Gustaf Welin
Welin as major general.
Birth nameNils Gustaf Axel Welin
Born(1930-07-12)12 July 1930
Gothenburg, Sweden
Died11 November 2008(2008-11-11) (aged 78)
Stockholm, Sweden
Buried
Solna Cemetery
AllegianceSweden
Service/branchSwedish Army
Years of service1952–1992
RankLieutenant General
Commands held
Battles/warsCyprus dispute
Arab–Israeli conflict

Lieutenant General Nils Gustaf Axel Welin (12 July 1930 – 11 November 2008) was a senior Swedish Army officer. Welin served as head of the Swedish National Defence College (1984–1987), as Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) (1986–1988) and as Commanding General of the Southern Military District (1988–1992).

Early life

Welin was born on 12 July 1930 in Gothenburg Vasa Parish (Göteborgs Vasa församling), Gothenburg and Bohus County, Sweden[1] the son of colonel Axel Welin and his wife Märta (née Löfgren).[2] His father was born in Stockholm and participated in the Winter War as chief engineer in the Swedish Volunteer Corps.[3] He later became commander of the Svea Engineer Corps/Regiment (1953–1959) in Stockholm, and his mother was a board member of the Right-Wing Party's and later the Moderate Party's women's association in Engelbrekt Parish, as well as served for many years as a juror in the Stockholm District Court. His sister Birgitta was a librarian in Vaxholm and was married to the Justice of the Supreme Court of Sweden Tor Sverne [sv].[4] After Welin's family moved to Stockholm, he passed studentexamen at Norra Real in 1949.[5][6]

Career

Welin was commissioned as an officer in 1952 and was assigned as a second lieutenant to the Svea Life Guards. He attended the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College from 1960 to 1962, served as captain in the Defence Staff in 1964 and in Västerbotten Regiment in 1967. He then served as company commander with the United Nations in Cyprus, part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) from 1967 to 1968. Welin attended the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College in 1968 and was promoted to major. He served as lieutenant colonel in the Defence Staff in 1971 and at the Ministry of Defence from 1972 to 1973. Welin served in Hälsinge Regiment in 1974, was promoted to colonel in 1975 and served at the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College the same year, and attended the Swedish National Defence College in 1976.

From 1 October 1977, Welin served as deputy commander of Värmland Regiment in Karlstad.[7] Welin was appointed chief of staff of the Western Military District in Skövde from 1 April 1979 and was appointed senior colonel in the General Staff Corps.[8] On 1 October 1980, he was appointed chief of staff of the Eastern Military District in Strängnäs and was appointed major general at the same time.[9] In 1981, Welin attended a staff school in United States.[5] On 1 April 1984, Welin assumed the position of head of the Swedish National Defence College.[10]

On 1 July 1986, he succeeded major general Gustav Hägglund as Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights in Israel, with headquarters in Damascus, Syria.[11] He served in this position until September 1988.[12] On 1 October 1988, Welin was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed Commanding General of the Southern Military District in Kristianstad.[13] He served in this position until 1992 when he retired from active service. Welin was then head of the Office of the Minister of Defence in the Ministry of Defence from 1993 to 1994.[2] As appointed by Minister of Defence Anders Björck, Welin did a solo investigation into where the UN school and a possible international disaster and aid center should be located; Karlsborg or Södertälje.[14]

Welin took an active part in the defence debate with articles in the daily press and he was a commentator in Radio/TV between 1968 and 1973.[5] Welin was also a board member of the Swedish Fencing Federation (Svenska Fäktförbundet) from 1974 to 1982[2] and chairman of the Sveagardesföreningen from 1993 to 2000 and in the association De Femton. Welin became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences in 1973 and served as chairman of Departmen I from 1996 to 2000 and was vice president from 2002 to 2006.[5]

Personal life

Welin got engage to Coco Selfelt in March 1954.[15] The banns of marriage were issued on 10 October 1954 and on 5 November 1954 in Gustaf Adolf Church, Stockholm,[16] Welin married Lillemor Gunvor Elisabet (Coco) Selfelt (1931–1997), the daughter of lieutenant colonel Robert Selfelt and Gunvor (née Lindeman).[2][17] They had two children: Anders (born 31 May 1957 at Allmänna BB, Stockholm),[18] and Elisabeth (born 14 May 1960 at Allmänna BB, Stockholm).[19][5]

Death

Welin, who suffered from COPD,[5] died on 11 November 2008 in Engelbrekt Parish, Stockholm.[20] The funeral took place in the Gustaf Adolf Church on 18 December 2008.[21] He was interred on 15 June 2009 at Solna Cemetery.[17]

Dates of rank

Awards and decorations

Honours

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ Sveriges befolkning 1980 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Sveriges släktforskarförb. 2004. ISBN 9187676370. SELIBR 9632925.
  2. ^ a b c d e Salander Mortensen, Jill, ed. (1996). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1997 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1997] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 1174. ISBN 91-1-960852-7. SELIBR 3681533.
  3. ^ "Axel Welin". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 9 June 1983. p. 20. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Märta Welin". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 15 March 1980. p. 16. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Rossander, Erik (2009). "Minnesteckningar över bortgångna ledamöter" (PDF). Kungl. Krigsvetenskapsakademiens Handlingar och Tidskrift (in Swedish) (6). Stockholm: Kungl. Krigsvetenskapsakademien: 7–8. SELIBR 3417415.
  6. ^ Lönnberg, Patrick (8 March 2019). "Rikskända personer som varit elever i Norra Real" (in Swedish). Norra Real. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Många utnämningar inom försvaret". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 18 March 1977. p. 11. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  8. ^ "officiellt". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 24 November 1978. p. 14. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Armén, flottan, flyget: Militära utnämningar". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 21 December 1979. p. 15. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Försvarshögskolan". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 11 November 1983. p. 19. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  11. ^ "Gustaf Welin". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 7 June 1986. p. 17. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  12. ^ "UNDOF Force Commanders since 1974" (PDF). United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. June 2014. p. 16. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  13. ^ "FN-observatör ny chef för milo Syd". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Stockholm. TT. 30 March 1988. p. 6. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  14. ^ Olofson, Sune (21 March 1993). "Strid om placeringen av FN-utbildningen". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 9. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  15. ^ "FÖRLOVADE". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 26 March 1954. p. 2A. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  16. ^ "LYSNING". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 4 October 1954. p. 2A. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Nils Gustaf Axel Welin". www.finngraven.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  18. ^ "FÖDDE". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1 June 1957. p. 2A. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  19. ^ "FÖDDE". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 16 May 1960. p. 2A. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  20. ^ Sveriges dödbok 1901-2009 [Swedish death index 1901-2009] (in Swedish) (Version 5.0 ed.). Solna: Sveriges släktforskarförbund. 2010. ISBN 9789187676598. SELIBR 11931231.
  21. ^ "DÖDA". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 23 November 2008. p. 43. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  22. ^ Kungl. Hovstaterna: Kungl. Maj:ts Ordens arkiv, Matriklar (D 1), vol. 14 (1970–1979), p. 59, digital imageing.
Military offices Preceded byJohn Petersson Värmland Brigade 1978–1978 Succeeded byKrister Larsson Preceded byRobert Lugn Chief of Staff of the Western Military District 1979–1980 Succeeded byJan Enquist Preceded byErik G. Bengtsson Chief of Staff of the Eastern Military District 1980–1984 Succeeded byRoland Grahn Preceded byBengt Liljestrand Swedish National Defence College 1984–1987 Succeeded byBror Stefenson Preceded byGustav Hägglund United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) July 1986 – September 1988 Succeeded byAdolf Radauer Preceded byCarl Björeman Commanding General, Southern Military District 1988–1992 Succeeded byOwe Wiktorin
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