Swedish Volunteer Company aka Svir Company

The Swede Captain Rickard Nilsson
Mascot in South Karelia




















At the beginning of 1942 yet another Swedish volunteer force was organized, the so-called Svir Company. Around 400 Swedes organized in a Swedish volunteer company held the line in Syväri also known as Svir Front between Lake Ladoga and Onega from 1942 to 1944. They were ordered to Karelia around midsummer 1944 and participated in the furious battles until the war ended in September 1944. In the battles of summer 1944 the company fought with distinction before it was disestablished in Åbo on September 16 1944. During the wars, numerous Swedish volunteers also served in Finnish units in all branches of services and on all fronts. Left image: Captain Rickard Nilsson Commander of the Swedish volunteer company. Nilsson is wearing the Volunteer Clasp with the Swedish Three Crowns for Swedish volunteers in the Finnish Continuation War 1941-1944. The first Swedes that were awarded with this clasp were those that had served at the Hangö-frontier in 1941. The soldiers that served at the Svir-frontier and thereafter at the Karelian Isthmus in 1944 were also awarded with this particular clasp. Commander Rickard Nilsson died aged 57 in 1963. PD. Right image: an unofficial mascot at the front line in Imatra in South Karelia. Credit: Jussi Luostarinen. The Finnish Wartime Photograph Archive.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous17/3/20

    Siinä on sankareita, nöyrät isot KIITOKSET ❤️.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pasi Liski17/12/20

    Ingen ryss hade levande tagit sig igenom svenskarnas frontlinje vid Jandeba sedan Frivilligkompaniet besatt området i slutet av februari 1942. ”Jag är stolt över att ha tillhört den bästa armén i det andra världskriget, även om min insats blev ringa och obetydlig.” Så skrev kapten Rickard Nilsson om sin egen insats vid Jandeba under fortsättningskriget. Efter hemkomsten från Finland återinträdde han i svensk tjänst och arbetade som taktiklärare. 1948 reste han till Etiopien, där han med överstelöjtnants grad verkade som chefsinstruktör för kejsare Haile Selassies Kejserliga garde fram till 1952.

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  3. Benjamin H24/9/21

    The last soldier of the Swedish Volunteer Company has answered the sunset call. Corporal Jan Kjellberg passed away on 6 Sept 2021 at age 97. He volunteered to join up in 1942, at 18 years old.

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  4. 1982 Athens GREECE EUROPE
    they had courage
    AGAINST COMMUNISM hordes
    commusnim won by population

    they had 15 times more personel
    than germans

    I think all allies and germans together
    maybe could defeat COMMUNISM
    50/50 chances
    communism has the power of lies
    nazism unite tribes ..race

    communsim unite class

    I am also poor
    but i dont believe MARXISM lies

    I want my private PROPERTY
    and to expand it

    not a communsit party
    to steal my income
    even taxation is theft

    ReplyDelete
  5. Стефан Николов28/12/21

    Браво на викингите!

    ReplyDelete