Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

Björn Gustaf Eriksson Bjuggren, “Bjuggas”, (29 January 1904 – 4 April 1968) 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

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

. Bjuggren senior commands include wing commander of the

Jämtland Wing Jämtland Wing (), also F 4 Frösön, or simply F 4, is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located at Åre Östersund Airport outside Östersund on Frösön in the middle of Sweden. History The airbase was set up in 1926 as the 4t ...

, head of the

Royal Swedish Air Force Staff College __NOTOC__ Royal Swedish Air Force Staff College (, FKHS) was established in 1939 and located in Stockholm. It was under the command of the Chief of the Swedish Air Force. From the start, one-year higher courses in staff service or technical staff ...

and Commanding General of the 1st Air Command. After his active military career, he served as War Materials Inspector and head of the National Swedish War Materials Inspectorate.

Early life

Bjuggren was born on 29 January 1904 in

Karlsborg Karlsborg (, outdatedly ) is a locality and the seat of Karlsborg Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 3,551 inhabitants in 2010. This garrison town lies at the shore of lake Vättern in Västergötland Västergötland (), ...

, Sweden, the son of colonel (1874–1963) and his wife Ketty (née Ellsén). 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

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 ...

in 1922.

Career

Bjuggren was commissioned as an officer in 1924. He attended the

Artillery and Engineering College Artillery and Engineering College (, 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 Stockholm, Sweden. History The Higher Art ...

from 1926 to 1928 and various flight schools in 1928, 1930 and in 1933. Bjuggren participated in competitions in

modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Summer Olympics, Olympic multisport that consists of five events: fencing (one-touch épée followed by direct elimination), freestyle swimming, obstacle course racing, Laser pistol (sport), laser pistol shooting, and ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in 1927 and in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

in 1929. He studied aeronautics at the

Royal Institute of Technology KTH Royal Institute of Technology (), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technology and is Sweden's largest technical university. Since 2018, KTH consist ...

from 1931 to 1932 and studied in aircraft industries in Germany,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

from 1932 to 1933. Bjuggren was an expert in the 1930 Defense Commission from 1933 to 1936 and studied at the

Royal Swedish Army Staff College The Royal Swedish Army Staff College (, 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 advanced training for officers ...

from 1934 to 1936. He also conducted trials and experimentation of dive bombing methods in 1934 and served during French bomb preparations in 1935. Bjuggren was promoted to captain in the Swedish Air Force in 1937 and was a teacher at the Royal Military Academy the same year. He was also an instructor in dive bombing in Finland and

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

in 1937 and 1939. Bjuggren was also a teacher at the

in 1939. During 1939-1940, he acted as chief of staff to the

Flying Regiment 19, Finnish Air Force The Flight Regiment 19 (, or ), also known as the Swedish Voluntary Air Force or F 19 was a Finnish Air Force unit, manned by Sweden, Swedish volunteers, which operated from Kemi in northern Finland for the last 62 days of the Winter War. The ai ...

during the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

. In 1940-1941 he conducted test flights of dive bombers in Germany, France and the Netherlands and was headed the Swedish Air Force commission in Italy that carried out purchases of Caproni Ca.313 and Reggiane Re.2000. Bjuggren was promoted to major in 1941 and was head of the Operation Department at the Air Staff from 1941 to 1942. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1943 and was commanding officer of

(F 4) from 1943 to 1947. Bjuggren became a 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 ...

in 1945 and was promoted to colonel the following year. He was then head of the Royal Swedish Air Force Staff College from 1947 to 1949 and was Inspector of Flight Security (''Inspektör för flygsäkerhetstjänsten'') from 1949 to 1952. Bjuggren was Commanding General of the 1st Air Command (E 1) from 1952 to 1964 and was then War Materials Inspector and head of the National Swedish War Materials Inspectorate from 1 January 1965 until his death on 4 April 1968.

Personal life

He was married 1928–1932 with Ingert Malmberg (1908–1967), the daughter of music writer Helge Malmberg and actress Anna Rosenbaum. In 1933 he married dance artist Jeanna Falk (1901–1980), the daughter of cantor Ferdinand Falk and Ida Rosenberger. Bjuggren died on 4 April 1968 in

and was buried at

Lidingö Cemetery Lidingö Cemetery () is a cemetery located adjacent to Lidingö Church in Stockholm County, Sweden. It is centrally located on the island of Lidingö at an elevation adjacent to Kyrkviken's southern shore. South-west of the church is Hersbyholm ...

Dates of rank

*19?? – Second lieutenant *19?? –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

*1937 –

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 ...

*1941 –

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 ...

*1943 – Lieutenant colonel *1946 –

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 ...

*1954 – Major general *1964 –

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

Awards and decorations

Bjuggren's awards:

Swedish

* 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 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

(6 June 1964) * 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 ...

* Knight of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

SWE_Order_of_Vasa_-_Knight_2nd_Class_BAR

Vasa Medal Vasa Medal (, VGM/SM) Is a Swedish medal, awarded for general civil virtues. It was established by King Oscar II of Sweden in 1895. It was given in gold and silver in 8th and 5th sizes. It ceased to be awarded in 1974. Torsten Stålnacke and S ...

in gold

Foreign

* Commander of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

with Star * Commander 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 ...

* Knight First Class 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 ...

* 3rd 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 ...

* Officer 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 ...

* Fourth Class of the

Order of the Cross of Liberty The Order of the Cross of Liberty (; ) is one of three official state Order (decoration), orders in Finland, along with the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The awards of the Order of the Cross of Liberty ...

with Swords * Finnish War Memorial Medal (''Finsk krigsminnesmedalj'') * Finnish Air Force's aviation badge (''Finska luftstridskrafternas flygmärke'') * French Air Force's aviation badge (''Franska luftstridskrafternas flygmärke'') * Polish Air Force's aviation badge (''Polska luftstridskrafternas flygmärke'') * Italian Air Force's aviation badge (''Italienska luftstridskrafternas flygmärke'')

Bibliography

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjuggren, Bjorn 1904 births 1968 deaths Swedish Air Force lieutenant generals People from Karlsborg Municipality Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Knights of the Order of Vasa