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 ...

Axel Georg Ljungdahl (7 August 1897 – 12 April 1995) 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. He was Chief of the Air Force from 1954 to 1960.

Early life

Ljungdahl was born on 7 August 1897 in

Lund Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, southern Swed ...

, Sweden, the son of merchant August Ljungdahl and his wife Clara (née Lundberg) and brother of Karl-Gustaf Ljungdahl, the CEO of

ÅF AFRY AB (publ) is a Swedish-Finnish supplier of engineering, design, and advisory services, with a global reach. The company originates from Sweden and it was formed in 1895 under the name of "The Southern Swedish Steam Generator Association" ...

Career

Ljungdahl was commissioned as an officer in 1918 and was assigned to the

South Scanian Infantry Regiment The South Scanian Infantry Regiment (), designation I 7, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment founded on 10 December 1811 to address the gaps left by the loss of Finland. It was stationed in southern Scania, recruiting soldiers from local counties ...

(I 25) the same year. He trained as a pilot at

Malmslätt Malmslätt () is a locality situated in Linköping Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 5,214 inhabitants in 2010. Malmen Airbase and the Swedish Air Force Museum The Swedish Air Force Museum () is located at Malmen Airbase in Malm ...

from 1921 to 1923. Ljungdahl also attended the Royal Central Gymnastics Institute from 1922 to 1924, 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 1924 to 1926 and the

Royal Swedish Naval Staff College The Royal Swedish Naval Staff College (, KSHS) was a Swedish Navy training establishment between 1898 and 1961, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Swedish Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for office ...

from 1926 to 1927. He served as captain 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 ...

in 1930 and as teacher at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1930 to 1937. Ljungdahl was

military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

and

air attaché An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

from 1935 to 1936 and was promoted to major in the

the same year. He was head of the Education Department of the Air Staff from 1936 to 1939 when he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Ljungdahl was wing commander of the

Västmanland Wing Västmanland Wing (), also F 1 Hässlö, or simply F 1, is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located at Hässlö Airport in Västerås in central Sweden. History The 1st Flying Corps was set up near Västerås City on 1 July 192 ...

from 1939 to 1942 and was promoted to colonel in 1940. He was then Chief of the Air Staff from 1942 to 1947 and was promoted to major general in 1943. Ljungdahl was commanding officer of the 3rd Air Command (''Tredje flygeskadern'', E 3) from 1947 to 1954 when he was promoted to lieutenant general. In 1954 he was appointed Chief of the Air Force. During Ljungdahl's time as Chief of the Air Force began the necessary modernization and expansion of including base and combat management systems. The Air Force began to bring balance and thus became a more homogenous and enduring force. He retired in 1960 and was then promoted to full general. Ljungdahl conducted his farewell flight as Chief of the Air Force in a J 28 Vampire. During his career, Ljungdahl was also an expert in the 1930 Defense Commission and a member of the 1931 and the 1933 Air Commission as well as the Civil Aviation Board (''Luftfartsstyrelsen'') in 1945. He was a board member of the pension insurance company Valand-Pensionsbolaget and chairman of the board of Ostermans Aero AB. Ljungdahl 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 1943 and was its president from 1955 to 1957. After retiring from the military, Ljungdahl devoted his time to studies and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965, a Licentiate of Philosophy degree in 1968, a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1970 and a Bachelor of Theology degree in 1975.

Personal life

In 1938 he married Ruth Hallert (née Johansson, born 1907), the daughter of managing director Axel Johansson and his wife. Ljungdahl was the father of Birgitta (born 1940).

Death

Ljungdahl died on 12 April 1995 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 ...

and was buried at

Norra begravningsplatsen Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Burial Place" in Swedish, is a major cemetery of the Stockholm urban area, located in Solna Municipality. Inaugurated on 9 June 1827, it is the burial site for a number of Swedish notables. Th ...

in Stockholm.

Dates of rank

*1922 –

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 ...

*1930 –

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 ...

*1936 –

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 ...

*1939 – Lieutenant colonel *1940 –

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 ...

*1943 – Major general *1954 –

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 ...

*1960 –

Awards and decorations

Swedish

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 1953) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(6 June 1945) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_BAR

Commander of the

(6 June 1944) * Order_of_the_Sword_-_Ribbon_bar

Knight of the

(1939) * 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 ...

(1943) * Commander 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 ...

(6 June 1947) * Order_of_the_Vasa_-_Ribbon_bar

Knight of the

(1938)

Foreign

FIN_Order_of_the_Lion_of_Finland_1Class_BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Lion of Finland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

(before 1962) * ETH_Order_of_the_Star_of_Ethiopia_-_Grand_Cross_BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Star of Ethiopia The Order of the Star of Ethiopia was established as an order of knighthood of the Ethiopian Empire, founded by the Negus of Shewa and later Emperor of Ethiopia Menelik II in 1884–1885. It is currently awarded as a house order by the Crown ...

(before 1962) * Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Knight Grand Cross

Knight Grand Cross 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 (18 May 1957) * 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 ...

(1 July 1957) * Cordone_di_gran_Croce_OMRI_BAR

1st Class / Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

(2 May 1960) * DNK_Order_of_Danebrog_Commander_1st_Degree_BAR

Commander First Class 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 ...

(before 1950) * FIN_Order_of_the_Lion_of_Finland_2Class_BAR

Commander, First Class, of the

(before 1950) * AUT_Honour_for_Services_to_the_Republic_of_Austria_-_Bronze_Medal_BAR

Commander First Class of the

Order of Merit of the Austrian Republic The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria. It is divided into 15 classes and is the highest award in the Austrian national honours system. History The Decoration of Hon ...

(before 1962) * UK_Royal_Victorian_Order_honorary_member_ribbon

Honorary Knight Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(June 1956) * Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(before 1950) * US_Legion_of_Merit_Commander_ribbon

Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

(15 January 1958) * Legion_Honneur_Commandeur_ribbon

Commander of the Legion of Honour (senast 1955) * Grande_ufficiale_OMRI_BAR

2nd Class / Grand Officer of the

(2 June 1959) * Third 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 (before 1942)

Bibliography

* * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ljungdahl, Axel 1897 births 1995 deaths Swedish Air Force generals People from Lund Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Commanders First Class of the Order of Vasa Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen Swedish air attachés Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Ethiopia