General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Curt Ture Engelbrecht Göransson (15July 1909 – 11November 1996) was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

officer. Göransson's senior commands include Chief of the Defence Staff 1957–1961, military commander of the I Military District 1961–1963 and Chief of the Army 1963–1969.

Early life

Göransson was born on 15 July 1909 in Hedvig Eleonora Parish,

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden, the son of lieutenant colonel Erik Göransson and his wife Elsa (née Engelbrecht).

Career

Göransson was commissioned as an officer in the Uppland Infantry Regiment (I 8) with the rank of second lieutenant in 1930. He studied first at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1935 to 1937, and later at the

Prussian Military Academy The Prussian Staff College, also Prussian War College () was the highest military facility of the Kingdom of Prussia to educate, train, and develop general staff officers. Location It originated with the ''Akademie für junge Offiziere der I ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

from 1938 to 1939. Göransson was promoted to captain in the General Staff Corps in 1940 and was a teacher at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1942 to 1945. He served in the

Svea Life Guards The Svea Life Guards (), also I 1, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that was active in various forms 1521–2000. The unit was based in the Stockholm Garrison in Stockholm and belonged to the King's Life and Household Troops (''Kungl. Maj: ...

(I 1) from 1945 to 1947 and was appointed major of the General Staff in 1948. Göransson served as a military expert at the Scandinavian defense negotiations from 1948 to 1949 and in defense investigation from 1949 to 1950. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the General Staff Corps in 1952 and served in the South Scanian Infantry Regiment (I 7) in 1953. Göransson was promoted to colonel and regimental commander of Hälsinge Regiment (I 14) in 1955. He remained in that position until 1957, when he was promoted to major general and appointed Acting Chief of the Defence Staff. Göransson was then Chief of the Defence Staff from 1957 to 1960. Göransson served then as a military expert in the 1960 Defence Committee. He then served as military commander of the I Military District from 1961 to 1963. He was promoted to lieutenant general in 1963 and served as Chief of the Army from 1963 to 1969, when he was promoted to full general.

Personal life

In 1933, Göransson married Eva Nordlinder (1909–1991), the daughter of banker Ferdinand Nordlinder and Annie Hedberg. He was the father of Kjell (born 1934) and Christer (1938–1995).

Death

Göransson died on 11 November 1996 in

Danderyd Danderyd Municipality (; ) is a municipality north of Stockholm in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. It is one of the smallest municipalities of Sweden, but the most affluent. Its seat is located in Djursholm and it is located within Sto ...

, Stockholm County, Sweden. He is interred at Lidingö Cemetery.

Dates of rank

*1930 – Second lieutenant *19?? –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

*1940 –

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

*1948 –

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

*1952 – Lieutenant colonel *1955 –

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

*1957 – Major general *1963 –

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

*1969 –

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_Grand_Cross_BAR

Commander Grand Cross 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 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

(6 June 1965) * Knight of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

SWE_Order_of_Vasa_-_Knight_2nd_Class_BAR

Knight of the

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

SWE_Home_Guard_Royal_Medal_of_Merit_ribbon

Home Guard Medal of Merit in Gold * Swedish Central Federation for Voluntary Military Training Medal of Merit in gold * Swedish Central Federation for Voluntary Military Training Medal of Merit in silver * National Federation of Voluntary Motor Cycle Corps Medal of Merit in gold (''Frivilliga Motorcykelkårernas Riksförbunds förtjänstmedalj i guld'', FMCKGM) * Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization Royal Medal of Merit in gold * Voluntary Automobile Club's gold medal (''Frivilliga automobilklubbens guldmedalj'') * Gävleborg Rifle Association's gold medal (''Gävleborgs skytteförbunds guldmedalj'') * Central Board of the National Swedish Rifle Association's silver medal (''Sveriges skytteförbunds överstyrelses silvermedalj'') * Swedish Reserve Officers' Association's badge of honor (''Svenska reservofficersföreningens hederstecken'')

Foreign

Grand Cross of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

(1 July 1968) * Commander with Star of the

(1 July 1961) * Finland Cross of Liberty 4th Class Military Peacetime

Order of the Cross of Liberty The Order of the Cross of Liberty (; ) is one of three official state Order (decoration), orders in Finland, along with the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The awards of the Order of the Cross of Liberty ...

, 4th Class with swords * DEU_Deutsche_Adlerorden_1_BAR

3rd Class of the

Order of the German Eagle The Order of Merit of the German Eagle () was an award of the German Nazi regime, predominantly to foreign diplomats. The Order was instituted on 1 May 1937 by Adolf Hitler. It ceased to be awarded following the collapse of Nazi Germany at the e ...

Honours

*Member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences () 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 military (army and air force) and de ...

(1949)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goransson, Curt 1909 births 1996 deaths Swedish Army generals Chiefs of Army (Sweden) Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Sweden) Military personnel from Stockholm Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Knights of the Order of Vasa 20th-century Swedish military personnel