Major General Johan August "Åge" Lundström (8 June 1890 – 26 September 1975) was a

Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( or just ) is the air force Military branch, 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 escalatin ...

officer and

horse rider The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

who competed in the

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...

and

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

Early life

Lundström was born on 8 June 1890 in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden, the son of Ernst Lundström, an artist, and his wife countess Mathilda (née Rudenschöld).

Career

Military career

Lundström was commissioned as an officer in 1910 and was appointed lieutenant in the Life Regiment Dragoons in 1916. He became an air force pilot in 1925 and was appointed captain in the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

in 1924 and captain of the

in 1926. Lundström was a teacher in air warfare at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1926 to 1929 and at the Royal Military Academy from 1928 to 31. He was promoted to major in 1932, lieutenant colonel in 1936, colonel in 1937, and major general in 1945. Lundström left the military in 1947. He was the adjutant of the

Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (Gustaf Adolf Oscar Fredrik Arthur Edmund; 22 April 1906 – 26 January 1947) was a Swedish prince who for most of his life was second in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. He was the eldest ...

from 1929. Lundström was acting commanding officer of the 4th Air Corps from 1931 to 1932 and commanding officer of the

Swedish Air Force Flying School Swedish Air Force Flying School (), also F 5 Ljungbyhed, or simply F 5, is a former Swedish Air Force training wing with the main base located in Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden. History The moor at Ljungby was adopted for military use in 1658 by t ...

from 1932 to 1943 and commanding officer of the 2nd Air Command from 1943 to 1946. Lundström was the chief of staff and assistant to Count Folke Bernadotte during his mediator works in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

in 1948, and was an eyewitness to Bernadotte's assassination.

Sports career

Lundström was a Swedish champion in

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

fencing in 1914, and a district champion in foil and

épée The (, ; ), also rendered as epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contains a ...

fencing in 1933 and in foil fencing in 1938. He was adjutant and teacher at the riding school at

Strömsholm Palace Strömsholm Palace, sometimes called Strömsholm Castle (), is a Sweden, Swedish royal palace. The baroque palace is built on the site of a fortress from the 1550s, located on an island in the Kolbäcksån river at the west end of Lake Mälaren. T ...

in 1919–1921. At the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (; ; ), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (; ; ) and commonly known as Antwerp 1920 (; Dutch language, Dutch and German language, German: ''Antwerpen 1920''), were an international multi-sport event held i ...

he and his horse ''Yrsa'' were part of the Swedish equestrian team, which won the gold medal in the team eventing competition. They also won the silver medal in the individual eventing. He competed in the individual jumping event with another horse, ''Eros I'', and finished 14th. At the

Lundström and his horse ''Anvers'' won the gold medal with the Swedish jumping team. In the individual jumping event they finished 10th.

Personal life

Lundström was the owner of the estate Hildesborg outside

Landskrona Landskrona is a town in Scania, Sweden. Located on the shores of the Öresund, it occupies a natural port, which has lent the town at first military and subsequent commercial significance. Ferries operate from Landskrona to the island of Ven, an ...

. In 1932 he married Margit von Geijer (born 1907), daughter of '' ryttmästare'' Wilhelm von Geijer and Countess Irma von Hallwyl. He was the father of Signe (born 1934), Irma (born 1936) and Åge (born 1943).

Dates of rank

Dates of rank: *30 December 1910 – ''

Underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word '' Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 19 ...

'' *11 February 1916 – Second lieutenant *27 June 1919 –

First lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

*2 May 1924 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

*5 December 1924 – '' Ryttmästare'' *1 July 1926 – Captain (Swedish Air Force) *1 April 1932 –

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

*1 July 1936 – Lieutenant colonel *23 December 1937 –

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

*1 July 1945 – Major general

Awards and decorations

Swedish

King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1948) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class 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 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

(6 June 1945) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the

(15 November 1941) * Knight of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

(1938) *

For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm ribbon

Medal for Noble Deeds in gold * Swedish Military Sports Association's gold medal with wreath (''Sveriges militära idrottsförbunds guldmedalj med krans'') * Royal Swedish Aero Club Medal of Merit in gold (''Kungliga Svenska Aeroklubbens förtjänstguldmedalj'')

Foreign

D-SAX Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden BAR

Commander of the

Saxe-Ernestine House Order The Saxe-Ernestine House Order ()Hausorden
Herzogliche Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha was a ...

(before 1942) * POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

(before 1942) * DEU Deutsche Adlerorden 1 BAR

1st Class of the

Order of the German Eagle The Order of Merit of the German Eagle () was an award of the German Nazi regime, predominantly to foreign diplomats. The Order was instituted on 1 May 1937 by Adolf Hitler. It ceased to be awarded following the collapse of Nazi Germany at the e ...

(before 1942) * Ufficiale OCI Kingdom BAR

Officer of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...

(before 1942) * BEL Militair Kruis 2klasse BAR

2nd Class of the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

(before 1942) * FIN Order of the White Rose Knight 1st Class BAR

Knight 1st Class Knight of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) 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. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The ...

(before 1942) * Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon

Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(before 1942)

Honours

*Member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences () 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 military (army and air force) and de ...

(1937)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lundstrom, Age 1890 births 1975 deaths Swedish Air Force major generals United Nations military personnel Swedish event riders Swedish show jumping riders Olympic equestrians for Sweden Swedish male equestrians Equestrians at the 1920 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1924 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Sweden Olympic silver medalists for Sweden Olympic medalists in equestrian Military personnel from Stockholm Commanders First Class of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Knights of the Legion of Honour Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics