Lieutenant General Gustav ''Ivar'' Backlund (14 February 1892 – 5 July 1969) was a Swedish Army officer. His senior commands include Commandant in

Boden Fortress Boden Fortress ( sv, Bodens fästning) is a modern fortification, fortress consisting of several major and minor forts and fortifications surrounding the city of Boden, Sweden, Boden, Norrbotten, in northern Sweden. The fortress was originally int ...

, Chief of the Army Staff and the General Staff Corps. Backlund was also military commander of the VII Military District and head of the Swedish National Defence College.

Early life

Backlund was born on 14 February 1892 in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, Sweden, the son of Anders Backlund, a phytosanitary inspector, and his wife Thérese Floberg. He passed '' studentexamen'' in 1909.

Career

Backlund was commissioned as an officer in 1912 and was assigned with the rank of '' underlöjtnant'' to Göta Life Guards (I 2). He attended the

Royal Swedish Army Staff College The Royal Swedish Army Staff College ( sv, Kungliga Krigshögskolan, 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 adv ...

from 1918 to 1920 and 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 and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

in 1924. Backlund was adjutant to the head of the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

from 1926 to 1928 and served as a general staff officer in the ''Militärläroverksinspektionen'' from 1928 to 1933. Backlund was teacher at the

Artillery and Engineering College Artillery and Engineering College ( sv, Artilleri- och ingenjörhögskolan, 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 Sto ...

from 1933 to 1937 and was promoted to major in 1934. He was then serving as vice chief of the Military Office of the Land Defence (''Lantförsvarets kommandoexpedition'') from 1937 to 1939 and he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1937. Backlund served in Södermanland Infantry Regiment (I 10) in 1939 and the year after he was promoted to colonel and was appointed regimental commander of the Dalarna Regiment (I 13). In 1944, Backlund was appointed Commandant in

and he served as acting deputy military commander of the IV Military District from 1944 to 1946. He was promoted to major general in 1946 and served as Chief of the Army Staff and the General Staff Corps from 1946 to 1948. Backlund was military commander of the VII Military District from 1 October 1948 to 31 March 1955 and head of the Swedish National Defence College from 1 April 1955 to 1956. He was promoted to lieutenant general in 1957 and retired from the military. He became chairman of the Swedish Pistol-shooting Association (''Svenska pistolskytteförbundet'') in 1946 and the Educational Swedish Swimming Association (''Svenska livräddningssällskapet'') in 1947.

Personal life

In 1935, he married Margareta Troili (born 1904), the daughter of Eilert Troili, an accountant, and Gunhild Behmer.

Dates of rank

*1912 – '' Underlöjtnant'' *19?? – Lieutenant *1924 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

*1934 –

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

*1937 –

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

*1940 – Colonel *1946 – Major general *1957 – Lieutenant general

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_Grand_Cross_BAR

Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword (6 June 1953) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the Order of the Sword (6 June 1946) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the Order of the Sword (15 November 1943) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Knight_1st_Class_BAR

Knight 1st Class of the Order of the Sword (1933) * Order_of_the_Sword_-_Ribbon_bar

Knight of the Order of the Polar Star (1939) * SWE_Order_of_Vasa_-_Knight_2nd_Class_BAR

Knight 1st Class of the Order of Vasa (1928) * For_Zealous_and_Devoted_Service_of_the_Realm_ribbon

Medal for Noble Deeds (''För medborgerlig förtjänst'') in gold

Foreign

Commander of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (between 1940 and 1942) * FIN_Order_of_the_White_Rose_Commander_BAR

Commander Second Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (between 1935 and 1940) * FIN_Order_of_the_Lion_of_Finland_3Class_BAR

Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland (between 1947 and 1950) * DEU_Deutsche_Adlerorden_1_BAR

Order of the German Eagle (1942) * BEL_-_Order_of_Leopold_-_Knight_bar

Knight of the

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

(between 1925 and 1928)

Honours

*Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1938)

Footnotes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Backlund, Ivar 1892 births 1969 deaths Swedish Army lieutenant generals Military personnel from Gothenburg Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Knights First Class of the Order of Vasa