In 1939, the Germans were prepared for Blitzkrieg, the Allies for Sitzkrieg and the Swedes for Fußkrieg, that is pedestrian-paced warfare. Per Albin had made his notorious declaration in August that ‘our preparedness is good’, an assertion for which he was widely derided in the light of manifest deficiencies in military planning, organisation, equipment and training. Thousands of conscripts experienced this first-hand when they reported for duty: for example being sent to buy suitable replacement boots with the petty cash. What was the real state of Sweden's military forces in 1939?

Pre-War Defence Planning

The Army's share of the defence budget of 146.2 million kroner was 54.5 per cent or 79.7 million kroner. The interwar defence budget-cut decision in 1925 had reduced the army's peacetime and wartime planned strength to four Divisions which the 1936 re-armament decision increased to six wartime Divisions. The 1936 decision envisaged a ten-year build-up and transformation starting in 1937 with an interim reorganisation in 1940. European politics ran to a divergent timetable from that of the Swedish defence planners and by March 1939 Chief of Defence Olof Thörnell had realised that events were shaping up differently.