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 ...

Karl Rudolf Kolmodin (17 January 1896 – 29 August 1978) was a

Swedish Coastal Artillery The Swedish Coastal Artillery ( sv, Kustartilleriet, KA) has its origin in the Archipelago Artillery that was raised in 1866. The Coastal Artillery was formed from the Archipelago Artillery, the Marine Regiment and parts of the Artillery in 1902 ...

officer. Kolmodin's senior commands include postings as commanding officer of the

Gothenburg Coastal Artillery Defence Gothenburg Coastal Artillery Defence ( sv, Göteborgs kustartilleriförsvar, GbK) was a unit of the Swedish Coastal Artillery which operated from 1942 to 1980. The staff was located in the Gothenburg Garrison in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Gothenburg ...

and Stockholm Coastal Artillery Defence and as Inspector of the

Early life

Kolmodin was born on 17 January 1896 in Bromma Parish,

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden, the son of Professor Adolf Kolmodin (1855–1928) and his wife Nelly (née von Post) (1858–1944). He was the brother of Colonel Gustaf Kolmodin (1893–1975) and Diplomat Johannes Kolmodin (1884–1933). Kolmodin 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 ...

'' in

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...

in 1914.

Career

Kolmodin was commissioned as an officer in the

in 1916 with the rank of second lieutenant. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1918. Kolmodin attended the general course of the

Royal Swedish Naval Staff College The Royal Swedish Naval Staff College ( sv, Kungliga Sjökrigshögskolan, KSHS) was a Swedish Navy training establishment between 1898 and 1961, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Swedish Navy's staff college, which prov ...

from 1921 to 1922 and the senior 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 ...

from 1922 to 1924. He served as an Adjutant in the staff of the commanding officer of the

from 1925 to 1928 and as a mathematics, physics and artillery teacher at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College and the Swedish Coast Artillery School (''Kustartilleriets skjutskola'', KAS) from 1927 to 1937. Kolmodin then served in the Artillery Department of the Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration from 1928 to 1935. He also served as an expert in the 1930 Defense Commission (''1930 års försvarskommission'') from 1930 to 1935. Kolmodin was promoted to captain in 1929 and to major in 1936. He was appointed Chief of Staff of the Fortification Staff (''Fästningsstaben'') at

Vaxholm Fortress Vaxholm Fortress ( sv, Vaxholms fästning) is a historic fortification on the island of Vaxholmen in the Stockholm archipelago just east of the Swedish town of Vaxholm. The fortress is accessed by the Kastellet ferry, an electrically powered cab ...

in 1937 and in 1941 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and first became Air Defence Commander at

Karlskrona Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Swed ...

Fortress. When, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, it was deemed necessary to provide the Swedish west coast with an effective coastal artillery defence, it was Kolmodin, who led the final expansion of this defence and gained command of it. He served as Commandant of

Älvsborg Fortress Älvsborg Fortress ( sv, Älvsborgs fästning), with its main facility Oscar II's Fort ( sv, Oscar II:s fort) built 1899–1907, is a now-defunct Swedish fortification located at the mouth of the Göta River in the Älvsborg district of Gothenbu ...

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

in 1941. In 1942,

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 ...

(KA 4) in Gothenburg was raised and Kolmodin was promoted to colonel and became its first commander. He was at the same time commanding officer of

. Four year later, Kolmodin became commanding officer of Stockholm Coastal Artillery Defence (''Stockholms kustartilleriförsvar'', SK) and

Defence District Commander The Defence District Commander ( sv, Försvarsområdesbefälhavare, Fobef) within the Swedish Armed Forces, was a senior commanding officer, who led forces in a geographical/military territorial district, or within a specific area of responsibility ...

of Stockholm Archipelago Defence District (''Stockholms skärgårds försvarsområde'', Fo 46). In 1953, Kolmodin was promoted to major general and appointed Inspector of the Swedish Coastal Artillery. Kolmodin was chairman of the 1958 Defense Command Commission (''1958 års försvarsledningskommission'') and an expert in the 1960 Defense Command Inquiry (''1960 års försvarsledningsutredning''). In 1961, Kolmodin retired from the military and was promoted to lieutenant general.

Personal life

In 1934, Kolmodin married Baroness Christina Leijonhufvud (1902–1994), the daughter of major general, Baron Gösta Leijonhufvud and Sigrid Lagercrantz.

Death

Kolmodin died on 29 August 1978 in Oscar Parish, Stockholm and was interred at Norra begravningsplatsen in Stockholm.

Dates of rank

*1916 –

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 ...

*1918 –

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 ...

*1929 –

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 ...

*1936 –

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 ...

*1941 –

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 ...

*1942 –

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 ...

*1953 –

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 ...

*1961 –

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

Kolmodin's awards: * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_Grand_Cross_BAR

Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword (4 June 1960) * Order_of_the_Vasa_-_Ribbon_bar

Knight of the Order of Vasa * SWE_Home_Guard_Royal_Medal_of_Merit_ribbon

Home Guard Medal of Merit in Gold * Försvarsutbildarnas förtjänstmedalj

Swedish Central Federation for Voluntary Military Training Medal of Merit in silver *

Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization Royal Medal of Merit The Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization Royal Medal of Merit ( sv, Riksförbundet Sveriges lottakårers kungliga förtjänstmedalj, SLKGM/SM) is a medal awarded by the Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization since 1943 for great ...

in gold * Swedish Military Sports Association's Gold Medal (''Sveriges militära idrottsförbunds guldmedalj'') * 2 x ''Sjövärnsflottiljen''s Gold Medal * (Sthlmsförsv:KGM) * Stockholm Officers’ Association's Silver Medal (''Stockholms befälsförbunds silvermedalj'') * Coastal Artillery Reserve Officer's Badge of Honor (Kustartilleriets reservofficerares hederstecken)

Foreign

Commander 1st Class of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

Honours

*Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1939) *President of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1961–1963) *Member of the

Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences The Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Örlogsmannasällskapet, KÖMS), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. The Society is an independent organization and a forum for navy and defence i ...

(1943) *Honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (1953)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolmodin, Rudolf 1896 births 1978 deaths Swedish Coastal Artillery lieutenant generals Military personnel from Stockholm Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of Vasa Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences