Major General Claes (Claës) Gösta Skoglund (28 February 1916 – 26 February 2008) was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

officer. Skoglund's military journey began at the

Military Academy Karlberg Military Academy Karlberg (, MHS K) is a Swedish military academy, since its inauguration in 1792 in operation in the Karlberg Palace in Solna, just north of central Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urb ...

in Stockholm in 1937, leading to various command roles during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. His career saw him rise through the ranks, culminating in appointments such as Commanding General of the

Western Military District The Western Military District () was a Military districts of Russia, military district of Russia, in existence from 2010 until its abolishment as a unitary military command on February 26, 2024, succeeded by the newly reconstituted Moscow Mil ...

. Skoglund's contributions extended beyond his military service; he played key roles in defense investigations and commissions, advised on operational integration, and engaged in international exchange programs. Notably, he was a member of Rotary International and contributed to military discourse through publications and committee memberships. Skoglund's legacy is characterized by his unwavering dedication to operational cooperation principles and his commitment to the development of the Swedish military, earning him accolades such as 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 ...

' gold medal of merit in 2004.

Early life

Skoglund was born on 28 February 1916 in in

Älvsborg County Älvsborg County () was a county of Sweden until 1997, when it was merged with the counties of Gothenburg & Bohus and Skaraborg to form Västra Götaland County. The county corresponded to the traditional province of Dalsland and the central ...

, Sweden, the son of Captain Laur Skoglund and his wife Signe (née Odqvist).

Career

Military career

Skoglund graduated from the

in Stockholm in 1937 and was assigned as a second lieutenant to the

Älvsborg Regiment The Älvsborg Regiment (), designation I 15 and I 15/Fo 34, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traces its origins back 1624. It was disbanded in 1998. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the provinces of Västergötland, ...

in his hometown of

Borås Borås ( , , ) is a city (officially, a locality) and the seat of Borås Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 114,556 inhabitants in 2024. It is widely known for being a textile city, home to worldwide brands and companie ...

in 1937. During

, Skoglund served as army adjutant to the Commanding Admiral of the West Coast Naval District, Vice Admiral

Harald Åkermark Vice Admiral Carl Harald Åkermark (12 September 1873 – 1 November 1963) was a senior Swedish Navy officer. Entering the Royal Swedish Naval Academy at 15, he began his career as a commissioned officer in 1894 and was promoted to sub-lieutenan ...

and to the Commendant of

Älvsborg Fortress Älvsborg Fortress (), with its main facility 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 Gothenburg, Sweden. History Construction of the fo ...

. He attended 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 1944 to 1946, and was promoted to captain in 1945. Skoglund became captain in the

General Staff Corps General Staff Corps (, Gst) was an administrative corps within the Swedish Armed Forces between 1937 and 1990 and consisted of Swedish Army officers chosen for duty in the Defence Staff and Army Staff. It replaced the earlier General Staff. Histo ...

in 1948. He served as a teacher at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1949 to 1951, and was posted to Älvsborg Regiment again in 1951, and returned to a teaching position at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College between 1953 and 1955. Skoglund became major in the General Staff Corps in 1954, lieutenant colonel in 1958, and was posted to Älvsborg Regiment in 1960. He attended the Swedish National Defence College from 1958 to 1960, and became colonel in the General Staff Corps in 1961. Skoglund served as head of the Defence Staff's Operations Commander III from 1961 to 1963, and as commander of the

Bohuslän Regiment The Bohuslän Regiment (), designation I 17, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traces its origins back 1661. It was disbanded in 1992. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the provinces of Bohuslän, and it was later gar ...

Uddevalla Uddevalla is a Stad (Sweden), town in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It’s the seat of Uddevalla Municipality. In 2015, it had a population of 34,781, making it the largest town fully in Bohuslän. Uddevalla is located where the river Bäveån ...

from 1963 to 1966. He then served as chief of staff in the

from 1966 to 1968. In the government council on 8 December 1967, Skoglund was appointed major general and head of Gotland Military Command from 1 October 1968. In the government council on 29 March 1968, Skoglund was instead appointed major general and head of the Swedish National Defence College in Stockholm from 1 October 1968. Skoglund was appointed Commanding General of the Western Military District in 1972, serving in this position until 1978. However, Skoglund was granted leave from 1 April 1974 to assist in the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

to prepare an investigation into the organization of the defence branch staffs. He served in the Ministry of Defence until 1977 and retired in 1978.

Other work

Skoglund was an expert in the 1945 Defence Investigation and subsequent activities in the

and the Committee of Supply ahead of the Defence Act of 1948. Furthermore, he was an expert in the 1949 Defence Commission (''1949 års försvarskommission''), the 1955 Defence Preparation (''1955 års försvarsberedning''), and was secretary in the 1948 Command Investigation (''1948 års befälsutredning''). He underwent exchange service in the

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 ...

and completed operational courses at the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

in the United Kingdom and the United States Army Air Defense School in the United States. Skoglund advised on the operational integration of the Swedish Armed Forces at the central level, conducted a feasibility study for the operational integration of the Armed Forces at a higher regional level, served as an expert in the Swedish Armed Forces Leadership Investigation 1974 (''Försvarsmaktens ledningsutredning 1974'', FLU 74) from 1974 to 1980, and investigated operational staff methodology and operational training for the

Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces The Chief of Defence, formerly the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces (; acronym: ÖB) is the highest ranked professional military officer in the Swedish Armed Forces, and is by NATO terminology the Sweden, Swedish chief of defence, c ...

from 1980 to 1981. Skoglund was a member of

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and p ...

. He was a contributor in ''Ny militär tidskrift'' from 1948 to 1960, in ''

Svenska Dagbladet (, "The Swedish Daily News"), abbreviated SvD, is a daily List of Swedish newspapers, newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. History and profile The first issue of appeared on 18 December 1884. During the beginning of the 1900s the pap ...

'' from 1949 to 1963, and was a member of the National Swedish Psychological Defence Planning Committee (''Beredskapsnämnden för psykologiskt försvar'') from 1972 to 1977.

Legacy

In an obituary, Major General described Claës Skoglund as a fervent supporter of the principles of operational cooperation, yet he remained a dedicated army officer with an unwavering commitment to the army's development. Rossander further wrote that "Skoglund debated, argued, and advocated for his beliefs, and numerous members of the

have been called, written to, or approached at work to kindly but firmly clarify what should be said and done on various issues. He enthusiastically worked to make the army's brigades more effective and personally attended all brigade unit exercises to, as a sole judge, select the one to be awarded his personal prize for the best unit. Skoglund was very active in the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences for more than 50 years and he was a periodical chairman of Section I. In 2004, he was awarded the Academy's gold medal of merit as evidence of his tireless work for the Swedish military's best interests. Skoglund was an honest, talented, and stimulating officer. He could be perceived as assertive in debate, but he could also be thoughtful and he considered well-supported arguments. He probably thought things were better in the past, but he never ignored realities, and his proposals always aimed forward. He worked until the very end with his typewriter in his lap."

Personal life

In 1954, Skoglund married Sigrid Östberg (1929–1980), the daughter of John Östberg and Elsa (née Nordén). They had three children: Maria (born 1957), Annsofi (born 1959), and Claes (born 1961).

Death

Skoglund died on 26 February 2008 in 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. He is interred along with his wife at in

Värmdö Municipality Värmdö Municipality () is a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. Its seat is in the town of Gustavsberg, Värmdö Municipality, Gustavsberg, with a population of 9,682 (2005), on the main island at a ...

Dates of rank

*1937 – Second lieutenant *? –

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 ...

*1945 –

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 ...

*1954 –

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 ...

*1958 – Lieutenant colonel *1961 –

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 October 1968 – Major general

Awards and decorations

Swedish

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 1968) * SWE_Order_of_Vasa_-_Knight_2nd_Class_BAR

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 ...

(1957) *

Medal of Reward in gold (''Kungl. Krigsvetenskapsakademiens belöningsmedalj i guld'')

Foreign

FIN_Order_of_the_White_Rose_Commander_BAR

Commander 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 ...

(December 1974)

Honours

*Member of the

(1955)

Selected bibliography

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skoglund, Claës 1916 births 2008 deaths Swedish Army major generals People from Borås Commanders First Class of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of Vasa Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences 20th-century Swedish military personnel