Swedish overseas trade during World War II

From the German capture of Denmark and Norway, the Swedish overseas trade during World War II was mainly blocked by the battle of the Atlantic, but Swedish diplomats convinced Germany and the United Kingdom to let through a few vessels, mainly to the United States until their entrance into the war, and neutral countries in Latin America. These transports, called lejdtrafiken, "the safe conduct traffic", were monitored by both powers, and ten of them were sunk during the war. Sweden mainly imported petroleum products and agricultural produce, and exported wood products. Overall, petrol imports to Sweden greatly decreased, and substitute fuels were found.[1]

Sweden traded considerable goods with Germany during the war, particularly iron, iron products, ball bearings, and trucks. Sweden attempted to purchase planes from the USA, but these were prohibited by the US government in 1940. Sweden bought 200 planes from Italy instead. As the war progressed, strategic products such as rubber and metals were prohibited.[2]

Some trade was also done using blockade runners like The Gay Viking. Import from Sweden to the United Kingdom was organised in several operations such as Operation Rubble, Operation Performance (March 1942) and Operation Bridford (October 1943 to March 1944).[3] Historian Christian Leitz says that Sweden violated their neutrality by offering the United Kingdom ball bearings at a discount. In 1938 SKF only charged the UK 74% of what they charged Germany and in 1943 only 68%,[4][5][6] whereas historian Eric Bernard Golson says that neutral powers such as Sweden maintained their neutrality and independence by offering economic concessions to the wartime powers to make up for their relative military weakness.[7]

See also

Notes
  1. Hägglöf, M. Gunnar. "A Test of Neutrality: Sweden in the Second World War." International Affairs (1960): 153-167.
  2. Christian Leitz (2000). Nazi Germany and Neutral Europe During the Second World War. Manchester University Press. p. 64ff.
  3. Did Swedish Ball Bearings Keep the Second World War Going? Re‐evaluating Neutral Sweden’s Role
  4. RA UDA/1920ds/HP64Ua/2897, file marked “Juli 1943 – Mars 31 1944,” table marked “SKF:s Totalexport Exkl. Maskiner och Gängtappar under Aren 1938 ‐ 1942,” dated 19 July 1943
  5. Golson, Eric Bernard. The Economics of Neutrality: Spain, Sweden and Switzerland in the Second World War (PDF). The London School of Economics and Political Science.
  6. Leitz, Christian (2000). Nazi Germany and Neutral Europe During the Second World War. Manchester University Press. p. 75.
  7. Golson, Eric Bernard. The Economics of Neutrality: Spain, Sweden and Switzerland in the Second World War (PDF). The London School of Economics and Political Science. page 3.


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