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 ...

Erik Gustav Bengtsson (born 14 July 1928) is a

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 ...

officer. He was Chief of the Army from 1984 to 1990.

Early life

Bengtsson was born on 14 July 1928 in Visnum,

Värmland County Värmland County (''Värmlands län'') is a county or '' län'' in west central Sweden. It borders the Swedish counties of Dalarna, Örebro and Västra Götaland, as well as the Norwegian counties of Viken and Innlandet to the west. Prince Carl P ...

, Sweden, the son of Erik Bengtsson, a farmer, and his wife Hildur (née Löfstedt). 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 ...

'' in 1951.

Career

Bengtsson was commissioned as an officer in

Norrland Artillery Regiment The Norrland Artillery Regiment ( sv, Norrlands artilleriregemente), designation A 4, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 19th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the provinces of ...

(A 4) in 1952. Bengtsson attended the

Royal Swedish Army Staff College The Royal Swedish Army Staff College ( sv, Kungliga Krigshögskolan, KHS) was a Swedish Army training establishment between 1866 and 1961, providing courses for army officers. It was the home of the Swedish Army's staff college, which provided adv ...

from 1958 to 1961 and served in the Army Staff from 1961 to 1964 and in the Defence Staff from 1964 to 1967. He served in Norrland Artillery Regiment (A 4) in 1967 and the Defence Staff in 1968. Bengtsson then served in

Boden Artillery Regiment Boden Artillery Regiment ( sv, Bodens artilleriregemente, A 8) is an artillery unit within the Swedish Army that operated in various forms from 1919 to 2004 and again from 2022. It is based in Boden Garrison in Boden. History The unit was raised ...

(A 8) in 1972 and was section chief in the Military District Staff within the Upper Norrland Military District (Milo ÖN) in 1973. He was promoted to colonel and was chief of education in Boden Artillery Regiment (A 8) and the Boden Defence District (Fo 63) in 1975. Bengtsson was promoted to senior colonel and was appointed vice chief in the Military District Staff within the Upper Norrland Military District in 1977. He was promoted to major general and became chief of staff of the

Eastern Military District The Eastern Military District (Russian: Восточный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction within the Far Eastern Federal ...

(Milo Ö) in 1978. Bengtsson was promoted to lieutenant general and served as military commander of the Upper Norrland Military District from 1 October 1980 to 1984 and then as the Chief of Army from 1 October 1984 to 1990. As Chief of Army, Bengtsson was also Superior Commanding Officer for the Swedish UN forces, including the Swedish contingent in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

which was part of

UNFICYP The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is a United Nations peacekeeping force that was established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 186 in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting following intercommunal violen ...

Other work

Bengtsson was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences. He was chairman of ''Wermländska Sällskapet i Stockholm'' from 1987 to 2000, chairman of the Swedish Sport Shooting Federation (''Svenska Sportskytteförbundet'') and chairman of the AFCEA. Bengtsson was military writer for several newspapers and magazines.

Personal life

In 1949 he married Ulla Axelsson (born 1927), the daughter of master painter Axel Jansson and Gerda (née Ohlsson). Bengtsson was the father of preschool teacher Anna-Lena Margareta Bengtsson and Maria Bengtsson.

Dates of rank

*1952 –

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 ...

*???? –

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 ...

*1962 –

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 ...

*1968 –

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 ...

*1970 –

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 ...

*1975 –

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 ...

*1977 – Senior colonel *1978 –

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 October 1980 –

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

Knight of the Order of the Sword (6 June 1970) * Commander with Star of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (8 September 1989)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bengtsson, Erik 1928 births Living people Swedish Army lieutenant generals Chiefs of Army (Sweden) People from Kristinehamn Municipality Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences 20th-century Swedish military personnel Knights of the Order of the Sword