907 to 1950, Gustav Adolf (Duke of Västerbotten) is known for the fact that before and during WWII, he conducted active “diplomatic” work with representatives of the Third Reich.

Among those with whom the Duke met were such people as, for example, Hermann Goering and Adolf Hitler. These meetings, it should be noted, predetermined the very strange (to say the least) neutrality of the Swedish crown. The first “neutral” agreement that attracts attention is the contract for the supply of Swedish iron ore to the Reich, which was not terminated at all after the start of Hitler’s expansion on the European continent.

Gustav V - on the right, Goering - in the middle, Gustav Adolf - on the left--
It is also noteworthy that Sweden’s neighbor, Norway, also declared its neutrality. And if during the First World War the Norwegians managed to “go” to a declaration of neutral status, then WWII did not allow the Norwegians to do the same. Hitler stepped over Norwegian “neutrality” quite calmly - declaring that Norway needed protection from “probable aggression of Great Britain and France.” Operation Weserübung-Nord began, during which official Oslo Berlin, of course, did not ask whether Norway really needed “protection from the probable aggression of the British and French.”

But Berlin did not step over the “neutrality” of Sweden... Well, just as it did not... More on that below. Most Swedish historians declare that Sweden’s neutrality in WWII is “understandable”, because only about 6 million people lived in Sweden, and therefore the country could not afford to compete with the powerful Third Reich, making all concessions to Berlin. An interesting statement... Interesting, especially considering that the population of Norway at that time was even smaller, but at the same time, firstly, the neutrality of the Norwegians quickly, excuse me, wiped out the authorities of the Third Reich, and, secondly, themselves The Norwegians organized a more or less “comprehensible” resistance movement against Nazi occupation.

So about the “neutrality” of Sweden... In fact, it was a typical fact of opportunism, in which Sweden was de facto occupied, but not in a military, but in a political sense. And the country’s authorities were quite pleased with this Hitlerite occupation. After all, for them, growing Germany was an excellent market for what was produced or created by Swedish companies. They sold at a reasonable price not only raw materials - the same iron and copper ore, but also goods created by Swedish companies. Swedish bearings were used to equip German equipment. Ships carrying rolled metal, weapons, machine tools, and lumber went to the Reich. At the same time, Sweden, through a whole network of financial agents, lent to the economy of Nazi Germany, having previously blocked the issuance of loans to its neighbors in Norway. In other words, economically, Sweden did everything in order to make dividends from the military successes of Nazi Germany and its commodity-money demands.

From Swedish official sources on the volume of supplies of goods to Nazi Germany (1938-1945):

Iron ore: 58 million tons,
cellulose – 7 million tons,
bearings – 60 thousand tons,
lumber – 13-14 million cubic meters,
vehicles and anti-aircraft guns - more than 2 thousand units.

Cargoes were delivered to the Reich under the protection of German and Swedish warships. Several Swedish ships ("Ada Gorthon", "Luleå", etc.) with a cargo of iron ore destined for Germany were sunk by Soviet submarines. After this, Swedish patrol ships dropped about 26 “neutral” depth charges into the sea with the aim of damaging Soviet submarines. Apparently, ever since then Sweden has had a special passion for searching for Soviet (Russian) submarines...

Further more. Sweden’s “neutrality” was transformed into the creation in the country of so-called volunteer battalions, which sided with the Nazis. The Swedish armed formation Svenska frivilligbataljonen began to take shape into a real force operating as part of the forces of the Hitlerite coalition immediately after Germany's attack on the Soviet Union. The Swedish “volunteers” underwent training on Finnish territory - in Turku.

At the beginning of October 1941, the Swedish Nazi battalion was visited by Gustav V and Gustav Adolf (Duke of Västerbotten), highly appreciating its “neutral” actions on the side of the Nazi allies in the Hanko area... And about a month later, the Swedish monarch sent a congratulatory telegram to Hitler, expressing admiration actions of the German army to “defeat Bolshevism.”

But after the defeat of the Nazis at Stalingrad and Kursk, “neutral” Sweden suddenly changes course... Stockholm informs its German friends that it is forced to block the sea routes along which German warships and transport vessels had previously passed through Swedish territorial waters. As they say, Stockholm felt the wind of change, and like a weather vane, it reacted almost instantly. In October 1943, a circular banning marriages with “Untermensch” was lifted in Sweden, and Jews who left the kingdom were allowed to return. At the same time, they did not close the embassy of the Third Reich (just in case...), suddenly the Reich will rise again...

An important fact of Sweden’s “neutrality” can be considered that, at the request of the USSR in 1944-1945. Stockholm extradited about 370 German and Baltic soldiers of Hitler's troops who, as Moscow reported, were involved in war crimes in the North-West of the USSR, including the Baltic republics. As you can see, the Swedish weather vane reacted here too...

During the war, the Swedish economy not only was not seriously tested, but even gained a lot. At the same time, the average earnings of Swedish workers fell, but the reduction in real terms amounted to only about 12% over 6 years, while the economies of most European countries, like the countries themselves, lay in ruins. The Swedish banking sector grew along with large industrial companies that supplied goods to Germany.

It can be stated that Sweden’s current non-aligned status is another declarative “parable”, behind which the real interests and sympathies of Stockholm are clearly visible... Such a story...
Author Volodin Alexey