General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Helge Victor Jung (23 March 1886 – 3 January 1978) 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. Helge Jung had a distinguished military career in the Swedish Army. He began as a volunteer in 1904, graduated from 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 1906, and rose through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant in 1909 and later a captain in 1921. Jung served in various roles, including as an instructor and company commander, and attended military courses. His contributions extended to the realm of war history and defence debate. Jung led the work on a comprehensive book about Sweden's war history, conducted extensive archival research, and played a key role in defence policy discussions. He founded the ''New Military Journal'' and had a significant influence on the Defence Act of 1936, which included a ten-year rearmament plan. Jung's career continued to advance, and he became Chief of the Army Staff and the General Staff Corps in 1937. He advocated for active action in the event of war with the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. However, disagreements within his circle of officers arose in the years leading up to

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 ...

. Jung was promoted to general in 1944 and appointed

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 ...

. He held this position until 1951 and played a crucial role in shaping the future organization of the Swedish defence post-World War II. Despite facing challenges and opposition, Jung's determination and strategic leadership left a lasting impact on the Swedish military, modernizing its defence and anchoring it among the people. Historians describe Jung as a complex figure with both tactical cunning and a commitment to strengthening Sweden's defence.

Early life

Jung was born on 23 March 1886 in

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

, Sweden, the son of the headmaster Victor Jung and his wife Maria (née Levan). Jung passed '' mogenhetsexamen'' in

in 1903 and then studied history at

Lund University Lund University () is a Public university, public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially foun ...

for a couple of semesters from 1903 to 1904.

Career

Early military career

He was accepted as a volunteer at the South Scanian Infantry Regiment (I 7) in 1904 and graduated from the

in 1906 and was commissioned into the

the same year as an ''

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 ...

'' in the same regiment where he was promoted to lieutenant in 1909. From 1912 to 1916, Jung served as a regimental

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

in the South Scanian Infantry Regiment, whereupon he attended the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1916 to 1918. He was a cadet officer at the Military Academy Karlberg from 1919 to 1922: first at the reserve officer courses during 1919 and then at the officer courses from 1919 to 1922. He was an assistant teacher in

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

and service regulations on the officer course at the Military Academy Karlberg from 1921 to 1922. In 1921 he was promoted to captain in the South Scanian Infantry Regiment. During this time, Jung took an instructor course at the Royal Central Gymnastics Institute from 1907 to 1908, and served as company commander in the 1st Division's (''I. arméfördelningen'') volunteer school in

Halmstad Halmstad () is a port, university, industrial and recreational urban areas of Sweden, city at the mouth of the Nissan (river), Nissan river, in the provinces of Sweden, province of Halland on the Sweden, Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat ...

from 1908 to 1909 and from 1909 to 1910. After that he was a company commander at the reserve officer volunteer school in Karlsborg in 1910, and commander of the conscripts selected for special winter service (ski service) from 1910 to 1911, company commander at the reserve officer volunteer school in Karlsborg in 1911 and adjutant at the Infantry Officer Volunteer School (''Infanteriofficersvolontärskolan'') in Karlsborg from 1914 to 1915.

War history and defence debate

From 1922 to 1926, Jung served in the War History Department of 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 ...

, after which he was a teacher in war history and strategy at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1926 to 1928. He was promoted to major in 1928, after which he was acting head of the War History Department in the General Staff from 1928 to 1929 and regular head of the same from 1929 to 1933. He was secretary of the issues regarding the

in the 1930 Defence Commission from 1930 to 1935. In 1933 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, after which he was head of the Foreign Affairs Department in the General Staff from 1933 to 1936. He was secretary of the Committee on Defence during the

Riksdag The Riksdag ( , ; also or , ) is the parliament and the parliamentary sovereignty, supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members (), elected proportional rep ...

of 1936. As head of the War History Department, he led the work on ''Sveriges krig 1611–1632'' ("Sweden's war 1611–1632"), a book in eight volumes published 1936–1939. He himself conducted war history archive research in

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

and

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

in 1922, in

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 ...

, Danzig and

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

in 1923, 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 1925 and 1926 as well as archival research and battlefield surveys in Danzig,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and Germany in 1927. He led archival research and battlefield research in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

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 ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, Germany and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

in 1929 and in several other countries in 1930. The Defence Act of 1925 with its extensive downsizing of units and personnel, left its mark on Jung's generation of officers and instilled in many paralysis of action. In this situation, Jung deservedly took the lead for those who did not want to give up the fight for a modern defence with a broad base and adapted to society's resources. During his service in the War History Department, he gathered around him a group of younger talented army officers for a debate on defence issues and eventually founded ''Ny militär tidskrift'' ("New Military Journal") in 1927, whose editor he was 1927–1930. The circle of soldiers around this came to be called ''Jungjuntan'' ("Jung's junta") and it consisted of Axel Rappe, Carl August Ehrensvärd, Per Sylvan, Henry Peyron, Gustaf Petri, Axel Gyllenkrook, Gunnar Berggren with Jung as editor and unifying force. Jung was also behind the publication ''Antingen – eller'' ("Either – Or") (1930). Through the work of the 1930 Defence Commission, he had a decisive influence on the Defence Act of 1936 and it came to consist of a ten-year rearmament plan.

Chief of Army Staff and military commander

On 12 June 1936, Jung was promoted to colonel and appointed regimental commander of the North Scanian Infantry Regiment (I 6) from 1 October 1936. Even before he had time to take office, however, he was appointed on 30 June to be Acting Chief of Military Office of the Land Defence from 1 August, a post he held until 30 June 1937. On 13 November 1936, he was relieved of command of the North Scanian Infantry Regiment and was appointed executive commander of the Life Regiment Grenadiers (I 3) from 16 November, but was given continued leave to serve as Chief of the Military Office of the Land Defence. As part of the Defence Act of 1936, the

was divided into the Defence Staff and the Army Staff. This was entirely in line with Jung's junta's argument for a unified leadership of the armed forces in a more efficient organization. As a reward for his persistent work in the 1930 Defence Commission, Jung was appointed Chief of the Army Staff and the General Staff Corps and took office on 1 July 1937. At this time, Jung advocated active action for

in a possible war against the

. In the years just before the outbreak of

, cracks appeared within Jung's junta and it dissipated. He was promoted to major general in 1938 and left the Chief of the Army Staff position on 30 September 1940. Thereafter, from 1 October 1940 until 30 September 1942, he was commander of the II Army Division (''II. arméfördelningen''), from 1 October 1942 to 30 September 1943, military commander of the II Military District and from 1 October 1943 to 31 March 1944, military commander of the IV Military District as well as Commandant General in Stockholm.

Supreme Commander

On 31 December 1943, Jung was promoted to lieutenant general from 1 January 1944 and was appointed

for six years from 1 April 1944. He was promoted to general on 10 March 1944, beginning 1 April. In November 1949, he received an extended appointment as Supreme Commander until 31 March 1951, when he resigned. During this time he was against the Swedish extradition of Baltic soldiers in 1945 and a friend of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

, as his speech to students at

in November 1949 shows. About his other activities as Supreme Commander, an obituary read: "Jung's work became very important in order to present a plan for the Swedish Armed Forces's future organization after World War II. He had to overcome many anti-defence forces, the war fatigue, the

atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear expl ...

threat and the peace optimism. Jung worked in the same way as in the 1920s and 1930s. He gathered around him a group of skilled and useful officers and invested in a well-organized defence information. With indomitable energy, Jung succeeded in gaining the attention of the Swedish government for his proposals and in preventing the ruling organization from collapsing. He thus laid the foundation for the future development of the Swedish defence for many years. It has been said by the former Supreme Commander, General Stig Synnergren that ’the modernization and anchoring of the defence among the Swedish people is Jung's lasting effort’." Historian Kent Zetterberg has stated that “Helge Jung was to a large extent a complex nature. His personality had features of cunning and tactical calculation, yes cynicism, but at the same time there were also clear elements of the ideality and selfless work for strengthening the Swedish defence.”

Personal life

In 1913, he married Ruth Wehtje (1893–1951), the daughter of the deputy district judge Ernst Wehtje and Mimmi Ahnfelt. In 1952, he married Dagmar Bager (1897–1955), the daughter of vice consul John Jeansson and Sigrid Maijström. He was the father of Stig (born 1915), Karin (born 1917) and Elisabet (born 1919–1994).

Death

Jung died on 3 January 1978 and was interred on 10 February 1978 in

Djursholm Djursholm () is one of four suburban districts in, and the seat of Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. Djursholm is included in the multi-municipal Stockholm urban area. Djursholm is divided into a number of different areas: Djursho ...

cemetery.

Dates of rank

*1906 – ''

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 ...

'' *1909 –

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 ...

*1921 –

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 ...

*1929 –

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 ...

*1933 – Lieutenant colonel *12 June 1936 –

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 ...

*1938 – Major general *1 January 1944 –

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 ...

*1 April 1944 –

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Knight and Commander of the Orders of His Majesty (31 March 1951) * 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 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

(6 June 1944) * Royal Order of the Sword - Commander 1st Class BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(6 June 1939) * Royal Order of the Sword - Knight 1st Class BAR

Knight 1st Class of the

(1927) *

Knight 1st Class 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 ...

(1932) * 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 ...

(1933) * King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1948) * SWE Home Guard Royal Medal of Merit ribbon

Home Guard Medal of Merit in Gold * Swedish Central Federation for Voluntary Military Training Medal of Merit in gold * Swedish Civil Protection Association Medal of Merit in gold * Gold Medal of the

Swedish Red Cross The Swedish Red Cross ( Swedish: ''Svenska Röda Korset'') is a Swedish humanitarian organisation and a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Founded in 1865, its purpose is to prevent and alleviate human suffering wher ...

* Gold Medal of the National Federation of Swedish Women’s Auxiliary Defence Services (''Riksförbundet Sveriges lottakårers guldmedalj'') * Gold Medal of the Stockholm Association for Volunteer Military Training (''Stockholms befäls(utbildnings)förbunds guldmedalj'') * Gold Medal of the Southern Scanian Association for Volunteer Military Training (''Södra skånska befäls(utbildnings)förbunds guldmedalj'') * Badge of Honor of the Swedish Reserve Officers Association (''Svenska reservofficersföreningens hederstecken'')

Foreign

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

(between 1945 and 1947) * DNK Order of Danebrog Commander BAR

Commander Second Class of the

(between 1935 and 1940) * DNK Kong Christian den Tiendes frihedsmedaille ribbon bar

King Christian X's Liberty Medal * FIN Order of the White Rose Grand Cross BAR

Commander Grand Cross 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 ...

(between 1947 and 1950) * FIN Order of the White Rose Commander BAR

Commander of the

(between 1935 and 1940) * FIN Order of the White Rose Knight 1st Class BAR

Knight 1st Class of the

(between 1931 and 1935) * St Olavs Orden storkors stripe

Grand Cross 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 ...

(between 1945 and 1947) * Commander of the

(between 1935 and 1940) * Commander Grand Cross of the

Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices. Foreign nationals may also be awarded this O ...

(between 1935 and 1940) * DEU Deutsche Adlerorden 1 BAR

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 ...

with Star (1940) * EST Order of the Cross of the Eagle 3rd Class BAR

Third Class of the

Order of the Cross of the Eagle The Order of the Cross of the Eagle (; ) was instituted in 1928 by the Estonian Defence League to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Estonian independence. It was adopted as a state order in 1936. The Order of the Cross of the Eagle is bestowe ...

(between 1935 and 1940) * Legion Honneur Commandeur ribbon

Commander 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 ...

(between 1935 and 1940) * Legion Honneur Officier ribbon

Officer of the

(between 1931 and 1935) * Commander of the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars () is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is ''Per aspera ad astra'', meaning "Through hardships towards the ...

(between 1935 and 1940) * Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Commander

Commander of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

with swords (between 1935 and 1940) * POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski BAR

Commander Second 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 ...

(between 1935 and 1940) * OK Exceptional Service Medal

Commander of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary The Hungarian Order of Merit () is the fourth highest Order (honour), State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the Order of ...

(between 1935 and 1940) * PRU Order of Crown ribbon

Knight Fourth Class of the Order of the Crown (1909) * Badge of Honor of the Danish Shooting, Gymnastics and Sports Associations (''Danska Skytte-, gymnastik-och idrottsföreningars hederstecken'')

Honours

*Member of the Royal Society for the Publication of Manuscripts concerning Scandinavian History (1929) *Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1931) *Honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (1946)

Early life

Career

Early military career

War history and defence debate

Chief of Army Staff and military commander

Supreme Commander

Personal life

Death

Dates of rank

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Foreign

Honours

Bibliography

References

Notes

Print

Further reading