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 Thord C:son (Carlsson) Bonde af Björnö (17March 1900 – 18October 1969) 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. His senior commands include military commander of the VII Military District in 1955, commander of the III Military District from 1955 to 1957 and Chief of the Army from 1957 to 1963.

Early life

Bonde was born on 17 March 1900 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 ...

, Sweden, the son of

Crown Equerry The Crown Equerry is the operational head of the Royal Mews of the Royal Household of the Monarch, Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As executive head of the Royal Mews Department, he is responsible for the provision of vehicular transport for the ...

, Count

Carl Bonde Count Carl Gustaf Bonde af Björnö (28 April 1872 – 13 June 1957) was a Swedish Army officer, equerry and Equestrianism, horse rider who competed at the 1912 and 1928 Olympics. Military career Bonde was born in Stockholm, Sweden and was the s ...

and his first wife Blanche (née Dickson). He was brother of Carl C:son Bonde and half-brother of financier and cabinet chamberlain Peder Bonde.

Career

Bonde became second lieutenant in the

Life Regiment Hussars The Life Regiment Hussars (; designated K 3) is one of the world's oldest regiments still active. The regiment descends directly from units set up by King Gustav I of Sweden (Gustav Vasa) in 1536, when Sweden set up a draft of horses and ...

(K 3) in 1920 and 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 1932. He was promoted to major in 1941, lieutenant colonel in 1943 and served as military attaché 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 ...

from 1943 to 1945. In March 1946, Bonde was appointed colonel 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 ...

with appointment as colonel in the Defence Staff, head of Section 1 and Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. In March 1947, Bonde was appointed by the Minister of Defense as an adviser in the Defence Committee from 1 April. Bonde served as Chief of Staff of

United Nations Truce Supervision Organization The United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) is an organization founded on 29 May 1948 for peacekeeping in the Middle East. Established amidst the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, its primary task was initially to provide the military com ...

(UNTSO) from May 1948 to July 1948 when

Åge Lundström Major General Johan August "Åge" Lundström (8 June 1890 – 26 September 1975) was a Swedish Air Force officer and horse rider who competed in the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics. Early life Lundström was born on 8 June 1890 in Stockholm, Swe ...

succeeded him. On 6 July 1948, Bonde was subjected to Arab firing as he intervened in a battle that occurred near the Arab village of Jaba' south of

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

en route to

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

. Bonde was rescued from the situation by a UN jeep. Bonde returned to Sweden from

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

on 13 July. Back in Sweden, Bonde continued serving as head of Section 1 in the Defence Staff until February 1950 when he was appointed second-in-command of 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: ...

(I 1). He took command of the regiment on 1 October 1950. He then served as head of the Swedish National Defence College from 1953 to 1955. Bonde was promoted to major general in 1954. Bonde was the military commander of the VII Military District in 1955 and the III Military District from 1955 to 1957 when he was promoted to lieutenant general. He was Chief of the Army from 1957 to 1963 and was appointed general upon his retirement in 1963. Bonde was chief of

His Majesty's Military Staff His Majesty's Military Staff () is the military staff of the Monarchy of Sweden, Swedish monarch and functions as a unit of the Royal Court of Sweden, Royal Court. It is led by the chief of staff and supports the King and the Swedish Royal Family ...

from 1963 to 1969 and chairman of the

Directorate of the Swedish Nobility Foundation The House of Nobility () in Stockholm, Sweden, is a corporation and a building that maintains records and acts as an interest group on behalf of the Swedish nobility. Name The name is literally translated as ''House of Knights'', as the knight ...

from 1965.

Personal life

In 1926, Bonde married Anna-Greta Sjöberg (1900–1983), the daughter of the state agricultural engineer A. L. G. Sjöberg and his wife. He was the father of Birgitta (born 1927), Margaretha (born 1931) and Claes (born 1941).

Dates of rank

*1920 – Second lieutenant *19?? –

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 ...

*1932 –

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 ...

*1941 –

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 ...

*1943 – Lieutenant colonel *1946 –

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 ...

*1954 – Major general *1957 –

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 ...

*1963 –

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 1959) * SWE Order of Vasa - Knight 2nd Class BAR

Commander 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 ...

* 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 ...

Foreign

FIN Order of the Lion of Finland 1Class BAR

Commander 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 ...

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 1960) * 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 ...

(15 July 1968) * 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 ...

(4 December 1959) * Us legion of merit officer rib

Officer of the

(1946) *

AUT Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria - 4th Class BAR

Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria 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 Hono ...

(1960)

Honours

*Member of

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 ...

(1945)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonde, Thord 1900 births 1969 deaths Swedish Army generals United Nations military personnel Chiefs of Army (Sweden) Military personnel from Stockholm Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Commanders of the Order of Vasa Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland Commanders of the Legion of Merit 20th-century Swedish military personnel Military attachés for Sweden