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 ...

Bo Torsten Rapp (20 April 1905 – 23 March 1993) was a senior

Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( or just ) is the air force Military branch, branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalatin ...

officer. Rapp started as a naval officer in 1926 before transferring to the Swedish Air Force in 1928. Over the years, he steadily climbed the ranks, serving in various roles and completing training courses. Notable milestones include becoming a lieutenant colonel in 1944 and commanding the

Blekinge Wing Blekinge Wing (), also F 17 Kallinge, or simply F 17, is a Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Ronneby in southern Sweden. The wing also operates the air base on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. It is one of four wings ...

in 1944. He later assumed important positions such as Vice Chief of the Air Staff and Chief of the Air Force, contributing to significant reforms in Swedish defense, including improved inter-service coordination. Rapp eventually became the

Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces The Chief of Defence, formerly the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces (; acronym: ÖB) is the highest ranked professional military officer in the Swedish Armed Forces, and is by NATO terminology the Sweden, Swedish chief of defence, c ...

in 1961, a position he held until 1970, overseeing substantial changes in military organization. After retiring from active duty, he continued his service in the Swedish Air Force reserve until 1981.

Early life

Rapp was born on 20 April 1905 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 Johan David Rapp, a wholesaler, and his wife Eva Hedvig Gustava (née Swartz). 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, ...

'' at ''Saltsjöbadens samskola'' in the spring of 1923 and became a sea cadet on 29 June 1923.

Career

Rapp graduated as a naval officer on 5 October 1926 and was commissioned as officer with the rank of acting sub-lieutenant (''fänrik'') in the

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 ...

on 7 October 1926. He became a lieutenant there on 6 October 1928 and was then commanded to the

on 1 November 1928. There Rapp became a lieutenant on 1 July 1930, and he then underwent 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 ...

's general course from 1932 to 1933 and its staff course from 1934 to 1935. He served at the Organization Department of the Air Staff from 1 June 1935 to 1938 and became a captain in the Swedish Air Force on 30 June 1937. Rapp became a member of the board for the Defence Forces Central Civilian Employee Office (''Försvarsväsendets centrala civilanställningsbyrå'') on 1 January 1938 and division commander of the

F 2 Hägernäs Roslagen Air Corps (), also F 2 Hägernäs, or simply F 2, is a former Swedish Air Force air corps with the main base located on the east coast of Sweden just north of the capital Stockholm. History From 1919 the area was used for flight training ...

in 1938. He was acting head of the Organization Department of the Air Staff in 1941 and became head on 1 July 1943. Rapp was a member of the 1942 Reserve Officer Experts (''1942 års reservbefälssakkunniga'') from June to November 1942 and he became a major in the Swedish Air Force on 1 July 1942 and a lieutenant colonel on 1 April 1944. He became commanding officer of

(F 17) on 23 June 1944 and was promoted to colonel on 1 July 1947. Rapp became Vice Chief of the Air Staff on 1 October 1948 and was a member of the Swedish Armed Forces School Study from June 1950 to March 1952. He was a member of the board of the Swedish Officers Association on 25 November 1950 and became commanding officer of the Fourth Air Group (''Fjärde flygeskadern'', E 4) on 1 April 1951. Rapp became commander of the Third Air Group (''Tredje flygeskadern'', E 3) on 1 July 1954 and was promoted to major general on 1 October 1955. He became acting head of the Aircraft Department of 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 ...

on 1 July 1956 and became a member of the board of the

National Aeronautical Research Institute The National Aeronautical Research Institute (, FFA), was a former Swedish state governmental authority under the Ministry of Defence with the aim to conduct research, development and experimentation in the aeronautical field. The FFA was located ...

in 1957. Rapp was appointed Vice Chief of the Royal Swedish Air Force Materiel Administration and became a member of the board of the

Swedish National Defence Research Institute Swedish National Defence Research Institute (, FOA) was a Swedish government agency in defense research existing from 1945 to 31 December 2000. It was amalgamated with the National Aeronautical Research Institute (FFA) into the Swedish Defence ...

on 1 October 1957. He was promoted to lieutenant general and became Chief of the Air Force on 15 January (took office 1 July) 1960. He was promoted to general and was

from 10 March (took office 1 October) 1961. During his time on the post, major changes were made to the Swedish defense, including an enhanced coordination between the army, the air force and the navy. The reorganization also meant that the Supreme Commander was given greater responsibility. Rapp left the post on 30 September 1970 and he was then general in the Swedish Air Force reserve from 1 October 1970 to 1981.

Personal life

Rapp married on 30 September 1933 in Stockholm with Ulla Gerda Maria Willers (1908–2005), the daughter of first secretary of the Royal Railway Board Johan Harald Hjalmar Willers and Agnes Lindberg. He was the father of Wilhelm (1935–1992), Lennart (born 1937) and Marianne (born 1944).

Death

Rapp died on 23 March 1993 in in Stockholm. The funeral took place on 14 April 1993 in

Solna Church Solna Church () is a so-called round church in Solna Municipality near Stockholm, Sweden. It is part of Solna Parish in the Diocese of Stockholm. The church is located on the headland between Brunnsviken and Ulvsundasjön, at the southern end of ...

. He was interred on 3 August 1993 at in

Ingarö Ingarö is an island in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County. The chief settlement is called Brunn. With an area of 63.26 km2, it is the 16th biggest island in Sweden. Petroglyphs indicate that the island has been inhabited since the Nord ...

, Stockholm County.

Military career

In 1923 Rapp joined the

as a sea cadet *1926–1928 Acting Sub-Lieutenant Swedish Navy *1928–1930 Lieutenant Swedish Navy *1930–1937 Lieutenant

*1937–1942 Captain Swedish Air Force *1942–1943 Major Swedish Air Force *1944–1947 Lieutenant Colonel, Wing commander

*1947–1948 Colonel, Wing commander Blekinge Wing *1948–1951 Vice Chief of the Air Staff *1951–1954 Commander of Fourth Air Group (''Fjärde flygeskadern'', E 4) *1954–1956 Major General, Commander of Third Air Group (''Tredje flygeskadern'', E 3) *1957–1960 Vice Chief of the

*1960–1961 Lieutenant General, Chief of the Air Force *1961–1970 General,

Dates of rank

*7 October 1926 – Acting sub-lieutenant (Navy) *6 October 1928 –

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 ...

(Air Force) *30 June 1937 –

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 ...

*1 July 1942 –

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 ...

*1 April 1944 – Lieutenant colonel *1 July 1947 –

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 ...

*1 October 1955 – Major general *1 July 1960 –

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 ...

*1 October 1961 –

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Knight and Commander of the Orders of His Majesty (16 November 1970) * 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 ...

(23 November 1961) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(5 June 1954) * Order_of_the_Sword_-_Ribbon_bar

Knight of the

(1943) * 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 ...

(1951) *

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 ...

(1945) *

Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization Royal Medal of Merit The Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization Royal Medal of Merit (, SLKGM/SM) is a medal awarded by the Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization since 1943 for great personal effort has been beneficial to the organization through extr ...

in silver * Swedish Navy Medal Torpedo Firing Medal (''Marinens medalj för skjutning med torped'', TorpM)

Foreign

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 1967) * FIN Order of the White Rose Commander 1st Class BAR

1st Class Commander 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 ...

Order of the Lion and the Sun Ribbon Bar - Imperial Iran

Commander 1st Class of Order of Homayoun * 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 ...

(12 April 1965) * DNK Kong Christian den Tiendes frihedsmedaille ribbon bar

King Christian X's Liberty Medal King Christian X's Liberty Medal () was a commemorative decoration awarded by King Christian X for special services to Denmark during World War II. Appearance The medal is circular and made of silver. It is suspended by an integral crown suspens ...

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 ...

(1959) *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 ...

(1962)

Bibliography

References

External links

Entry
at '' Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Rapp, Torsten 1905 births 1993 deaths Swedish Navy officers Swedish Air Force generals Military personnel from Stockholm Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Knights of the Order of Vasa Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit