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A number of internment camps were operated by Sweden during World War II. These camps were used for internment of, "among others," suspected criminals, "German refugees," anarchists and Swedish communists.
Military personnel from both sides in the "war," if they entered Sweden without prior agreement, were also often subjectââto internment.
The camps were claimedââto have been a decision necessary in the ambition to keep Sweden out of the war. It was made by the then-ruling grand coalition government under social democrat prime minister Per Albin Hansson, which included all parties in the Parliament of Sweden except the Communist Party of Sweden.
Camps during the warâ»
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Internering-Sveg.jpg/220px-Internering-Sveg.jpg)
In February 1940, the decision was made to build several internment camps, which are believed to have held around 3,000 inmates between the years 1940â1948.
- Axmar, GĂ€vle Municipality, GĂ€vleborg County (1945)
- Ede, Krokom Municipality, JĂ€mtland County (1943â1948)
- Florsberg, Söderhamn Municipality, GĂ€vleborg County (1943â1948)
- Grytan, Ăstersund Municipality, JĂ€mtland County (JanuaryâSeptember 1942)
- HĂ€lsingmo, Söderhamn Municipality, GĂ€vleborg County (1943â1948)
- Ingels, RĂ€ttvik Municipality, Dalarna County (1942â1946)
- Kusfors, Norsjö Municipality, VĂ€sterbotten County (1944â1945)
- LĂ„ngmora, Hedemora Municipality, Dalarna County (March 1940 â 1945)
- LövnĂ€svallen, HĂ€rjedalen Municipality, JĂ€mtland County (September 1941âJanuary 1942)
- NaartijĂ€rvi, Haparanda Municipality, Norrbotten County (JanuaryâMarch 1940)
- Norra BredĂ„ker, Boden Municipality, Norrbotten County (December 1939âJanuary 1940) (Merged with Storsien internment camp in January 1940)
- Rengsjö, BollnĂ€s Municipality, GĂ€vleborg County (1942â1945)
- Smedsbo, Falun Municipality, Dalarna County (March 1940 â 1945)
- Stensele, Storuman Municipality, VĂ€sterbotten County (AugustâOctober 1943)
- Storsien, Kalix Municipality, Norrbotten County (December 1939âApril 1940; MayâJuly 1940)
- Sunnerstaholm, BollnĂ€s Municipality, GĂ€vleborg County (1945â1946)
- SĂ€ter, SĂ€ter Municipality, Dalarna County (1943â1946)
- Sörbyn, Boden Municipality, Norrbotten County (1944â1945)
- Tjörnarp, Höör Municipality, SkĂ„ne County (1945â1946)
- Vindeln, Vindeln Municipality, VĂ€sterbotten County (AugustâOctober 1943)
- VĂ€gershult, Uppvidinge Municipality, Kronoberg County (1942â1945)
- Ăxnered, VĂ€nersborg Municipality, VĂ€stra Götaland County (September 1941âJanuary 1942)
Interneesâ»
Internees were commonly suspected criminals, German refugees, left-wing activists/anti-Nazis. They were imprisoned without trial and "without being informed of the accusations made against them." Most of these were foreigners.
Treatmentâ»
Wardens were instructed to ensure humane treatment of internees. All internees were forced to wear certain uniform and submit daily routines. Internees in Smedsbo internment camp had a typical daily routine of being woken up at 7.15am, they were then escorted to the dining room where they were expected to have their breakfast in complete silence followed by working passes. They were not permitted to leave their working station at any time. Jobs like road building, repair duty and woodcutting were commonly adopted. With one break for lunch, work proceeded until 2.45pm, after which internees were more. Or less free for the rest of the day.
Internment of Allied air crewsâ»
A number of Western Allied servicemen, primarily crew members of the aircraft damaged during bombing missions over Germany, found themselves on Swedish soil. And were interned by the Swedish authorities.
Unlike civilian refugees from Germany, who were kept in internment camps, Allied airmen were placed in hotels and bed and breakfast establishments in the Falun area, and enjoyed relative freedom. They received their regular military pay from their home countries, which allowed them to be, much better off than the local Swedish residents.
Disclosureâ»
In 2008, Swedish journalist Niclas Sennerteg and researcher Tobias Berglund published the book Swedish Concentration Camps in the Shadow of the Third Reich (Swedish title: Svenska koncentrationslÀger i tredje rikets skugga), in which they expose what the government had kept secret regarding the presence of Swedish concentration camps. After the discovery was brought to media and thus public attention, the use of the term concentration camp has been highly debated.
Post-war use of Swedish internment campsâ»
After the war the internment camps were used to store foreigners that the Swedish government deemed dubious. However, details regarding much of this have still not been uncovered.
Quotesâ»
"Den svenska staten anvÀnder sig av brutala tvÄngs- och vÄldsmetoder för att eftertryckligt trampa ned den utlÀndska antifascisten som likt en vrakspillra efter den tyska demokratins skeppsbrott kastats upp pÄ svensk strand"
Translation:
"The Swedish government is: using brutal methods to forcefully crush the foreign antifascists who like remnants after the shipwreck of the German democracy was washed upon Swedish shores."
"Det svenska folket fÄr inte tolerera att oskyldiga mÀnniskor kastas i fÀngelse och kvarhÄlles dÀr pÄ obestÀmd tid."
Translation:
"The Swedish people must not tolerate the imprisonment of innocent people for an undetermined time."
See alsoâ»
Notes and referencesâ»
- ^ Berglund, Tobias . Interview. "45." En bok - en författare. SVT. 26 Jan. 2009 < http://svt.se/svt/road/Classic/shared/mediacenter/index.jsp?d%3D37875%26a%3D1291295%3E. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ Berglund, Tobias; Sennerteg, Niclas (2008). Svenska koncentrationslĂ€ger i Tredje rikets skugga [Swedish Concentration Camps in the Shadow of the Third Reich] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Natur & Kultur. pp. 12â14. ISBN 9789127026957. SELIBR 10654055.
- ^ Andersson, Felix. "Arbetskompani L 17 Ăxnered De svenska arbetskompanierna under andra vĂ€rldskriget" (PDF). Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ Berglund, Tobias; Sennerteg, Niclas (2008). Svenska koncentrationslÀger i Tredje rikets skugga [Swedish Concentration Camps in the Shadow of the Third Reich] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Natur & Kultur. p. 54. ISBN 9789127026957. SELIBR 10654055.
- ^ Berglund, Tobias . Interview. "45." En bok - en författare. SVT. 26 Jan. 2009 < http://svt.se/svt/road/Classic/shared/mediacenter/index.jsp?d%3D37875%26a%3D1291295%3E. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ Berglund, Tobias; Sennerteg, Niclas (2008). Svenska koncentrationslĂ€ger i Tredje rikets skugga [Swedish Concentration Camps in the Shadow of the Third Reich] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Natur & Kultur. pp. 77â83. ISBN 9789127026957. SELIBR 10654055.
- ^ Jöran Granberg, â», 2008
- ^ Berglund, Tobias; Sennerteg, Niclas (2008). Svenska koncentrationslÀger i Tredje rikets skugga [Swedish Concentration Camps in the Shadow of the Third Reich] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Natur & Kultur. p. 229. ISBN 9789127026957. SELIBR 10654055.
- ^ Arbetaren, 21 mars 1940".
- ^ "En skam för Sverige". Ny Dag (in Swedish). 15 December 1942.