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 ...

, Count Carl August Ehrensvärd (3August 1892 – 24April 1974) 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. Ehrensvärd came from a distinguished family with a military background. His father was Admiral, Count Carl August Ehrensvärd, and his great-grandfather was the renowned fortress builder

Augustin Ehrensvärd Field Marshal count Augustin Ehrensvärd (25 September 1710 – 4 October 1772) was a Swedish military officer, military architect, artist, creator of the Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) fortress, Svartholm fortress and the Swedish archipelago fleet. He ...

. Ehrensvärd's career in the military began in 1911 when he became an officer volunteer in the

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: ...

. He served in various capacities in both the Swedish and Finnish armies, participating in the

Invasion of Åland The Invasion of Åland was a 1918 military campaign of World War I in Åland, Finland. The islands, still hosting Soviet Russian troops, were first invaded by Sweden in late February and then by the German Empire in early March. The conflict w ...

in 1918 and commanding the Archipelago Free Corps. He rose through the ranks, achieving the rank of major in the Finnish Army in 1918. Returning to the Swedish Army, Ehrensvärd 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 ...

and the General Staff Academy, eventually serving in staff and teaching roles. His career included significant positions such as head of the Central 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 ...

and Chief of the Defence Staff from 1945 to 1947. Ehrensvärd faced challenges within the military hierarchy, notably the " Meyerhöffer affair" in 1947, where a proposal to appoint a pro-German officer led to opposition. Despite these challenges, Ehrensvärd became Chief of the Army in 1948. He was intended to be the Supreme Commander but was rejected on the grounds that he was better suited for war than peace. He remained Chief of the Army until 1957 when he was promoted to full general and transferred to the reserve.

Early life and family

Ehrensvärd was born on 3 August 1892 in

Karlskrona Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to ...

, Sweden, the son of Admiral, Count Carl August Ehrensvärd (1858–1944) and Baroness Lovisa Ulrika (''Ulla''), née Thott. He was the brother of Vice Admiral

Gösta Ehrensvärd Vice Admiral Count Gösta Carl Albert Ehrensvärd (10 February 1885 – 2 November 1973) was a senior Swedish Navy officer. Ehrensvärd hailed from a distinguished naval lineage, being the son of Admiral Count Carl August Ehrensvärd. His famil ...

(1885–1973) and Deputy Director of 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 ...

(1887–1968). He was the uncle of chemist

(1910–1980). His great-grandfather was the fortress builder

, his uncle was Albert Ehrensvärd and his cousin was Archibald Douglas, Ehrensvärd's predecessor on the Chief of the Army post. 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, ...

'' on 15 May 1911.

Career

Ehrensvärd became an officers volunteer in the

(I 1) on 24 May 1911. He became the Queen's

Page of Honour A Page of Honour is a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It requires attendance on state occasions, but does not now involve the daily duties which were once attached to the office of page. The only ...

in 25 August 1912 and a cadet at the Royal Military Academy on 25 October the same year. Ehrensvärd became a second lieutenant in the Svea Life Guards (I 1) in 1913 and became lieutenant there in 1915. He took part in the

as adjutant of the commanding officer of Åland Detachment in 1918 and resigned from the

the same year and joined the

Finnish Army The Finnish Army ( , ) is the army, land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: infantry (which includes armoured units), field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, Combat engineering, engineer ...

where he commanded the Archipelago Free Corps (''Skärgårdens frikår'') and took part in battles in

Åboland Åboland () is a sub-region in the archipelago of the Southwest Finland region in south-western Finland. Åboland and Turunmaa are also informal names of the region, but in this context Särkisalo () is normally included and in the Finnish nam ...

archipelago and southwestern Finland (

Korpo Korpo (; ) is an island located in the Turku archipelago. It is a former municipality of Finland. On 1 January 2009, it was consolidated with Houtskär, Iniö, Nagu and Pargas to form the new town of Väståboland. As of 1 January 2012, Vä ...

gård 28 March, Lohm 4 April and

Loimaa Loimaa (; historical ) is a cities of Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is located in the provinces of Finland, province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland regions of Finland, region. Th ...

22 April). He was promoted to major in the Finnish Army in May 1918 and was then reinstated in the Swedish Army as lieutenant in the Svea Life Guards (I 1) in September the same year. Ehrensvärd then attended the

from 1920 to 1922 and was a cadet of the

from 1923 to 1925. He was staff adjutant and was promoted to captain of the General Staff in 1926 and served in the Svea Life Guards (I 1) in 1927 and was a teacher at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1928 to 1934. Ehrensvärd was captain in the Svea Life Guards (I 1) in 1931 and staff adjutant and captain of the General Staff in 1932. He was major and chief adjutant of the General Staff in 1934 and in 1935. He was head of the Central Department of the General Staff from 1935 to 1937 and the Army Operations Department in the Defence Staff from 1937 to 1938. Ehrensvärd was major and chief adjutant 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 ...

from April to July 1937 and was in October of that year promoted to lieutenant colonel and chief adjutant in the General Staff Corps. He was lieutenant colonel and commanding officer of the tank battalion at Göta Life Guards (I 2) from 1938 to 1939 and the tank battalion at Skaraborg Regiment (I 9) in 1939. Ehrensvärd was lieutenant colonel and Chief of Staff of the Swedish Volunteer Corps during the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

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 1940. There he took part in operations in Lapland during 1940. Ehrensvärd was promoted to colonel in the Finnish Army in 1940 and colonel in the Swedish Army the same year. He was head of the

from 1940 to 1941 and commanding officer of South Scanian Infantry Regiment (I 7) from 1941 to 1942. Ehrensvärd was section chief in the Defence Staff from 1942 to 1944 and was promoted to major general and appointed acting Chief of the Defence Staff in 1944. He was Chief of Defence Staff from 1945 to 1947. Ehrensvärd had the military responsibility for the Swedish

stay-behind A stay-behind operation is one where a country places secret operatives or organizations in its own territory, for use in case of a later enemy occupation. The stay-behind operatives would then form the basis of a resistance movement, and act as ...

operation which was organised starting from 1946. He served as military commander of the I Military District from 1947 to 1948. Ehrensvärd was promoted to lieutenant general and was appointed Chief of the Army in 1948. The year before, in 1947, a proposal to appoint pro-

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Colonel

Alf Meyerhöffer Alf Roar Dag Meyerhöffer (16 December 1891 – 29 April 1962) was a Swedish Army officer and politician, who represented Högerpartiet in Swedish parliament Riksdag from 1932 to 1936. Meyerhöffer is mostly known for the Meyerhöffer affair w ...

as army infantry inspector led to the so-called "Meyerhöffer affair" when the proposal met with great opposition from the

Social Democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

government. A compromise made Meyerhöffer acting infantry inspector in 1947. Following threats of resignation from Ehrensvärd's cousin and Chief of the Army, Lieutenant General Archibald Douglas, Meyerhöffer was finally appointed cavalry and infantry inspector in 1949. The far more

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

-friendly Ehrensvärd had been appointed Chief of the Army in 1948 which led Meyerhöffer into conflict with his new commanding officer and he therefore lodged his resignation in 1951. Ehrensvärd was intended to have become Supreme Commander but was rejected by

Allan Vougt Allan Georg Fredrik Vougt (28 April 1895 – 24 January 1953) was a Swedish Social Democratic politician and Minister for Defence (Sweden), minister for defence 1945 - 1951. He was also the Social Democratic group leader in the Andra kammaren, S ...

on the grounds that Ehrensvärd was better suited for war than peace. In 1956, Ehrensvärd appointed Major

Sigmund Ahnfelt Major General Sigmund Ahnfelt (28 November 1915 – 14 November 1993) was a Swedish Army officer. Ahnfelt was commissioned as an officer in 1938 and served in the Finnish Army during World War II. He attended the United States Army Command and G ...

as UN battalion commander in Gaza. The government opposed the nomination because of Ahnfeldt's previous involvement in the Lindholm movement. Ahnfeldt had been

Sven Olov Lindholm Sven Olov Knutsson Lindholm (8 February 1903 – 26 April 1998) was a Swedish Nazi leader, active in far-right politics from the 1920s to the 1950s. This included leading the Nazi party named Svensk socialistisk samling (SSS; literally "Swedis ...

's closest man for six years and had at the age of 27 candidated for the

National League of Sweden The National Youth League of Sweden ( ; SNU) was the first youth organisation of the General Electoral Union of Sweden. It was dislodged from its mother party in 1934 due to its pro-Nazi stance. It was then reconstructed as a separate political ...

after Meyerhöffer at the municipal elections in

Östersund Östersund (; ) is an Urban areas in Sweden, urban area (Stad (Sweden), city) in Jämtland in northern Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth-larg ...

. Ehrensvärd threatened to resign unless he got his way, according to prime minister

Tage Erlander Tage Fritjof Erlander (; 13 June 1901 – 21 June 1985) was a Swedish politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Sweden and leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party from 1946 to 1969. Previously, h ...

. Ahnfeldt was persuaded by defence minister

Torsten Nilsson Harald Torsten Leonard Nilsson (1 April 1905 – 14 December 1997) was a Swedish Social Democratic politician. He served as minister for defence from 1951 to 1957, and as minister for foreign affairs from 1962 to 1971. Nilsson also served as m ...

to resign from the post. Ehrensvärd was Chief of the Army until 1957 when he was promoted to full general and transferred to the reserve. In the early 1960s, the secret documents from Operation Stella Polaris in 1944, were brought from Hörningsholm Castle and Rottneros Manor and burnt on the instruction of the then Director-General of the

National Defence Radio Establishment The National Defence Radio Establishment (, FRA) is a Swedish government agency organised under the Ministry of Defence. The two main tasks of FRA are signals intelligence (SIGINT), and support to government authorities and state-owned companie ...

, Gustaf Tham, and the now retired General Ehrensvärd.

Personal life

Ehrensvärd married the first time on 24 July 1922 in Lützow, in

Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin () was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Adolphus Frederick II divided ...

, Germany to Countess ''Gisela'' Dorothée Anna-Luise Marianne Lilla von Bassewitz (20 December 1895 – 1946), the daughter of count Adolf Carl Otto Alexander Bassewitz-Behr and Dorothée Louise Helene Wanda Ebba Krell. He married a second time on 8 November 1947 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 with Svea ''Elisabeth'' Lachmann, née Olsson (born 15 June 1905), the daughter of carpenter Ola Olsson and Hanna Jönsson. Ehrensvärd was the father of Louise (1925–2014) and (1932–2024). Ehrensvärd owned parts of

Tosterup Castle Tosterup Castle () is a castle in Tomelilla Municipality, Scania, in southern Sweden. It is situated approximately north-east of Ystad Ystad () is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabi ...

. He and his wife lived at Charlottenlund Castle.

Death

Ehrensvärd died on 24 April 1974 in

Ystad Ystad () is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, and tourist attracti ...

and was buried at

Tosterup Tosterup Castle () is a castle in Tomelilla Municipality, Scania, in southern Sweden. It is situated approximately north-east of Ystad. Owners List of owners of Tosterup Castle: *Early 1300s – Axel Eskildsen Mule *1300s – His daughter Barb ...

cemetery.

Dates of rank

Swedish Army

*31 December 1913 – ''

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 ...

'' *22 December 1916 –

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 ...

*18 June 1926 –

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 ...

*1934 –

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 ...

*1937 – 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 ...

*1944 – Major general *1948 –

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 ...

*1957 –

Finnish Army

*13 May 1918 –

*1940 –

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 ...

(15 November 1948) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(6 June 1944) * Order_of_the_Sword_-_Ribbon_bar

Knight of the

(6 June 1934) * Commander 1st Class 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 ...

(6 June 1947) * Commander of the

(6 June 1939) * Knight of the

(15 November 1938) * 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 ...

(16 June 1933) * SWE_Home_Guard_Royal_Medal_of_Merit_ribbon

Home Guard Medal of Merit in Gold (6 June 1950) * Swedish Central Federation for Voluntary Military Training Medal of Merit in gold * Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization Royal Medal of Merit in gold * Swedish Civil Protection Association Medal of Merit in gold * Healthcare Gold Medal (''Sjukvårdsguldmedalj'') (Swedish Red Cross) * Central Board of the National Swedish Rifle Association's silver medal (''Sveriges skytteförbunds överstyrelses silvermedalj'') * Equestrian Olympic Medal (''Ryttarolympisk förtjänstmedalj'')

Foreign

Grand Commander 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 ...

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 ...

FIN_Order_of_the_White_Rose_Grand_Cross_BAR

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 ...

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 1956) * Legion_Honneur_GO_ribbon

Grand Officer 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 ...

Finland Cross of Liberty 2nd Class Civil Wartime

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 ...

, 2nd Class * Finland Cross of Liberty 4th Class Military Wartime

, 4th Class with swords (16 May 1918) * Officer 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 ...

Officer 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 * FIN Medal for Humane Benevolence BAR

Finnish commemorative medal ''Pro benignitate humana'' * Danish Medal of Freedom (''Dansk frihetsmedalj'') * 2 x Finnish War Memorial Medal (''Finsk krigsminnesmedalj'')

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 ...

(1935)

Bibliography

* * * * *

References

Notes

Print

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ehrensvard, Carl August 1892 births 1974 deaths Swedish counts Swedish Army generals Chiefs of Army (Sweden) People from Karlskrona Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Commanders First Class of the Order of the Polar Star Knights of the Order of Vasa Grand Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Sweden) Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Ethiopia Swedish volunteers in the Finnish Civil War (White side) Swedish volunteers in the Winter War