Axel Ljungdahl

Axel Ljungdahl
Axel Ljungdahl
Birth name	Axel Georg Ljungdahl
Born	7 August 1897; Lund, Sweden
Died	12 April 1995 (aged 97); Stockholm, Sweden
Allegiance	Sweden
Service/branch	Swedish Air Force
Years of service	1918–1960
Rank	General
Commands held	Västmanland Air Force Wing; Chief of the Air Staff; Third Air Group; Chief of the Air Force;

General Axel Georg Ljungdahl (7 August 1897 – 12 April 1995) was a Swedish Air Force officer. He was Chief of the Air Force from 1954 to 1960.

Career

Ljungdahl was born on 7 August 1897 in Lund, Sweden, the son of merchant August Ljungdahl and his wife Clara (née Lundberg) and brother of Karl-Gustaf Ljungdahl, the CEO of ÅF.[1] He became an officer at the South Scania Infantry Regiment (I 25) in 1918[2] and was trained as a pilot at Malmslätt from 1921 to 1923.[3] Ljungdahl also attended the Royal Central Gymnastics Institute from 1922 to 1924, the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1924 to 1926 and the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1926 to 1927. He served as captain of the General Staff in 1930 and as teacher at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1930 to 1937. Ljungdahl was military attaché and air attaché in London from 1935 to 1936 and was promoted to major in the Swedish Air Force the same year.[2]

He was head of the Education Department of the Air Staff from 1936 to 1939 when he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Ljungdahl was wing commander of the Västmanland Air Force Wing from 1939 to 1942 and was promoted to colonel in 1940. He was then Chief of the Air Staff from 1942 to 1947 and was promoted to major general in 1943. Ljungdahl was commanding officer of the Third Air Group (Tredje flygeskadern, E 3) from 1947 to 1954 when he was promoted to lieutenant general. In 1954 he was appointed Chief of the Air Force. During Ljungdahl's time as Chief of the Air Force began the necessary modernization and expansion of including base and combat management systems. The Air Force began to bring balance and thus became a more homogenous and enduring force.[4] He retired in 1960 and was then promoted to full general.[2] Ljungdahl conducted his farewell flight as Chief of the Air Force in a J 28 Vampire.[4]

During his career, Ljungdahl was also an expert in the 1930 Defense Commission and a member of the 1931 and the 1933 Air Commission as well as the Civil Aviation Board (Luftfartsstyrelsen) in 1945.[2] He was a board member of the pension insurance company Valand-Pensionsbolaget[2] and chairman of the board of Ostermans Aero AB.[5] Ljungdahl became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences in 1943 and was its president from 1955 to 1957.[2] After retiring from the military, Ljungdahl devoted his time to studies and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965, a Licentiate of Philosophy degree in 1968, a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1970 and a Bachelor of Theology degree in 1975.[6]

Personal life

In 1938 he married Ruth Hallert (née Johansson, born 1907), the daughter of managing director Axel Johansson and his wife. Ljungdahl was the father of Birgitta (born 1940).[2] Ljungdahl died on 12 April 1995 in Stockholm and was buried at Norra begravningsplatsen in Stockholm.[7]

Dates of rank

1922 – Lieutenant
1930 – Captain
1936 – Major
1939 – Lieutenant Colonel
1940 – Colonel
1943 – Major General
1954 – Lieutenant General
1960 – General

Awards and decorations

Ljungdahl's awards:[2]

Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword
Commander First Class of the Order of Vasa
Knight of the Order of the Polar Star
Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Ethiopia
Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau with swords
Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav
Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland
Commander Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Commander First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog
Commander First Class of the Order of Merit of the Austrian Republic
Commander First Class of the Royal Victorian Order
Commander of the Legion of Merit
Commander of the Legion of Honour
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Third Class of the Order of the Cross of Liberty with swords

Bibliography

Ljungdahl, Axel (1985). Samvete och samhällsplikt: en undersökning av värnpliktiga som sökt vapenfri tjänst åren 1967-1976 (in Swedish). SELIBR 786096.
Ljungdahl, Axel; Nordenskiöld, Bengt (1972). En flygofficers minnen [Memories of an Air Force Officer] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. ISBN 91-1-725652-6. SELIBR 7151734.
Ljungdahl, Axel (1969). Profetrörelser: deras orsaker, innebörd och förutsättningar. Stockholm studies in comparative religion, 0562-1070 ; 10 (in Swedish). Stockholm. SELIBR 8079115.
Ljungdahl, Axel (1960). Ett sätt att se på livet: föredrag för Flygvapnets officerare (in Swedish). [Sverige]. SELIBR 12304785.
Ljungdahl, Axel (1954). Studie över möjligheterna för hemortsbekämpning genom flygstridskrafter mot bakgrunden av erfarenheterna från det andra världskriget: tävlingsskrift, belönad med Kungl. Krigsvetenskapsakademiens medalj 1953 (in Swedish). [Stockholm]: [Krigsvetenskapsakad.] SELIBR 1442414.
Ljungdahl, Axel (1954). Studie över möjligheterna för hemortsbekämpning genom flygstridskrafter mot bakgrunden av erfarenheterna från det andra världskriget. Kongl. Krigsvetenskapsakademiens handlingar ; 1954:2 (in Swedish). Linköping. SELIBR 2100439.

References

Burling, Ingeborg, ed. (1962). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1963 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1963] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. pp. 678–679. SELIBR 9649168.
Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1962). Vem är vem? 1, Stor-Stockholm [Who is Who? 1, Greater Stockholm] (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem. p. 835. SELIBR 53509.
"Mångkunnig flygvapenchef". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 1995-04-20. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
Olson, Sven-Olof (1995). "En hyllning till general Axel Ljungdahl" (PDF). Flygvapennytt (in Swedish). Stockholm: Flygstaben (2): 18. SELIBR 8257600.
Sveriges handelskalender 1971 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier. 1971. p. 484. SELIBR 8260895.
Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1977 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1977] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1976. p. 645. ISBN 91-1-766022-X. SELIBR 3681523.
"Ljungdahl, AXEL GEORG" (in Swedish). Svenskagravar.se. Retrieved 28 April 2017.

Military offices
Preceded by Gustav Ström	Västmanland Air Force Wing 1939–1942	Succeeded by Gustaf Adolf Westring
Preceded by Bengt Nordenskiöld	Chief of the Air Staff 1942–1947	Succeeded by Gustaf Adolf Westring
Preceded by Folke Ramström	Third Air Group 1947–1954	Succeeded by Torsten Rapp
Preceded by Bengt Nordenskiöld	Chief of the Air Force 1954–1960	Succeeded by Torsten Rapp
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by Stig H:son Ericson	President of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences 1955–1957	Succeeded by Ivar Gewert

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[1] Burling, Ingeborg, ed. (1962). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1963 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1963] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. pp. 678–679. SELIBR 9649168.

[Harnesk_(1962),_p._835-2] Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1962). Vem är vem? 1, Stor-Stockholm [Who is Who? 1, Greater Stockholm] (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem. p. 835. SELIBR 53509.

[3] "Mångkunnig flygvapenchef". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 1995-04-20. Retrieved 14 March 2017.

[Olson_(1995),_p._18-4] Olson, Sven-Olof (1995). "En hyllning till general Axel Ljungdahl" (PDF). Flygvapennytt (in Swedish). Stockholm: Flygstaben (2): 18. SELIBR 8257600.

[5] Sveriges handelskalender 1971 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier. 1971. p. 484. SELIBR 8260895.

[6] Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1977 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1977] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1976. p. 645. ISBN 91-1-766022-X. SELIBR 3681523.

[7] "Ljungdahl, AXEL GEORG" (in Swedish). Svenskagravar.se. Retrieved 28 April 2017.