Western Military District ( sv, Västra militärområdet, Milo V), originally III Military District ( sv, III. militärområdet) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

military district Military districts (also called military regions) are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army) which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and ...

, a command of the

Swedish Armed Forces The Swedish Armed Forces ( sv, Försvarsmakten, "the Defense Force") is the government agency that forms the armed forces of Sweden, tasked with the defense of the country as well as with promoting Sweden's wider interests, supporting internati ...

that had

operational An operational definition specifies concrete, replicable procedures designed to represent a construct. In the words of American psychologist S.S. Stevens (1935), "An operation is the performance which we execute in order to make known a concept." F ...

control over Western Sweden, for most time of its existence corresponding to the area covered by the counties of

Gothenburg and Bohus Gothenburg and Bohus County ( sv, Göteborgs och Bohus län) was a Counties of Sweden, county of Sweden until 1997, when it was merged with Skaraborg County and Älvsborg County to form Västra Götaland County. The county was named after the Ci ...

, Älvsborg,

Skaraborg Skaraborg may refer to the following places: * Skaraborg County, a former county of Sweden *Västergötland, a historical province of Sweden that includes the area of the former county *Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County ( sv, V ...

(all three now joined as

Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden. The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1 ...

) and

Halland Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Brömsebro ...

. The headquarters of Milo V were located 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 ...

History

Milo V was created in 1966 along with five other military districts as part of a reorganisation of the administrative divisions of the Swedish Armed Forces. It can be seen as the successor of III Military District (''III. militärområdet'') created in 1942, but that did not have the same tasks as Milo V. The military district consisted of the land covered by the above-mentioned counties. In 1993, the number of military districts of Sweden was decreased to three, and as a consequence of that, Milo V was merged into the

Southern Military District 200px, Headquarters of the district at 53 Pushkinskaya Street / 43 Budenovsky avenue, Rostov-on-Don The Southern Military District (Russian: Южный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military ...

(Milo S).

Units 1989

In peacetime the Western Military District consisted of the following units, which were training recruits for wartime units: * Western Military District (Milo V), in

** Army units: *** K 3 -

Life Regiment Hussars The Life Regiment Hussars ( sv, Livregementets husarer; designated K 3) is one of the world's oldest regiments still active. The regiment descends directly from units set up by King Gustav I of Sweden (Gustav Vasa) in 1536, when Sweden set ...

, in

Karlsborg Karlsborg (, outdatedly ) is a locality and the seat of Karlsborg Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 3,551 inhabitants in 2010. This garrison town lies at the shore of lake Vättern in Västergötland. History The town of Karl ...

**** Göta Signal Battalion **** Parachute Jäger Training Battalion **** Swedish Army Paratroop School **** Army Intelligence School **** Armed Forces Survival School *** P 4/Fo 35 - Skaraborg Regiment / Skaraborg Defense District, in Skövde *** I 15/Fo 34 -

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 ...

/ Älvsborg Defense District, in

Borås Borås ( , , ) is a city (officially, a locality) and the seat of Borås Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 66,273 inhabitants in 2010. Geography Borås is located at the point of two crossing railways, among them the ...

*** I 16/Fo 31 -

Halland Regiment The Halland Regiment ( sv, Hallands regemente), designations I 16 and I 16/Fo 31, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the provinces of Väste ...

/ Halland Defense District, in

Halmstad Halmstad () is a port, university, industrial and recreational city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Socia ...

*** I 17 -

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 Bohu ...

, in

Uddevalla Uddevalla (old no, Oddevold) is a town and the seat of Uddevalla Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. In 2015, it had a population of 34 781. It is located at a bay of the south-eastern part of Skagerrak. The beaches of Uddevalla are ...

*** Lv 6 - Göta Air Defence Regiment, in Gothenburg *** T 2 -

Göta Logistic Regiment The Göta Logistic Regiment ( sv, Göta trängregemente, T 2), is the only logistic regiment in the Swedish Armed Forces. Its new organisation was laid down in 2000, when the regiment became the only logistic regiment in Sweden. The regiment is ...

, in Skövde ** Air Force units: *** E 1 - Attack Group, in Gothenburg, also controls F 15 -

Hälsinge Wing Hälsinge Wing ( sv, Hälsinge flygflottilj), also F 15 Söderhamn, or simply F 15, is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Söderhamn in northern Sweden. Heraldry and traditions Coat of arms The first coat of arms of ...

of Milo NN **** F 6 -

Västgöta Wing Västgöta Wing ( sv, Västgöta flygflottilj), also F 6 Karlsborg, or simply F 6, is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Karlsborg in south-central Sweden. History The airfield ''Lusharpan'' had been used by the army ...

, in Karlsborg ***** 61st Attack Squadron, with AJ 37 Viggen attack aircraft ***** 62nd Attack Squadron, with AJ 37 Viggen attack aircraft **** F 7 -

Skaraborg Wing Skaraborg Wing ( sv, Skaraborgs flygflottilj), also F 7 Såtenäs, or simply F 7, is a Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Lidköping in south-central Sweden. History The decision to set up the air wing was made in 1936, but di ...

, in

Lidköping Lidköping () is a locality and the seat of Lidköping Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had about 40 000 inhabitants in 2021. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Vänern and sometimes refers to itself as "Lidköpin ...

***** 71st Attack Squadron, with AJ 37 Viggen attack aircraft ***** 72nd Attack Squadron, with AJ 37 Viggen attack aircraft ***** 71st Transport Squadron, with 8x

C-130H Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...

and 4x

Super King Air 200 The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The Model 200 and Model 300 series were originally marketed as the "Super King Air" family; the "Super" designation was dropped in 1996. ...

*** F 14 - Halmstad Air Force Schools, in Halmstad **** Air Force Officer College **** Air Force Command and Control School **** Air Force Technical School **** Air Force Ground Signal Engineering School **** Air Force Liaison and Staff Service School ** Navy units: *** MKV/Fo 32 - West Coast Naval Command / Gothenburg & Bohus Defense District, in Gothenburg **** 12th Helicopter Group, at Säve Airfield with CH-46B Sea Knight

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

and

Bell 206B The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- and twin-engined helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec, plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter progra ...

utility helicopters **** KA 4 -

Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment The Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment ( sv, Älvsborgs kustartilleriregemente), designation KA 4, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery regiment of the Swedish Armed Forces which operated between 1942 and 2000. The unit was based in Gothenburg ...

, in Gothenburg ***** Three 75mm Tornpjäs m/57 batteries on Galterö,

Marstrand Marstrand () is a seaside locality situated in Kungälv Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 1,320 inhabitants in 2010. The town got its name from its location on the island of Marstrand. Despite its small population, for histori ...

and Stora Kornö islands, with the latter covering the entrance to the

Gullmarn Gullmarn, also known as Gullmarsfjorden or Gullmaren, is a threshold fjord in the middle of Bohuslän Archipelago on the west coast of Sweden. It is the largest of the Bohuslän fjords with a length of and a width ranging from . At its mouth, t ...

Naval Base ***** HSwMS ''Kalvsund'' (11) minelayer ***** HSwMS ''Grundsund'' (15) minelayer **** 48th Patrol Boat Division in Gothenburg (part of 4th Surface Attack Flotilla of Milo S), with 4x ''Hugin''-class patrol boats ***** HSwMS ''Hugin'' (P151) ***** HSwMS ''Munin'' (P152) ***** HSwMS ''Magne'' (P153) ***** HSwMS ''Mode'' (P1514 In wartime the Western Military District would have activated the following major land units, as well as a host of smaller units: * 3rd Division, in Skövde ** PB 9 -

Skaraborg Brigade Skaraborg Brigade ( sv, Skaraborgsbrigaden), designation PB 9 and MekB9, was a Swedish Army armoured brigade. It was set up in infantry regiment in 1942, as one of Sweden's first armoured brigades. The brigade's soldiers were mostly trained in t ...

, in Skövde, a Type 63M armoured brigade based on the P 4 - Skaraborg Regiment ** IB 15 - Västgöta Brigade, in Borås, a Type 66M infantry brigade based on the I 15 - Älvsborg Regiment ** IB 17 -

Bohus Brigade Bohus Fortress (also known as ''Baahus'' or ''Båhus'', originally: ''Bágahús'') lies along the old Norwegian–Swedish border in Kungälv, Bohuslän, Sweden, north east from Hisingen where the Göta river splits into two branches ( north of G ...

, in Uddevalla, a Type 66M infantry brigade based on the I 17 - Bohuslän Regiment ** IB 45 -

Älvsborg Brigade Älvsborg or Elfsborg may refer to: Military Fortresses *Old Älvsborg, a ruined mediaeval castle on the Göta River in Gothenburg, Sweden *New Älvsborg, a sea fort on the island of Kyrkogårdsholmen in Gothenburg, Sweden *Älvsborg Fortress, a 1 ...

, in Borås, a Type 77 infantry brigade based on the I 15 - Älvsborg Regiment ** IB 46 -

Halland Brigade Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Brömsebro ...

, in Halmstad, a Type 77 infantry brigade based on the I 16 - Halland Regiment ** IB 47 - Gothenburg Brigade, in Uddevalla, a Type 77 infantry brigade based on the I 17 - Bohuslän Regiment

Heraldry and traditions

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the Western Military District Staff 1983–1993.

Blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

: "Azur, an erect sword with the area letter (V - West) surrounded by an open chaplet of oak leaves, all or."

Commanding officers

Military commanders

*1942–1949: Folke Högberg *1949–1950: Sven Ryman *1950–1951:

Carl Årmann Lieutenant General Carl Nils Gabriel Årmann (24 August 1894 – 21 April 1988) was a Swedish Army officer and modern pentathlete. He competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics and finished tenth. Early life Årmann was born on 24 August 1894 in ...

*1951–1955: Sven Colliander *1955–1957:

Thord Bonde General (Sweden), General Count Thord C:son (Carlsson) Bonde af Björnö (17March 1900 – 18October 1969) was a Swedish Army officer. His senior commands include military commander of the Gotland Military Command, VII Military District in ...

*1957–1963:

Richard Åkerman Generallöjtnant, Lieutenant General Richard "Riri" Oscar Roger Åkerman (6July 1898 – 23June 1981) was a Swedish Army officer. He was Chief of the Defence Staff (Sweden), Chief of the Defence Staff from 1951 to 1957 and military comma ...

*1963–1966:

Fale Burman Generallöjtnant, Lieutenant General Fale Faleson Burman (12 January 19036 September 1973) was a Swedish Army officer. Burman served as commander of Göta Life Guards (armoured), Göta Life Guards (1951–1955), as Swedish Army Signal Troops#Inspe ...

*1966–1968:

Oscar Krokstedt Vice Admiral Nils ''Oscar'' Jakob Krokstedt (12 October 1908 – 13 December 1985) was a Swedish Navy officer. His senior commands included Chief of the Naval Staff, head of the Swedish National Defence College and military commander of the We ...

*1968–1972:

Henrik Lange Lieutenant General Henrik Lange (27 May 1908 – 5 November 2000) was a Swedish Coastal Artillery officer. Lange's senior commands include postings as Inspector of the Swedish Coastal Artillery, Chief of the Naval Staff and military commander of ...

*1972–1978: Claës Skoglund (leave of absence 1974-1977) *1974–1976: Lennart Ljung (acting) *1976–1980:

Nils Personne Lieutenant General Nils Birger Valdemar Personne (29 June 1918 – 26 August 2013) was a Swedish Air Force officer. Personne's senior commands includes Vice Chief of the Air Staff (1961–1966), commander of the 4th Air Group (1966), chief of st ...

*1980–1983: Kjell Nordström *1983–1985:

Bengt Rasin Rear Admiral Bengt Göran Rasin, né ''Larsson'' (17 April 1922 – 2 January 2013) was a Swedish Navy officer. His senior commands include chief of the Coastal Fleet, commanding officer of the West Coast Military Command and commanding officer ...

*1985–1989:

Jan Enquist Rear Admiral Jan Fredrik Enquist (3 August 1925 – 21 August 2005) was a Swedish Navy officer. Enquist's senior commands include as Chief of the Coastal Fleet from 1982 to 1985 and as Commanding Admiral of the Western Military District from 19 ...

*1989–1993: Bertel Österdahl

Deputy military commanders

*1942–1946: Helmer Bratt *1946–1950:

(acting) *1951–1955: Gustaf Källner *1955–1959: Carl Fredrik Lemmel *1959–1966: Carol Bennedich

Chiefs of Staff

*1941–1943: Per Gösta Fridolf Jörlin *1943–1946: Fritz-Ivar Virgin *1946–1949: Bo Klint *1949–1951: Sven Holmberg *1951–1955: Gustav Frisén *1955–1961: Liss Johan Tage Broms *1961–1965: Sture Fornwall *1966–1968: Claës Skoglund *1968–1969:

Nils Sköld Lieutenant General Nils Gunnar Sköld (23May 192117March 1996) was a Swedish Army officer. He served as Commanding General of the Eastern Military District and Commandant General in Stockholm from 1974 to 1976 and as Chief of the Army fro ...

*1969–1973:

Bengt Liljestrand Major General Bengt (T:son) Trygvesson Liljestrand (26 February 1919 – 2 January 2000) was a Swedish Army officer. He served as Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) from 1974 to 1975 and Force Commander of ...

*1973–1977:

*1977–1979:

Robert Lugn Major General Per Erik Robert Lugn (12 February 1923 – 16 April 2016) was a Swedish Army officer. His senior commands include Chief of the Army Staff and the General Staff Corps (1979–1983) and the Chief of Home Guard (1983–1988). Early li ...

*1979–1980: Gustaf Welin *1980–1982:

*1982–1984:

Torsten Engberg Lieutenant General Torsten Reinhold Engberg (28May 1934 – 7February 2018) was a senior Swedish Coastal Artillery officer. Engberg was Chief of the Naval Staff from 1984 to 1987 and Chief of the Defence Staff from 1987 to 1991 as well ...

*1984–1988: Magnus Olson *1988–1990: Nils Rosenqvist *1990–1992: Svante Kristenson *1993–1993: Vacant

History

Units 1989

Heraldry and traditions

Coat of arms

Commanding officers

Military commanders

Deputy military commanders

Chiefs of Staff

Names, designations and locations

See also

References

Notes

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Further reading