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 ...

Gustav ''Ivar'' Backlund (14 February 1892 – 5 July 1969) was a Swedish Army officer. His senior commands include

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

in Boden Fortress, Chief of the Army Staff and the

General Staff Corps General Staff Corps ( sv, Generalstabskåren, Gst) was an administrative corps within the Swedish Armed Forces between 1937 and 1990 and consisted of Swedish Army officers chosen for duty in the Defence Staff and Army Staff. It replaced the earli ...

. Backlund was also military commander of the VII Military District and head of 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 ...

Early life

Backlund was born on 14 February 1892 in Gothenburg, Sweden, the son of Anders Backlund, a phytosanitary inspector, and his wife Thérese Floberg. 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 1909.

Career

Backlund was commissioned as an officer in 1912 and was assigned 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 192 ...

'' to Göta Life Guards (I 2). He attended the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1918 to 1920 and served as captain in the General Staff in 1924. Backlund was adjutant to the head of the Ministry of Defence from 1926 to 1928 and served as a general staff officer in the ''Militärläroverksinspektionen'' from 1928 to 1933. Backlund was teacher at the Artillery and Engineering College from 1933 to 1937 and was promoted to major in 1934. He was then serving as vice chief of the Military Office of the Land Defence (''Lantförsvarets kommandoexpedition'') from 1937 to 1939 and he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1937. Backlund served in Södermanland Infantry Regiment (I 10) in 1939 and the year after he was promoted to colonel and was appointed regimental commander of the

Dalarna Regiment The Dalarna Regiment ( sv, Dalregementet), designation I 13, is a Swedish Army infantry unit that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province of Dalarna, where it was later gar ...

(I 13). In 1944, Backlund was appointed

in Boden Fortress and he served as acting deputy military commander of the IV Military District from 1944 to 1946. He was promoted to major general in 1946 and served as Chief of the Army Staff and the

from 1946 to 1948. Backlund was military commander of the VII Military District from 1 October 1948 to 31 March 1955 and head of the

from 1 April 1955 to 1956. He was promoted to lieutenant general in 1957 and retired from the military. He became chairman of the Swedish Pistol-shooting Association (''Svenska pistolskytteförbundet'') in 1946 and the Educational Swedish Swimming Association (''Svenska livräddningssällskapet'') in 1947.

Personal life

In 1935, he married Margareta Troili (born 1904), the daughter of Eilert Troili, an accountant, and Gunhild Behmer.

Dates of rank

*1912 – ''

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 192 ...

'' *19?? –

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 ...

*1924 – Captain *1934 – Major *1937 – Lieutenant colonel *1940 –

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 ...

*1946 –

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 ...

*1957 –

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

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 February 23, 1748, together with the ...

(6 June 1953) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(6 June 1946) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the

(15 November 1943) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Knight_1st_Class_BAR

Knight 1st Class of the

(1933) *

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 t ...

(1939) *

SWE_Order_of_Vasa_-_Knight_2nd_Class_BAR

Knight 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 ...

(1928) *

For_Zealous_and_Devoted_Service_of_the_Realm_ribbon

Medal for Noble Deeds (''För medborgerlig förtjänst'') in gold

Foreign

FIN_Order_of_the_White_Rose_Commander_BAR

Commander of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

(between 1940 and 1942) * FIN_Order_of_the_White_Rose_Commander_BAR

Commander Second Class of the

(between 1935 and 1940) * FIN_Order_of_the_Lion_of_Finland_3Class_BAR

Commander of the

Order of the Lion of Finland The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President ...

(between 1947 and 1950) * DEU_Deutsche_Adlerorden_1_BAR

Order of the German Eagle The Order of Merit of the German Eagle (german: Verdienstorden vom Deutschen Adler) 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 follo ...

(1942) *

Knight of the Order of Leopold (between 1925 and 1928)

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 ...

(1938)

Footnotes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Backlund, Ivar 1892 births 1969 deaths Swedish Army lieutenant generals Military personnel from Gothenburg 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 First Class of the Order of Vasa