Axel Ljungdahl

Axel Ljungdahl
Birth name Axel Georg Ljungdahl
Born (1897-08-07)7 August 1897
Lund, Sweden
Died 12 April 1995(1995-04-12) (aged 97)
Stockholm, Sweden
Allegiance Sweden
Service/branch Swedish Air Force
Years of service 1918–1960
Rank General
Commands held F 1 Hässlö
Third Air Group
Chief of the Air Force

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

Career

Ljungdahl was born 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 Gymnastic Central 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 commanding officer of F 1 Hässlö 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 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

Awards and decorations

Ljungdahl's awards:[2]

Bibliography

  • Ljungdahl, Axel (1985). Samvete och samhällsplikt: en undersökning av värnpliktiga som sökt vapenfri tjänst åren 1967-1976 (in Swedish). LIBRIS 786096.
  • Ljungdahl, Axel; Nordenskiöld, Bengt (1972). En flygofficers minnen [Memories of an Air Force Officer] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. ISBN 91-1-725652-6. LIBRIS 7151734.
  • Ljungdahl, Axel (1969). Profetrörelser: deras orsaker, innebörd och förutsättningar. Stockholm studies in comparative religion, 0562-1070 ; 10 (in Swedish). Stockholm. LIBRIS 8079115.
  • Ljungdahl, Axel (1960). Ett sätt att se på livet: föredrag för Flygvapnets officerare (in Swedish). [Sverige]. LIBRIS 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.] LIBRIS 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. LIBRIS 2100439.

References

  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. LIBRIS 9649168.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 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. LIBRIS 53509.
  3. ↑ "Mångkunnig flygvapenchef". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 1995-04-20. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  4. 1 2 Olson, Sven-Olof (1995). "En hyllning till general Axel Ljungdahl" (PDF). Flygvapennytt (in Swedish). Stockholm: Flygstaben (2): 18. LIBRIS 8257600.
  5. ↑ Sveriges handelskalender 1971 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier. 1971. p. 484. LIBRIS 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. LIBRIS 3681523.
  7. ↑ "Ljungdahl, AXEL GEORG" (in Swedish). Svenskagravar.se. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
Military offices
Preceded by
Gustav Ström		 Commander of F 1 Hässlö
1939–1942		 Succeeded by
Gustaf Adolf Westring
Preceded by
Folke Ramström		 Commander of Third Air Group
1947–1954		 Succeeded by
Torsten Rapp
Preceded by
Bengt Nordenskiöld		 Chief of the Air Force
1954–1960		 Succeeded by
Torsten Rapp
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