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 ...

Arvid ''Hans'' Magnus Neij (22 June 1921 – 24 April 1985) was a Swedish Air Force officer.

Early life

Neij was born on 22 June 1921 in

Jönköping Jönköping (, ) is a city in southern Sweden with 112,766 inhabitants (2022). Jönköping is situated on the southern shore of Sweden's second largest lake, Vättern, in the province of Småland. The city is the seat of Jönköping Municipa ...

, Sweden, the son of Arvid Neij, an adjunct lecturer, and his wife Elsa (née Lund). He passed ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and r ...

'' in 1939 and attended the Swedish Air Force Candidate and Cadet School (''Flygvapnets aspirant- och kadettskola'') from 1939 to 1942.

Career

Neij was commissioned as an officer in the Swedish Air Force in 1942 and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1944. Neij attended the

Royal Swedish Air Force Staff College __NOTOC__ Royal Swedish Air Force Staff College ( sv, Flygkrigshögskolan, FKHS) was established in 1939 and located in Stockholm. It was under the command of the Chief of the Swedish Air Force. From the start, one-year higher courses in staff ser ...

from 1947 to 1948 and its Staff Course from 1948 to 1949. He was promoted to Captain in 1949 and to Major in 1955. He attended the

Swedish National Defence College The Swedish Defence University ( sv, Försvarshögskolan, FHS) is situated on Drottning Kristinas väg 37 in Östermalm, Stockholm City Centre, next to the campus of the Royal Institute of Technology. History Today's Swedish Defence University ...

in 1956 and then served as an Air Force Press Officer form 1955 to 1958. Neij, then a Captain of Södermanland Wing (F 11) at

Nyköping Nyköping () is a locality and the seat of Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 32,759 inhabitants as of 2017. The city is also the capital of Södermanland County. Including Arnö, the locality on the southern shore of th ...

, broke the world speed record with his S-29C on 23 March 1955. Scooting along a 1,000-kilometer closed circuit, Neij and his wingman Birger Eriksson averaged to better the existing record of set in 1950 by a Gloster Meteor Mk 8. The distance was covered in 1 hour, 6 min, 37 sec. In 1959 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Neij served as head of the Air Force program within the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College from 1961 to 1964 and he was promoted to Colonel in 1963. Neij served as commander of

Bråvalla Wing Bråvalla Wing ( sv, Bråvalla flygflottilj), also F 13 Norrköping, or simply F 13, is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Norrköping in south-eastern Sweden. History The Air Wing was established in 1943 as the fourt ...

(F 13) from 1964 to 1966 and of Section 2 in the Air Staff from 1966 to 1970 when he was promoted to Major General and appointed Chief of Staff of the Eastern Military District. In 1973, Neij was appointed Chief of the Air Staff. After five years in this position, Neij was appointed defense and air attaché in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and Ottawa in 1978, serving until his death in 1985.

Personal life

Captain-Hans-Neij-in-his-S-29C-after-breaking-the-world-speed-record-352107759058

In 1942, he married Kerstin Gyllenberg (born 1922), the daughter of station master Clæs Gyllenberg and Ellen (née Pettersson).

Death

Neij died in a drowning accident during a holiday stay in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He was interred on 6 May 1985 at in

Västra Karup Västra Karup () is a locality situated in Båstad Municipality Båstad Municipality (''Båstads kommun'') is a municipality in Skåne County in South Sweden, located in Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Båstad. The present municipali ...

Dates of rank

*1942 – Second lieutenant *1944 –

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 ...

*1949 – Captain *1955 – Major *1959 – Lieutenant colonel *1963 –

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 o ...

*1970 –

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 ...

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_BAR

Commander 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 ...

(6 June 1966) * Order_of_the_Sword_-_Ribbon_bar

Knight of the

* Royal Swedish Aero Club's Silver Medal * Air Force Badge in Silver

Foreign

Officer of the Legion of Merit (13 June 1985; posthumously)

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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neij, Hans 1921 births 1985 deaths Swedish Air Force major generals People from Jönköping Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Knights of the Order of the Sword Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Swedish air attachés Deaths by drowning in the United States