''Munckska kåren'' (literally "the Munck corps", formally ''Stockholms luftförsvars frivilliga beredskapsförening'') was a Swedish secret

paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

group founded by the retired

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 ...

Bror Munck in 1927. While nominally apolitical, it was founded to protect the Swedish state against "domestic enemies", implying not

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

s or

nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

s, but solely left-wing radicals. At its height it had about 2,000 members. During the late 1920s leaders of the police were affected by the Red Scare, and thought they were inadequately prepared for a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

similar to the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

. Anti-communist rhetoric was harsh, especially during the so-called "Cossack Election" of 1928. The plan was for its 2,000 members to have 50 rounds of ammunition each. Stockholm police chief Gustaf Hårleman managed to attain proper licenses for about 1,300 guns, while about 500 to 600 guns were smuggled in illegally from Germany. The corps was unveiled in 1931, sparking a lively debate in Swedish press. Horst von Pflugk-Harttung, who had facilitated the illegal smuggling of arms, was expelled in December 1931. Many of its members were from the army and the police and also the

Fascist People's Party of Sweden Fascist People's Party of Sweden (in Swedish: ''Sveriges Fascistiska Folkparti'') was a fascist and later Nazi political party in Sweden. History It was founded on 3 September 1926 by a circle around the fascist publication ''Nationen''. Its cadr ...

Nazismen i Sverige" av Lööw, Heléne. 2015. Ordfront förlag and it is believed that

Konrad Hallgren Konrad Otto Kristian Hallgren (9 April 1891, in Landskrona – 8 August 1962, in Stockholm) was a Swedes, Swedish party chairman in Sweden's first fascist organization, Sveriges Fascistiska Kamporganisation (SFKO, "Sweden's Fascist Combat-Organiza ...

, leader of the fascist group, also told authorities about the illegal guns. The corps disbanded the following year. In 1934 Swedish law was altered to ban similar groups.The Swedish Criminal Code
chapter 18, section 4: ''unlawful military activities''

References

Military units and formations established in 1927 Military units and formations disestablished in 1932 1927 establishments in Sweden 1931 in Sweden Counter-revolutionaries Paramilitary organizations based in Sweden Swedish fascists {{Paramilitary-org-stub