Knut Gunnar Bjurner (10 January 1882 – 28 January 1964) was a senior
Swedish Navy
The Swedish Navy () is the maritime service branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet (), formally sometimes referred to as the Royal Navy () – as well as marine units, the Amph ...
officer. Bjurner commanded three different
coastal defence ship
Coastal defence ships (sometimes called coastal battleships or coast defence ships) were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrifi ...
s, headed Karlskrona Naval Yard (1931–1936) and commanded the Winter Squadron (1933–1934) as well as the
South Coast Naval District (1936–1938). Bjurner is mostly known for his work within 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 ...
, which he headed from 1938 to 1943.
Early life
Bjurner was born on 10 January 1882 in
Hedvig Eleonora Parish
Hedvig Eleonora Parish () is a parish in Östermalm's church district (''kontrakt'') in the Diocese of Stockholm, Sweden. The parish is located in Stockholm Municipality in Stockholm County. The parish forms its own pastorship.
History
The paris ...
,
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 ...
, Sweden,
the son of Gustav Adolf Carlsson and his wife Ellen Hallström.
Bjurner enrolled as a cadet at
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 ...
in 1895 and was appointed at the age of 19 years to second lieutenant (''underlöjtnant'') in the navy in 1901.
Career
Bjurner was promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1903.
Richly gifted, especially in the mathematical field, he received the highest grades from 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 ...
(1906–1908) and the
Artillery and Engineering College
Artillery and Engineering College (, AIHS) was a Swedish Army training establishment active between 1878 and 1992, providing courses for artillery officers. It was located within the Stockholm Garrison in Stockholm, Sweden.
History
The Higher Art ...
's higher course (1908–1910).
Bjurner was promoted to lieutenant in 1910.
After varying positions, specialized in the field of artillery, he received commands positions within the naval artillery, among other things as an artillery officer on the coastal defence ship , on which he in 1913 through a very skilled fire control conquered for the ship the much coveted King's Cup (''Kungapokalen'').
He was promoted to lieutenant commander and appointed head of the Artillery Department 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 ...
in 1919. Bjurner was then promoted to commander and appointed head of 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 ...
's Artillery Department in 1923.
As head of the Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration's Artillery Department, Bjurner got great use for his solid artillery knowledge. Based on the experiences from
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, extensive modernisations of the warships' artillery
fire-control system
A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs the same task as a hum ...
s were initiated through the introduction of central sight facilities and modern fire-control systems. Bjurner made efforts to develop the
air defence
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 ...
artillery. Thus he gave the impetus for the manufacture within the country of 40 mm
autocannon
An autocannon, automatic cannon or machine cannon is a automatic firearm, fully automatic gun that is capable of rapid-firing large-caliber ( or more) armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary ammunition, incendiary shell (projectile), shells, ...
s.
After a study trip to
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, among other places, he came to the realization that reliable 40 mm autocannons could not be obtained from abroad, Bjurner managed to persuade the management of
AB Bofors to adopt autocannon manufacturing in their production program. The Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration thus ordered a test cannon, the mechanism of which would be based on the Navy's well-proven semi-automatic block mechanism, and after extensive experiments, Bofors' gun designers succeeded in solving the ammunition loading and rammer problems. The result was the later world-famous
Bofors 40 mm L/70 gun.
Bjurner captained HSwMS ''Dristigheten'', from 1926 to 1927 and on a trip to the Mediterranean between 1929 and 1930.
Bjurner was promoted to captain in 1931, was head of Karlskrona Naval Yard from 1931 to 1936, and commanded the Winter Squadron (''Vintereskadern'') from 1933 to 1934.
He was promoted to rear admiral in 1936 and was appointed Commanding Admiral and station commander in Karlskrona the same year. Bjurner was then commander of the
South Coast Naval District from 1937 to 1938 when he was appointed head of the Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration.
Bjurner's time as head of the Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration coincided with
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 ...
and the turbulent time immediately before the outbreak of war. Intensive work was initiated to cover the shortcomings in the navy's mobilization equipment. New shipbuilding was forced, older ships were modernized and planned mobilization productions were initiated, etc.
Bjurner also had several public assignments during his career. He was chairman of the naval officers' association and the navy's representation fund in Karlskrona, chairman of the Society for Swedish Culture Abroad's (''Riksföreningen för svenskhetens bevarande i utlandet'') local branch in Karlskrona from 1932 to 1938 and president of the
Rotary Club
Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...
in Karlskrona from 1936 to 1938.
Furthermore, Bjurner was chairman of the Naval Pension Fund (''Flottans pensionskassa'') from 1936 to 1938, the Swedish Sailing School Association (''Stiftelsen Svenska seglarskolan'') in 1944 and member of the board of the
Maritime Museum
A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navy, navies and the m ...
from 1939 to 1943.
Bjurner resigned as head of the Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration prematurely in 1943 and served as investigator at 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 ...
regarding the naval materiel from 1943 to 1945.
Bjurner also assisted General
Olof Thörnell
General (Sweden), General Olof Gerhard Thörnell (19 October 1877 – 25 July 1977) was a senior Swedish Army officer. Thörnell's military career spanned several promotions and roles within the Swedish Army. He began as a lieutenant in the Uppla ...
in compiling a history of Sweden's defense preparedness before and during World War II.
Bjurner retired in 1947 was promoted to vice admiral on the retirement list the same year.
Personal life
In 1910, Bjurner married Elsa Schram (1888–1971), the daughter of Fredrik Schram and Alma Dillberg. They had one child: Gösta (born 1912).
Death
Bjurner died on 28 January 1964 in Stockholm.
He was interred on 30 May 1964 at
Galärvarvskyrkogården
Galärvarvskyrkogården (literally Galley Shipyard Cemetery) is a cemetery on the island of Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It has about 1,300 burial sites and an area of approximately 0.9 hectares.
History
Galärvarvskyrkogården in Djurgår ...
in Stockholm.
Dates of rank
*1901 – ''
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 ...
''
*1903 –
Sub-lieutenant
*1910 –
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 ...
*1919 –
Lieutenant commander
*1923 –
Commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
*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 ...
*1936 –
Rear admiral
Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral.
Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
*1947 –
Vice admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Australia
In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...
Awards and decorations
Swedish
*

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 ...
(5 June 1943)
*

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 1936)
*

Knight 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 ...
(1922)
* 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 ...
(1926)
* 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 ...
(1913)
Foreign
* 1st 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 (between 1940 and 1942)
*

Grand Officer of the
Order of the Crown of Italy
The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...
(between 1940 and 1942)
*

Commander of the
Order of the Phoenix (between 1925 and 1931)
*

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 ...
(between 1925 and 1931)
*

Knight 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 1921 and 1925)
*

Knight 4th Class of the
Order of the Red Eagle
The Order of the Red Eagle () was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, o ...
(between 1905 and 1909)
* Knight 3rd Class of the
Order of Saint Stanislaus
The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...
(between 1909 and 1915)
*
King Christian X's Liberty Medal (before 1962)
Honours
*Member of the
Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (1915; honorary member in 1936;
president 1937–1938
)
*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 ...
(1927)
Bibliography
*
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjurner, Gunnar
1882 births
1964 deaths
Swedish Navy vice admirals
Military personnel from Stockholm
Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences
Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences
Burials at Galärvarvskyrkogården
Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword
Knights of the Order of the Polar Star
Knights of the Order of Vasa