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 ...
Bo Lars Axel Westin (12September 1913 – 17January 2009) was a
Swedish Coastal Artillery
The Swedish Coastal Artillery () has its origin in the Archipelago Artillery that was raised in 1866. The Coastal Artillery was formed from the Archipelago Artillery, the Marine Regiment and parts of the Artillery in 1902. Kustartilleriet, abbr ...
officer. Westin was
Chief of the Naval Staff from 1968 to 1970 and
Chief of the Defence Staff from 1970 to 1972.
Early life
Westin was born on 12 September 1913 in Norrköping Saint Olof Parish in
Norrköping
Norrköping ( , ) is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, about 160 km southwest of the national capital Stockholm, 40 km east of county seat Lin ...
, Sweden, the son of accountant Axel Westin and his wife Gottfrida "Frida" (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 1933.
Career
Military career
Westin enrolled at the
Royal Swedish Naval Academy
The Royal Swedish Naval Academy (, KSS) was a school for officer training for the Swedish Navy, which operated in various forms between the years 1756 and 1987.
History
1683–1791
In 1683, when the charter was issued that "those who were propo ...
where he graduated as second lieutenant in
Karlskrona Coastal Artillery Regiment
The Karlskrona Coastal Artillery Regiment (), designation KA 2, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery regiment of the Swedish Armed Forces which operated between 1902 and 2000. The unit was based in Karlskrona.
History
Formation of Swedish Coasta ...
(KA 2) in 1937. He focused early on
anti-aircraft artillery
Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...
and was placed early as a teacher at various artillery schools through his technical and mathematical orientation.
Westin was promoted to lieutenant in 1939 and served in the
Defence Staff in 1943 and passed the general course of 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 ...
in 1944 and was promoted to captain in 1945. He passed the artillery course of the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College in 1946 and he was a teacher at the Royal Swedish Naval Academy from 1946 to 1948.
Westin served at the Swedish Missile Defence Agency (''Försvarets robotvapenbyrå'') within the
Royal Swedish Air Force Materiel Administration
The Royal Swedish Air Force Materiel Administration (, abbreviated KFF) was a Swedish government agency active between the years 1936 and 1968. The agency was amalgamated into the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration.
History
The Royal Swedi ...
in 1949 and he was a teacher at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1949 to 1950.
Westin was promoted to major in 1951 and served as deputy
defence attaché
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense indust ...
in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, United States from 1951 to 1953. He served in the
Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration
The Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration (, KMF) was the central board of the Swedish Navy in technical and economic terms. It was active between the years 1878 and 1968 when it was disbanded and amalgamated into the Defence Materiel Adm ...
in 1955 and in the
Naval Staff from 1956 to 1957 when he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Westin was appointed Inspector of the Swedish Coastal Artillery in 1958 and studied at the
Swedish National Defence College the same year. He was then promoted to colonel in 1961 and was also appointed chief of Section II (Attaché, Intelligence and Domestic Department) in the Defence Staff.
Westin was an intellectual officer with great analytical ability, and he went on to become influential when it came to transforming the old coastal artillery to modern systems. In the 1960s there was a schism within the
Swedish Armed Forces
The Swedish Armed Forces (, literally ''Defence Force'') are the Military, armed forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. It consists of four separate military branches, the Swedish Army, the Swedish Navy, the Swedish Air Force and the Home Guard (Swed ...
on how the future air defense would be designed. Westin was appointed chairman of a comprehensive composite investigation, and after two years, he succeeded in presenting a completely unanimous proposal.
Westin was section chief in the Defence Staff from 1961 to 1966 when he was promoted to major general and he was then Vice Chief there and head of the Operations Command from 1966 to 1968.
He was promoted to lieutenant general in 1969 and was the
Chief of the Naval Staff from 1968 to 1970 before assuming the position of
Chief of the Defence Staff on 1 October 1970.
In June 1972 he visited
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
and had meetings with
Archbishop Makarios, Vice President
Fazıl Küçük
Fazıl Küçük (; ; 14 March 1906 – 15 January 1984) was a Turkish Cypriot politician and a medical doctor who served as the first Vice President of the Republic of Cyprus.
Biography
Fazıl Küçük, the son of a farmer, was born in Nicosi ...
, the Secretary-General's Special Representative in Cyprus, Mr. Osorio-Tafall, the Force Commander, Major General
Dewan Prem Chand as well as the Swedish Contingent. Westin retired from active service the same year. He was then head of the Swedish National Defence College from 1972 to 1978.
Other work
He was also expert in the 1954 and 1957
Supreme Commander Investigations. Westin was a member of the Parliamentary Defense Preparation (''Parlamentariska försvarsberedningen'') from 1955 to 1957,
the 1957 Navy Missile Committee and the 1957 Helicopter Committee.
He was also chairman of the Air Defense Investigation (''Luftförsvarsutredningen'') from 1967 to 1969. Westin was a board member of the
National Society for Road Safety
The National Society for Road Safety (; NTF) is a road traffic safety organization in Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It border ...
(NTF) and ''Statens allmänna bevakning AB''.
Personal life
In 1939 he married Karin Rydin, the daughter of veterinarian Karl Rydin and Karin Boëthius. He was the father of Agneta (born 1941).
Westin was very versatile: he was interested in sports and played himself
tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
,
table tennis
Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...
,
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
and
bandy
Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.
The playin ...
. He was fond of
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...
and became a member of the Woodhouse Society and he loved jazz. He was a consultant in ''Svenskt visarkiv'' 1980-1993 and wrote books about, among others,
Thore Ehrling,
Stig Holm,
Skånska Lasse
Theodor Larsson (1880–1937) was a Swedish songwriter and comedian.[Theodor Larsson](_blank)
''atspace.cc''. Retrie ...
,
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially.
From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...
and
Gösta Törner Gösta Törner may refer to:
* Gösta Törner (gymnast)
* Gösta Törner (musician)
Gösta Törner (27 October 1912 – 11 October 1982 was a Swedish jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He was born and died in Stockholm, and was one of the first ...
.
He was also chairman of the
Evert Taube
Axel Evert Taube (; 12 March 1890 – 31 January 1976) was a Swedish author, artist, composer and singer. He is widely regarded as one of Sweden's most respected musicians and the foremost troubadour of the Swedish ballad tradition in the 20th c ...
Society (''Evert Taube-sällskapet'')
from 1989 to 1993. He was also a formidable tomato grower, and his balcony in
Lidingö
Lidingö (), also known in its definite form Lidingön and as Lidingölandet, is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2023, the population of the Lidingö urban area on the island was 48,162. It is the ...
was like a veritable greenhouse.
Death
Westin died on 17 January 2009 in Saint John Parish 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 ...
. The funeral service was held on 25 April 2019 in . He 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 ...
on 9 March 2009.
Dates of rank
*1937 –
Second lieutenant
*1939 –
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 ...
*1951 –
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 ...
*1957 –
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 ...
*1966 –
Major general
*1969 –
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
*

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 1973)
*

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)
*

Commander 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 ...
(4 June 1965)
Honours
*Member of the
Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences
The Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (, KÖMS), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. The Society is an independent organization and a forum for navy and defence issues. Fellowship is limited to 120 ...
(1954)
*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 ...
(1959)
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westin, Bo
1913 births
2009 deaths
Swedish Coastal Artillery lieutenant generals
People from Norrköping
20th-century Swedish military personnel
Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword
Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences
Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences
Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Sweden)