Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Bo Ivar Boustedt (22 August 1868 – 24 October 1939) was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

officer. Boustedt's senior commands include regimental commander of

Västernorrland Regiment The Västernorrland Regiment ( sv, Västernorrlands regemente), designation I 21, is a Swedish Army infantry unit which operated in various forms the years 1869–1983, 1991–2000 and from 2022. It is located in Sollefteå Garrison in Sollefteå ...

and Uppland Infantry Regiment, chief of the

Military Office of the Land Defence The Military Office of the Land Defence ( sv, Lantförsvarets kommandoexpedition), from 1840 to 1922 called the Military Office of the Ministry of Land Defence ( sv, Lantförsvarsdepartementets kommandoexpedition), was an office in the Royal Chance ...

, commanding officer of the Eastern Army Division, Commandant General of Stockholm Garrison and

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Afg ...

Early life

Boustedt was born on 22 August 1868 in Fuxerna Parish,

Älvsborg County Älvsborg County ( sv, Älvsborgs län) was a county of Sweden until 1997, when it was merged with the counties of Gothenburg & Bohus and Skaraborg to form Västra Götaland County. The county corresponded to the traditional province of Dalsl ...

, Sweden, to captain Axel Boustedt and his wife Amanda Bergius. Boustedt was commissioned as an officer in

Bohuslän Regiment The Bohuslän Regiment ( sv, Bohusläns regemente), designation I 17, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traces its origins back 1661. It was disbanded in 1992. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the provinces of Bohusl ...

in 1891 with the rank of ''

underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word ''Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 1926 ...

''. He was then teacher at ''Billströmska folkhögskolan'' in

Tjörn Tjörn () is the sixth largest island in Sweden, located on the Swedish West coast in the province of Bohuslän. The area of the island is , and the area of the municipality is . The population, as of 2017, was 15,774 people. Geography Tjörn i ...

from 1892 to 1898.

Career

Axel Oscar Rappe and Bo Boustedt in 1932

He was promoted to lieutenant in 1895 and served as lieutenant of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

in 1903 and as captain there in 1904. Boustedt served as teacher at the Swedish Infantry Gunnery School in 1904, and as teacher at the

Royal Swedish Army Staff College The Royal Swedish Army Staff College ( sv, Kungliga Krigshögskolan, KHS) was a Swedish Army training establishment between 1866 and 1961, providing courses for army officers. It was the home of the Swedish Army's staff college, which provided adv ...

from 1904 to 1911. Boustedt served as captain in

Älvsborg Regiment The Älvsborg Regiment ( sv, Älvsborgs regemente), designation I 15 and I 15/Fo 34, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traces its origins back 1624. It was disbanded in 1998. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the prov ...

in 1910 and was promoted to major and appointed head of the Communications Department of the General Staff in 1912. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel there in 1915 and then served in

in 1916. Boustedt was promoted to colonel in the army in 1917 and was appointed regimental commander of Västernorrland Regiment in 1918. Five years later, Boustedt was appointed regimental commander of Uppland Infantry Regiment. He was at the same time commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade. In 1926, Boustedt was appointed chief of the

two years later, in 1928, he was promoted to major general and appointed brigade commander in the Western Army Division (''Västra arméfördelningen''). Boustedt then served as commanding officer of the Eastern Army Division (''Östra arméfördelningen'') and as Commandant General of Stockholm Garrison for a year before taking up the position as

in 1930. Boustedt was a strong supporter of the idea of intimate cooperation between the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...

for joint protection, wanted the commanders to have intimate contact with other professional groups and wished to broaden their understanding of social life in its various forms. He also drafted instructions for field service training. In Sweden during the 1930s, ideas were born about Swedish-Finnish military cooperation for

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

's (and thus also Sweden's) defense with, among other things, the Swedish field army (plus the air force's 100 fighter aircraft) under a

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

flag on the

Karelian Isthmus The Karelian Isthmus (russian: Карельский перешеек, Karelsky peresheyek; fi, Karjalankannas; sv, Karelska näset) is the approximately stretch of land, situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern ...

, protect Finland against an expected

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

attack. A driving force on the Swedish side was Chief of the General Staff Boustedt, who led reconnaissance on the isthmus and was one of the forces behind the opposition group ''Antingen – eller'' ("Either...or") within the Swedish Army. As Chief of the General Staff, Boustedt, also disapproved of plans to make propaganda films intended to boost patriotic motivation among the

conscripts Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

. In a letter to the ''Armé- och Marinfilm'' ("Army and Navy Film", AMF), written in 1931, Boustedt claimed that due to their individualistic national character, Swedish conscripts were suspicious of any manipulative efforts from the authorities. Only films that had no obvious intention of guiding the viewers’ thinking in a certain direction could have a genuine influence on Swedish audiences, he argued. Boustedt was promoted to lieutenant general in 1933 and retired from the military the same year. After his retirement, he created respect through a series of investigations and extensive attempts to create conditions for the partial modernization of the army, which was decided in 1936. Boustedt was also secretary of the Military Literature Association (''Militärlitteraturföreningen'') from 1909 to 1917, member of the Infantry Commission (''Infanterikommissionen'') from 1920 to 1921, military member of the King's Supreme Court from 1930 until 18 May 1934, as well as chairman of the 1933 Flight Commission (''1933 års flygkommission'').

Personal life

In 1917, he married Stina Håkansson (born 1881), the daughter of captain Axel Håkansson and Emma Tottie. They were parents of Bo Boustedt (1919–2001), an architect.

Death

Boustedt died on 24 October 1939 at Röda Korsets sjukhem in Stockholm.

Dates of rank

*20 November 1891 – ''

Underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word ''Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 1926 ...

'' *4 October 1895 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

*4 October1904 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

*26 April 1912 –

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

*26 February 1915 –

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

*13 November 1917 –

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

*1928 –

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

*1933 –

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Awards and decorations

Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Or ...

(8 December 1923) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the

(1921) *

Knight of the

(1912) *

SWE_Order_of_Vasa_-_Knight_2nd_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was u ...

(28 November 1929) * SWE_Order_of_Vasa_-_Knight_2nd_Class_BAR

Knight of the

(1913) *

Order_of_the_Polar_Star_-_Ribbon_bar,_pre_1975

Knight of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of the ...

(1916) *

Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

Honours

*Member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Krigsvetenskapsakademien) is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden and was founded on 12 November 1796 by Gustaf Wilhelm af Tibell. The academy is an independent organization and a forum for m ...

(1913)

Bibliography

*''Statsbanornas användning för militära ändamål'' (1906) *

References

External links

Article
at ''

Svenskt biografiskt lexikon ''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'' () is a Swedish biographical dictionary, started in 1917. The first volume, covering names ''Abelin'' to ''Anjou'', was published in 1918. As of 2017, names from A to S are covered. Volumes # ABELIN – ANJOU (1 ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Boustedt, Bo 1868 births 1939 deaths Swedish Army lieutenant generals People from Lilla Edet Municipality Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Commanders First Class of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of Vasa Knights of the Order of the Polar Star