General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Bo Torsten Rapp (20 April 1905 – 23 March 1993) was a

Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( sv, Svenska flygvapnet or just ) is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the es ...

officer. As the

Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces The Supreme Commander ( sv, överbefälhavaren; acronym: ÖB) is the highest ranked professional military officer in the Swedish Armed Forces, and is by NATO terminology the Swedish chief of defence equivalent. The Supreme Commander is the agency ...

from 1961 to 1970, he was the first Supreme Commander who did not come from the

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

Early life

Rapp was born on 20 April 1905 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of Johan David Rapp, a wholesaler, and his wife Eva Hedvig Gustava (née Swartz). He 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 ...

'' at ''Saltsjöbadens samskola'' in the spring of 1923 and became a sea cadet on 29 June 1923.

Career

Rapp graduated as a naval officer on 5 October 1926 and was commissioned as officer with the rank of acting sub-lieutenant (''fänrik'') in the

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels o ...

on 7 October 1926. He became a lieutenant there on 6 October 1928 and was then commanded to the

on 1 November 1928. There Rapp became a lieutenant on 1 July 1930, and he then underwent 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 ...

's general course from 1932 to 1933 and its staff course from 1934 to 1935. He served at the Organization Department of the Air Staff from 1 June 1935 to 1938 and became a captain in the Swedish Air Force on 30 June 1937. Rapp became a member of the board for the Defence Forces Central Civilian Employee Office (''Försvarsväsendets centrala civilanställningsbyrå'') on 1 January 1938 and division commander of the

F 2 Hägernäs Roslagen Air Corps ( sv, Roslagens flygkår), also F 2 Hägernäs, or simply F 2, is a former Swedish Air Force air corps with the main base located on the east coast of Sweden just north of the capital Stockholm. History From 1919 the area was ...

in 1938. He was acting head of the Organization Department of the Air Staff in 1941 and became head on 1 July 1943. Rapp was a member of the 1942 Reserve Officer Experts (''1942 års reservbefälssakkunniga'') from June to November 1942 and he became a major in the Swedish Air Force on 1 July 1942 and a lieutenant colonel on 1 April 1944. He became commanding officer of

Blekinge Wing Blekinge Wing ( sv, Blekinge flygflottilj), also F 17 Kallinge, or simply F 17, is a Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Ronneby in southern Sweden. It is one of the three remaining wings in Sweden and currently has two squ ...

(F 17) on 23 June 1944 and was promoted to colonel on 1 July 1947. Rapp became Vice Chief of the Air Staff on 1 October 1948 and was a member of the Swedish Armed Forces School Study from June 1950 to March 1952. He was a member of the board of the Swedish Officers Association on 25 November 1950 and became commanding officer of the Fourth Air Group (''Fjärde flygeskadern'', E 4) on 1 April 1951. Rapp became commander of the Third Air Group (''Tredje flygeskadern'', E 3) on 1 July 1954 and was promoted to major general on 1 October 1955. He became acting head of the Aircraft Department of the

Royal Swedish Air Force Materiel Administration The Royal Swedish Air Force Materiel Administration ( sv, Kungliga Flygförvaltningen, abbreviated KFF) was a Swedish government agency active between the years 1936 and 1968. The agency was amalgamated into the Swedish Defence Materiel Administr ...

on 1 July 1956 and became a member of the board of the

National Aeronautical Research Institute National Aeronautical Research Institute ( sv, Flygtekniska försöksanstalten, abbreviated FFA), was a former Swedish state governmental authority under the Ministry of Defence with the aim to conduct research, development and experimentation in ...

in 1957. Rapp was appointed Vice Chief of the Royal Swedish Air Force Materiel Administration and became a member of the board of the

Swedish National Defence Research Institute Swedish National Defence Research Institute ( sv, Försvarets forskningsanstalt, FOA) was a Swedish government agency in defense research existing from 1945 to 31 December 2000. It was amalgamated with the National Aeronautical Research Institute ...

on 1 October 1957. He was promoted to lieutenant general and became Chief of the Air Force on 15 January (took office 1 July) 1960. He was promoted to general and was

from 10 March (took office 1 October) 1961. During his time on the post, major changes were made to the Swedish defense, including an enhanced coordination between the army, the air force and the navy. The reorganization also meant that the Supreme Commander was given greater responsibility. Rapp left the post on 30 September 1970 and he was then general in the Swedish Air Force reserve from 1 October 1970 to 1981.

Personal life

Rapp married on 30 September 1933 in Stockholm with Ulla Gerda Maria Willers (born 29 January 1908 in Stockholm), the daughter of first secretary of the Royal Railway Board Johan Harald Hjalmar Willers and Agnes Lindberg. He was the father of Wilhelm (born 1935), Lennart (born 1937) and Marianne (born 1944).

Military career

In 1923 Rapp joined the

as a sea cadet *1926–1928 Acting Sub-Lieutenant Swedish Navy *1928–1930 Lieutenant Swedish Navy *1930–1937 Lieutenant

*1937–1942 Captain Swedish Air Force *1942–1943 Major Swedish Air Force *1944–1947 Lieutenant Colonel, Wing commander

*1947–1948 Colonel, Wing commander Blekinge Wing *1948–1951 Vice Chief of the Air Staff *1951–1954 Commander of Fourth Air Group (''Fjärde flygeskadern'', E 4) *1954–1956 Major General, Commander of Third Air Group (''Tredje flygeskadern'', E 3) *1957–1960 Vice Chief of the

*1960–1961 Lieutenant General, Chief of the Air Force *1961–1970 General,

Dates of rank

*7 October 1926 –

Acting sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

(Navy) *6 October 1928 –

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 ...

(Air Force) *30 June 1937 –

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 ...

*1 July 1942 –

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 ...

*1 April 1944 –

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 ...

*1 July 1947 –

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 ...

*1 October 1955 –

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 ...

*1 July 1960 –

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 ...

*1 October 1961 –

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Knight and Commander of the Orders of His Majesty (16 November 1970) * 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 Or ...

(23 November 1961) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(5 June 1954) * Order_of_the_Sword_-_Ribbon_bar

Knight of the

(1943) *

Order_of_the_Polar_Star_-_Ribbon_bar,_pre_1975

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 the ...

(1951) *

Knight 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 ...

(1945) * Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization Royal Medal of Merit in silver * Swedish Navy Medal Torpedo Firing Medal (''Marinens medalj för skjutning med torped'', TorpM)

Foreign

Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (1 July 1967) * FIN Order of the White Rose Commander 1st Class BAR

1st Class 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. ...

Order of the Lion and the Sun Ribbon Bar - Imperial Iran

Commander 1st Class of

Order of Homayoun Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(12 April 1965) * DNK Kong Christian den Tiendes frihedsmedaille ribbon bar

King Christian X's Liberty Medal King Christian X's Liberty Medal ( da, Kong Christian den Tiendes frihedsmedaille) was a commemorative decoration awarded by King Christian X for special services to Denmark during World War II. Appearance The medal is circular and made of silver. ...

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 ...

(1959) *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 ...

(1962)

Bibliography

References

External links

Entry
at ''

Svenskt biografiskt lexikon ''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'' () is a Swedish biographical dictionary, started in 1917. The first volume, covering names ''Abelin'' to ''Anjou'', was published in 1918. As of 2017, names from A to S are covered. Volumes # ABELIN – ANJOU (1 ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Rapp, Torsten 1905 births 1993 deaths Swedish Navy officers Swedish Air Force generals Military personnel from Stockholm Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Knights of the Order of Vasa Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit