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 ...

Nils Axel Hjalmar Björk (25 February 1898 – 15 April 1989) was a senior

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. He served as Commanding General of the VI Military District from 1951 to 1963.

Early life

Björk was born on 25 February 1898 in

Västerås Västerås () is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 158,653, over 100,000 mo ...

, Sweden, the son of Axel Björk, a master tailor, and his wife Anna (née Nilsson). 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 Västerås in 1916.

Career

Björk was commissioned as an officer in 1918 and was assigned as a second lieutenant to Västmanland Regiment (I 18). He was promoted to lieutenant in 1920 and 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 1925 to 1927 and transferred to

Västernorrland Regiment The Västernorrland Regiment (), designation I 21, is a Swedish Army infantry unit which operated in various forms the years 1869–1983, 1991–2000 and from 2022. It is located in Sollefteå Garrison in Sollefteå with a detachment in Östersun ...

(I 21) in 1928 after I 18 was disbanded. Björk served as 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 1931. Björk was military expert in the 1930 Defense Commission (''1930 års försvarskommission'') from 1933 to 1936. Björk was one of the contributors to ''Antingen – eller'' ("Either – Or"), which was of fundamental importance for the rearmament work and the Defence Act of 1936. He served in

Svea Life Guards The Svea Life Guards (), also I 1, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that was active in various forms 1521–2000. The unit was based in the Stockholm Garrison in Stockholm and belonged to the King's Life and Household Troops (''Kungl. Maj: ...

in 1937 and became major 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 1938. Björk succeeded lieutenant colonel

Carl August Ehrensvärd Count Carl August Ehrensvärd (5 May 1745 – 21 May 1800) was a Swedish naval officer, painter, author, and neo-classical architect. Ehrensvärd was born in Stockholm, and died in Örebro. Though active as a naval officer during his entire ...

as head of Army Operations Department in the Defence Staff in 1939 and in this position had the immediate responsibility for the planning of the extensive operational contingency measures for the

during the war years 1939–1942. In 1940, Björk was a member of the Home Guard Investigation Committee. In 1941 he became lieutenant colonel in the General Staff Corps. During this time, Björk also served as a representative of the Swedish Armed Forces in the national board 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 ...

from 1939 to 1942. Björk served in

Värmland Regiment The Värmland Regiment (), designations I 22, I 2 and I 2/Fo 52, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traces its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province of Värmland, where the un ...

(I 2) in 1942 and was promoted to colonel in 1942 and then served as commander of

Norrbotten Regiment The Norrbotten Regiment (), designation I 19, is a Swedish Army arctic armoured, light infantry and commando regiment that traces its origins back to the 19th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province of Norrb ...

(I 19) from 1942 to 1946. In 1944, he served as chief of the Evacuation Staff during the evacuation from northern

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 1944. Björk served as commander of Skaraborg Regiment (P 4) from 1946 to 1948. He was then colonel in the General Staff Corps and head of Section 2 of the Army Staff from 1948 to 1951 when he was promoted to major general. Björk then served as Commanding General of the VI Military District from 1951 to 1963 when he retired and was promoted to lieutenant general on the reserve list.

Personal life

In 1922, Björk married Margit Borgman (1899–1970), the daughter of agronomist Gösta Borgman and Sigrid (née Rundberg). He was the father of the daughters Barbro (born 1924) and Hervor (born 1925).

Dates of rank

*1918 – Second lieutenant *1920 –

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 ...

*1931 –

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 ...

*1938 –

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 ...

*1941 – Lieutenant colonel *1942 –

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 ...

*1951 – Major general *1962 –

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

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 1958) * SWE_Order_of_Vasa_-_Knight_2nd_Class_BAR

Commander 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 ...

* 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 ...

* Swedish Central Federation for Voluntary Military Training Medal of Merit in gold * Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization Royal Medal of Merit in gold * SWE_Home_Guard_Royal_Medal_of_Merit_ribbon

SWE_Home_Guard_Royal_Medal_of_Merit_ribbon

Home Guard Medal of Merit in gold *

Medal of Merit (''Svenska Rödakorsets förtjänstmedalj'') * (''Befälsutbildningsförbunds förtjänstmedalj i silver'') * Norrbotten Association for Volunteer Military Training in gold (''Norrbotten befäls(utbildnings)förbunds guldmedalj'') * Norrbotten Shooting Association's gold medal (''Norrbottens skytteförbunds guldmedalj'') * Central Board of the National Swedish Rifle Association's silver medal (''Sveriges skytteförbunds överstyrelses silvermedalj'')

Foreign

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 ...

(1 July 1961) * 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 ...

Finland Cross of Liberty 3rd Class Military Wartime

3rd 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 Population Protection Merit of Merit, 1st class with clasp (''Finlands Befolkningsskydds förtjänstmedalj, 1:a klass med spänne'') * Finnish Commemorative Medal for Humanitarian Activities (''Finsk minnesmedalj för humanitär verksamhet'')

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 ...

(1944) *Member of the

Royal Skyttean Society The Royal Skyttean Society () is a scholarly and scientific academy with its seat in the northern Swedish university town of Umeå. It is one of the 18 Royal Academies in Sweden and was founded on 29 April 1956, taking its name from the 17th cen ...

(1957)

Bibliography

* *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjork, Nils 1898 births 1989 deaths Swedish Army lieutenant generals People from Västerås Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Commanders of the Order of Vasa Knights of the Order of the Polar Star