During the Scandinavian Viking culture of the 9th and 10th century, the spheres of interest were so distributed, that trade, raiding and colonisation from present-day Sweden primarily went eastward, to Balticum, Russia and the Black Sea, while the Danes (including those in present-day South-Sweden) went southward, and the Norwegians concentrated on Scotland, Ireland and Iceland.
Sweden remained a neutral country duringWorldWar I and WorldWarII (with a brief exception for the Winter War).
In the south of Sweden leaf-bearing trees are prolific, in the north pines and hardy birches dominate the landscape.
During the war the Communist and Nazi press was de-facto banned from distribution.
During the Norwegian Campaign the Norwegian king Haakon VII and his son Crown Prince Olav were refused access to Swedish territory during their escape from the capital.
During the cold warSweden'sneutrality was the subject of Soviet propaganda against Sweden, implying that since Sweden was a former German ally, her independence was not legitimate.
Sweden(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-13)
Sweden was one of the poorest countries in Europe in the 19th century, and shaped by a dogmatic Protestantism, until its natural assets â“ timber, iron ore, grains â“ allowed it to fund a Swedish welfare state in the early 20th century.
Sweden was inhabited by hunters and gatherers during the Stone Age (6000 BC â“ 4000 BC), following the recession of the last ice age â“ the Weichsel glaciation.
During the Viking Age of the 9th and 10th century, Swedish vikings travelled mainly east, to the Baltic countries, Russia and the Black Sea, and via the lakes of Russia, down to southern Europe.
Popular resistance during the war was also bolstered by the knowledge that King Haakon, and the Nygaardsvold government, had resolutely answered "no" to the German demands for submission after the invasion.
During a visit to Hitler in Berlin in the winter of 1939-40, the leader of the national socialist Nasjonal Samling Party, Vidkun Quisling, had pointed out how valuable it would be for Germany to occupy Norway.
During one period, Norwegian vessels were transporting more than 30 per cent of all the oil under shipment from the USA to Great Britain.
During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
Although Germany on her part has strictly adhered to the rules of international law in her relations with the United States during every period of the present war, the Government of the United States from initial violations of neutrality has finally proceeded to open acts of war against Germany.
Rapid and united effort by all of the peoples of the world who are determined to remain free will insure a world victory of the forces of justice and righteousness over the forces of savagery and of barbarism.
When in 1933 Hitler gained power, the world was little, if at all, aware of the intensity and duration of the armed conflict that would follow in just a few short years.
When conditions reached their climax and the Second WorldWar came in 1939, the Western democracies were shocked at the speed at which Poland fell, given that they had seen the Polish army defeat the vast Soviet Union less than a generation before at the Battle of Warsaw (1920).
After Italy's declaration of War on the United Kingdom and France in June of 1940 Italian forces in Libya came under punitive attack from the British in Egypt.
After arriving in Sweden intact, this FW 190 was test flown by Lt Cln Lambert-Meuller of the Swedish air force on 28 February 1945, but on landing the undercarriage did not extend, and the aircraft crash-landed.
The two J.G.54 FW 190 A-8s that landed in Sweden on 8 May 1945 were two of the 50+ FW 190s that evacuated from the Courland pocket on the final day of the war.
Widfeldt, The Luftwaffe in Sweden 1939-1945, Monogram, Boylston, 1983
fw190.hobbyvista.com /sweden.htm (872 words)
European Royalty during World War II(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-13)
If federalization is to be a constructive element in the future development of Europe and not merely a disguised method for keeping Germany as disunited as possible, the historical development of the country should not be overlooked and sacrificed to arbitrary measures conceived as a result of momentary emergencies and tendencies.
The war years were obviously significant in the history of the Balkan, Italian, and Hungarian monarchies -- since in the aftermath of the war all were toppled as a result of communist agitation (with the lone exception of Greece, where the monarchy only just barely survived the communist onslaught).
The role of Europe's royal houses in the history of WorldWarII is therefore important and, at the same time, often underestimated -- as is the role of WorldWarII in the history of Europe's royal houses.
Sweden's Lutheran church applied Nazi race laws to stop Germans living in SwedenduringWorldWarII from marrying Jews, according to research presented Tuesday.
In addition, more than 400 Swedes who married "Germans of so-called Aryan heritage" between 1937 and the end of WorldWarII were forced to sign a written assurance that their parents or grandparents did not have Jewish roots, Jarlert said.
Of late, Sweden has become increasingly self-critical of its role in WorldWarII, when it willingly sold much-needed iron ore to the Germans, and allowed German troops passage into Norway.
For instance, Durschmied recounts how numerous Danish Jews were ferried to SwedenduringWorldWarII, by fisherman who risked their boats, their livelihoods, and their lives to help more than 7,000 Jews escape the clutches of the Nazis.
Detailing heros from WorldWar I through the Hungarian Rebellion against the Soviets in 1956, this book offers a unique look at some of the most important military events to have taken place during the twentieth century, as well as the men and women who helped to make these events so momentous.
DuringWorldWarII, numerous women volunteered to serve as military nurses.
FW: World War II Minor Power Air Forces(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-13)
There were originally three Luftflotte, which increased to six during the war.
By mid war, this ha dchanged a bit to a mix of lighter (2-100 kg) weapons with a few medium (250 and 500 Kg) weapons.
During the Russo-Finnish War, Sweden gave (lent) a number of Gladiators and Harts to Finland, flown by volunteer pilots released from military service.
During the period 1809-1876 there were two heads of government, called Prime Minister for Justice and Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs.
These were equal in status, but soon the Prime Minister for Justice evolved as the leading force of the government, being informally called Chancellor from 1858.
www.worldstatesmen.org /Sweden.html (2827 words)
Other Countries - Sweden(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-13)
Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden were all "deeply engaged in signals intelligence collection against the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War, albeit in great secrecy....
is the Sigint contribution to Swedensneutrality in two worldwars, particularly in the second....
The authors are to be commended for their detailed, up-front explanation of SIGINT: how radio and telegraph coding was used between various countries and their diplomatic missions, what kinds of transmissions third parties could intercept, and the numerous tasks involved in decoding that data....
This story is set in the early years of WorldWarII (before the United States joined the Allied Forces) and tells of a young British man (Dym) whose toddler-aged brother was kidnapped from their large family ten years earlier.
The amazing true story of how the people of Denmark secretly transported their Jewish countrymen by boat to safety in SwedenduringWorldWarII is told through the eyes of a girl and her family who assist in this effort.
Set during the dark days of the Nazi occupation of Holland during WWII, Joris, 10-years-old, and his older brother Dirk Jan are the main characters in this story.
Read about German units during operation Weserubung, Norwegian, British, Soviet and American units, weapons, Nasjonal Samling, Norwegian police in Sweden, Oob's and many other facts, articles and stories!
For those of you that want to ask a question, or participate in a discussion, relating to Norway during ww2, this is the place to be!