To understand Sweden’s stance in WW2 it’s worth stepping a little further back in time to see how Sweden went from a fledgling breakaway kingdom to a European powerhouse…

The Swedes are historically a seafaring people, in no small part due to their country's geographic location at the center of the Baltic Sea. Fishing and maritime trade were central pillars of Sweden's economy, both of which required an armed fleet for their protection. Since well before Sweden's existence as an independent state, the local peoples exhibited remarkable seamanship with their innovative 'Viking' warships. The origin of the Swedish navy as an organized force can be traced back to the early 16th century, as soon as the country claimed its independence from the Kingdom of Denmark. The first Swedish warships were purchased from German ports but throughout the following decades the fleet would steadily grow thanks to local initiative. The golden age of the Swedish navy could be said to have peaked in the 17th century, when the Swedish Empire not only acquired almost complete naval dominance of the Baltic Sea, and were also able to enforce and protect the existence of a handful of overseas colonies.

In the 18th century, the Swedish hegemony in the Baltic would begin to crumble as the growing Russian Empire won successive wars against the weakened Swedes, dominating the region and gaining a sizeable share of the Baltic coast, as well as a competitive navy. Not long after, Sweden lost their centuries-long control of Finland to the Russians. This, coupled with the fear of further Russian expansion sparked a significant change in Sweden's foreign policy, which would remain consistent up to the 21st century: armed neutrality.

Si vis pacem, para bellum

(if you want peace, prepare for war)

Sweden needed to consolidate its holdings in the wake of its rapid military decline on the world stage. To ensure the country’s stability, the only viable option was for neutrality and non-alignment with any military alliances that could give anyone a reason to go to war with them. In the highly divided Europe of the time, this stance was the exception to the rule, as only two other sizeable countries (Switzerland and Spain) would follow a similar path for both World Wars.

WWI-era poster inciting the Swedish people to be ready to defend their nation.

However, neutrality in itself offered no guarantees of safety, so a deterring force was necessary. The main worry throughout the 20th century would still be Russia, and later the Soviet Union. Therefore, the main strategic objectives of the Swedish military were to have a powerful defensive fleet in the Baltic, as well as ensuring an independent Finland to act as a buffer state between both countries.

The Baltic fleet in wartime

By the time of the Second World War, Sweden was still a major player in the Baltic Sea due to its long coastline on the narrow straits of Kattegat and Skagerrak, the only navigable point of entry into the North Sea. The aim of the fleet in wartime was to ensure the passage of its commercial vessels in and out of the Baltic, despite the blockades and roaming submarines of the various fighting nations.

Swedish Navy ships in port. WWII

In keeping with its defensive naval doctrine, Sweden had split the navy into two branches: coastal defense, and the main fleet. At the commencement of the 20th century, Sweden began developing a line of warships that could easily operate near the craggy Scandinavian coast, whilst being covered by the marine infantry, manning forts and defense batteries. An important part of the surface fleet consisted of minelaying vessels, which provided an easy and relatively cheap way of defending the narrow Baltic waterways.

However, the Swedish Navy did have other, more innovative designs up their sleeve...

The Pansarskepp 

Sweden never planned to put any conventional battleships into service. A ship of such tonnage and seakeeping capability simply did not fit the Baltic strategy. Yet, with the advent of the Dreadnought-style battleship across the world, fleet modernization was deemed essential to meet the new global standard. The answer to this dilemma was found in a brand-new design laid out by Swedish engineers: the Sverige-class Pansarskepp (Armored ship), also known as the Coastal Defense battleship. These new warships were to combine the functions of a Heavy Cruiser and a monitor. Like a monitor, these ships were intended to have the biggest guns possible, resting on a relatively small defensive platform; unlike a monitor, the Pansarskepp needed to have superior speed, a higher freeboard, and considerable secondary armament. Regardless, these ships would remain the largest in the Swedish fleet until well into the 1950s.

HMS Sverige. 1930s.

The concept behind the Pansarskepp was not dissimilar to the German Pocket Battleships of the 1930s, which took inspiration from these earlier Swedish warships. Three modern Coastal defense battleships were built between 1912 and 1922, all belonging to the Sverige-class. The profile of these ships closely resembled that of a super-Dreadnought of the time, but upon closer inspection, it becomes obvious that it is actually quite a small ship. The hull of a Sverige-class ship was no bigger than that of a standard light cruiser, with a displacement just below 8,000 tons (compared to the HMS Dreadnought, with 20,000+ tons). Its small sized allowed the ship to prioritize heavy armor protection (up to 200 mm on the main belt) and armament (two 283 mm twin turrets and eight 152 mm secondary guns), and still maintain a steady speed of 22 knots. Most importantly, their small size and weight allowed them to sail in shallow coastal waters, where they could not be reached by heavier enemy ships.

HMS Gustav V.

After the First World War, a wave of pacifism swept across the Scandinavian nation, and naval budgets were cut as the new League of Nations (to which Sweden was a signatory) was expected to carry a large part of the burden of defense. The League’s failure to curtail the rise of aggressive dictatorships in the 1930s in Europe forced Sweden to take matters into their own hands once again, committing them to a new phase of shipbuilding and modernization. The military budget increased by a factor of fourteen between 1939 and 1942, as the war escalated. Fifteen destroyers, 4 submarines and a number of smaller minelayers and torpedo boats were to be laid down by the mid 1940s. Meanwhile, the 9 Coastal Defense Battleships (including the 3 modern Sverige-class), most of which being quite old, were modernized and fitted with the latest navigation equipment, as well as with the popular Swedish-made 40 mm Bofors Anti-Air cannons.

By the Start of World War II, Sweden had only two cruisers. The first of them was Fylgia (1905), a light cruiser, which had to undergo a radical modernization to get up to the standard of the 1940s. The second cruiser, Gotland, was built from scratch in 1935, and she was no ordinary cruiser.

Gotland

Another innovative adaptation made by the Swedish Navy to squeeze as much potential as possible out of their small fleet, Gotland was yet another attempt to combine the functionalities of different warship classes into one hybrid vessel. In this case: a seaplane tender and a light cruiser. With a displacement of 4,700 tons, she was equipped with standard cruiser main armament of six 152 mm guns (two twin turrets – one forward and one aft – plus two in casemates on the fore of the ship’s superstructure). The peculiarity lay in the large flat deck space behind the rear turret that could house 10 Hawker-Osprey seaplanes (as well as 2 more in a hangar) together with the rails and catapults required to move and launch them.

HMS Gotland.

-Telegram sent from Gotland to Swedish Navy HQ.

Gotland was the protagonist of perhaps the most notable naval encounter of the Swedish Navy in World War II, as she arguably played a key role in sealing the fate of battleship Bismarck in 1941. As Bismarck’s convoy was stationed in the Baltic, it needed to pass through the strait of Kattegat with cruiser Prinz Eugen to reach the North Sea. There, it encountered Gotland–engaged in a routine exercise–which proceeded to shadow the German flotilla for several hours. The report sent to the Swedish admiralty by Gotland eventually found its way to British naval officials in Sweden, who in turn prompted the Royal Navy to begin the legendary hunt for the Bismarck.

Flight deck on the stern of Gotland. Note the twin 152 mm guns adjusted to make room for a Hawker-Osprey catapult launch.

Throughout the course of World War II, it is argued that Sweden was neutral only in name, as clear violations of its own neutrality have been well documented, providing assistance to both sides in the conflict. This came in the forms of providing naval intelligence to the Royal Navy or by occasionally giving safe passage to German troops into Norway and Finland. However, it can be argued that even with the best intentions, maintaining neutrality when surrounded on all sides by the threat of war is more than a bit difficult.

If one thing is for certain it’s that Sweden remained true to its commitment to non-belligerence, and their fine-tuned and specialized navy was as good a deterrent as any to anyone who would infringe on its neutrality.