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 ...

Carl ''Gunnar'' Ferdinand af Klintberg (4December 1902 – 9October 1983) 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. His senior commands include commanding officer of

Svea Artillery Regiment The Svea Artillery Regiment ( sv, Svea artilleriregemente), designation A 1, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 17th century. It was disbanded in 1997. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from S ...

, 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 ...

as well Deputy Force Commander of the

United Nations Operation in the Congo The United Nations Operation in the Congo (french: Opération des Nations Unies au Congo, abbreviated to ONUC) was a United Nations peacekeeping force deployed in the Republic of the Congo in 1960 in response to the Congo Crisis. ONUC was the ...

(ONUC). af Klintberg also served as the Inspector, Army Signal Troops.

Early life

af Klintberg was born on 4 December 1902 in

Skövde Skövde () is a locality and urban centre in Skövde Municipality and Västra Götaland County, in the Västergötland (Western Gothland region) in central Southern Sweden. Skövde is situated some 150 km northeast of Gothenburg, between Swe ...

, Sweden, the son of captain Carl af Klintberg and Märta (née Westerberg). He passed ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university entrance examination in Sweden from the 17th century to 1968. From 1862 to 1968 ...

'' on 11 May 1921.

Career

af Klintberg was commissioned as an officer on 31 December 1923 and was assigned as a second lieutenant to the reserve of the

(A 1). af Klintberg was commissioned as an officer when he passed his exam on 18 December 1924 and was then appointed second lieutenant in Svea Artillery Regiment on 13 February 1925 and ''underlöjtnant'' there on 31 December 1925. He passed the general course of the

Artillery and Engineering College Artillery and Engineering College ( sv, Artilleri- och ingenjörhögskolan, AIHS) was a Swedish Army training establishment active between 1878 and 1992, providing courses for artillery officers. It was located within the Stockholm Garrison in Sto ...

in 1928 and became lieutenant in the regiment on 18 July 1928. af Klintberg was educated at the

from 1930 to 1932. He became captain 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 1936 and served in Svea Artillery Regiment in 1941. He became major of the General Staff in 1942 and was chief of staff of the IV Military Commanding Staff from 1942 to 1946. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1945 and served again in Svea Artillery Regiment in 1946. af Klintberg was promoted to colonel in 1949 and was head of the Recruiting and Replacement Office (''Centrala värnpliktsbyrån'') from 1949 to 1953. He served as regimental commander of Svea Artillery Regiment from 1953 to 1955 and commanding officer of the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1955 to 1959 as well as the Inspector, Army Signal Troops from 1959 to 1962. af Klintberg was promoted to major general in 1962 and was Deputy Force Commander of the

(ONUC) from 1962 to 1963.

Personal life

In 1935 he married his relative Gertrud af Klintberg (1913–2008), the daughter of lawyer Bengt af Klintberg and Greta von Unge. af Klintberg was the father of Ulf (born 1935), Louise (born 1938), Carl (born 1940), Mats (1942–2014), Ingrid (born 1944), Tord (born 1951) and Pål (1957–1966).

Death

He died on 9 October 1983 and was buried on 15 June 1984 at the Old Cemetery in Grödinge,

Botkyrka Municipality Botkyrka Municipality ( ) is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, not far from the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the town of Tumba. In 1971 ''Grödinge'' was merged with Botkyrka and in 1974 ''Salem'' was added. ...

Dates of rank

*13 February 1925 –

Second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

*31 December 1925 – ''

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 ...

'' *18 July 1928 –

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 ...

*1936 –

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 ...

*1942 –

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 ...

*1945 –

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 ...

*1949 –

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 ...

*1962 –

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 ...

Awards and decorations

King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1948) * 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 ...

(6 June 1957) * 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 ...

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, 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 ...

Commander of the Order of St. Olav (1 July 1953)

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 ...

(1955)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klintberg, Gunnar 1902 births 1983 deaths Swedish Army major generals People from Skövde Municipality People of the Congo Crisis Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Commanders First Class of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Knights of the Order of Vasa