Carl August Ehrensvärd (1892–1974)

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Carl August Ehrensvärd
C.A. Ehrensvärd dy SvD.JPG
Nickname(s) Cala
Born (1892-08-03)3 August 1892
Karlskrona, Sweden
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Ystad, Sweden
Buried
Tosterup cemetery
Allegiance  Sweden
 Finland
Service/branch Swedish Army (1913–1939, 1940–1957)
Finnish Army (1918, 1939–1940)
Years of service 1913–1957
Rank General
Commands held War College (1940–41)
Defence Staff (1945–47)
I. Military Area (1947–48)
Chief of the Army (1948–57)
Battles/wars Finnish Civil War
Winter War
Relations Carl August Ehrensvärd (father)
Augustin Ehrensvärd (great-grandfather)
Archibald Douglas (cousin)

Count Carl August Ehrensvärd (3 August 1892 – 24 April 1974) was a Swedish Army general. He was born in Karlskrona, and was son of the admiral and Minister for Naval Affairs, Carl August Ehrensvärd. Ehrensvärd left the Swedish Army in 1918 and joined the Finnish Army and saw action during the Finnish Civil War. Ehrensvärd rejoined the Swedish Army the same year and served until 1940 when he became general Ernst Linder's Chief of Staff during the Winter War as part of the Swedish Volunteer Corps. Back again in the Swedish Army, Ehrensvärd held positions such as Chief of the Defence Staff and Chief of the Army. He retired in 1957.

Early life and family

Ehrensvärd was born in Karlskrona, Sweden and was the son of admiral, count Carl August Ehrensvärd (1858–1944) and baroness Lovisa Ulrika (Ulla), née Thott.[1] He was the brother of admiral Gösta Ehrensvärd (1885–1973) and uncle of the chemist Gösta Ehrensvärd (1910–1980). His great-grandfather was the fortress builder Augustin Ehrensvärd. He was also cousin to Archibald Douglas, Ehrensvärd's predecessor on the Chief of the Army post.[2]

Military career

After the students' examination in 1911, Ehrensvärd became an officers volunteer at the Svea Life Guards (I 1) in 1911. He was the Queen's Page of Honour in 1912 and a cadet at the War School the same year.[3] Ehrensvärd became a second lieutenant at the Svea Life Guards (I 1) in 1913 and became lieutenant there in 1915.[4] He took part in the Åland Expedition as adjutant of the commander of Åland Detachment in 1918 and resigned from the Swedish Army the same year and joined the Finnish Army where he commanded the Archipelago Free Corps (Skärgårdens frikår)[5] and took part in battles in Åboland archipelago and southwestern Finland[4] (Korpogård 28 March, Lohm 4 April and Loimaa 22 April[3]).

He was promoted to major in the Finnish Army in May 1918 and was then reinstatement in the Swedish Army as lieutenant at the Svea Life Guards (I 1) in September the same year.[3] Ehrensvärd then attended the War College from 1920 to 1922[4] and was a cadet of the General Staff from 1923 to 1925.[3] He was staff adjutant and was promoted to captain of the General Staff in 1926 and served at the Svea Life Guards (I 1) in 1927 and was a teacher at the War College from 1928 to 1934.[6] Ehrensvärd was captain at the Svea Life Guards (I 1) in 1931 and staff adjutant and captain of the General Staff in 1932. He was major and chief adjutant of the General Staff in 1934 and in 1935.[7] He was head of the Central Department of the General Staff from 1935 to 1937 and the Army Operating Department at the Defense Staff from 1937 to 1938.[1]

Ehrensvärd was major and chief adjutant of the General Staff Corps from April to July 1937 and was in October of that year promoted to lieutenant colonel and chief adjutant of the General Staff Corps.[3] He was lieutenant colonel and commander of the tank battalion at Göta Life Guards (I 2) from 1938 to 1939 and the tank battalion at Skaraborg Regiment (I 9) in 1939.[6] Ehrensvärd was lieutenant colonel and Chief of Staff of the Swedish Volunteer Corps during the Winter War in Finland in 1940. There he took part in operations in Lapland during 1940. Ehrensvärd was promoted to colonel in the Finnish Army in 1940 and colonel in the Swedish Army the same year.[5] He was head of the War College from 1940 to 1941 and commander of South Scania Infantry Regiment (I 7) from 1941 to 1942. Ehrensvärd was section chief at the Defense Staff from 1942 to 1944 and was promoted to major general and acting Chief of Defense Staff in 1944. He was Chief of Defense Staff from 1945 to 1947 and was military commander of the I. Military Area from 1947 to 1948. Ehrensvärd was promoted to lieutenant general and was appointed Chief of the Army in 1948.[1]

The year before, in 1947, a proposal to appoint pro-German colonel Alf Meyerhöffer as army infantry inspector led to the so-called "Meyerhöffer affair" when the proposal met with great opposition from the Social Democratic government. A compromise made Meyerhöffer acting infantry inspector in 1947. Following threats of resignation from Ehrensvärd's cousin and Chief of the Army, Archibald Douglas, Meyerhöffer was finally appointed cavalry and infantry inspector in 1949.[2] The far more Western-friendly Ehrensvärd had been appointed Chief of the Army in 1948 which led Meyerhöffer into conflict with his new commanding officer and he therefore lodged his resignation in 1951.[2]

In 1956, Ehrensvärd appointed major Sigmund Ahnfeldt as UN battalion commander in Gaza. The government opposed the nomination because of Ahnfeldt's previous involvement in the Lindholm movement. Ahnfeldt had been Sven Olov Lindholm's closest man for six years and had at the age of 27 candidated for the National League of Sweden after Meyerhöffer at the municipal elections in Östersund. Ehrensvärd threatened to resign unless he got his way, according to prime minister Tage Erlander. Ahnfeldt was persuaded, however, by defense minister Torsten Nilsson to resign from the post.[2] Ehrensvärd was Chief of the Army until 1957 when he was promoted to full general and transferred to the reserve.[1]

Other work

Ehrensvärd was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences from 1935.[1]

Ehrensvärd had the military responsibility for the Swedish stay-behind operation which was organised starting from 1946.[8]

In the early 1960s, the secret documents from Operation Stella Polaris in 1944, were brought from Hörningsholm Castle and Rottneros Manor and burnt on the instruction of the then Director-General of the National Defence Radio Establishment, Gustaf Tham, and the now pensioned general Ehrensvärd.[9]

Personal life

Ehrensvärd married the first time on 21 July 1922 in Lützow, Germany with countess Gisela Dorothée Anna-Luise Marianne Lilla von Bassewitz (20 December 1895 – 1946),[1][3] the daughter of count Adolf Carl Otto Alexander Bassewitz-Behr and Dorothée Louise Helene Wanda Ebba Krell.[3] He married a second time on 8 November 1947 in Malmö, Sweden with Svea Elisabeth Lachmann, née Olsson (born 15 June 1905), the daughter of carpenter Ola Olsson and Hanna Jönsson.[3] Ehrensvärd was the father of Louise (born 30 June 1925 in Stockholm) and Jörgen (born 6 May 1932 in Stockholm).[3] Ehrensvärd and his wife lived at Charlottenlund Castle.[1]

Ehrensvärd died on 24 April 1974 in Ystad[10] and was buried at Tosterup cemetery.[11]

Awards and decorations

Commander of the Swedish Volunteer Corps Ernst Linder (right) and Carl August Ehrensvärd in Tornio.
Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces Helge Jung (left) and Carl August Ehrensvärd.

Ehrensvärd's awards:[1]

Bibliography

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References

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  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Military offices
Preceded by Chief of the Defence Staff
1945–1947		 Succeeded by
Nils Swedlund
Preceded by Commander of I. Military Area
1947–1948		 Succeeded by
Samuel Lars Åkerhielm
Preceded by Chief of the Army
1948–1957		 Succeeded by
Thord Bonde
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