Erik Anderberg

Vice Admiral Erik Magnus Anderberg CVO (1 January 1892 – 28 February 1990) was a Swedish Navy officer. He is famous for being the grand architect of the notion of a unified Swedish signal intelligence authority. Anderberg served as commander of the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1943 to 1945, Chief of the Naval Staff from 1945 to 1950 and as commanding officer of the East Coast Naval District from 1951 to 1957.


Erik Anderberg
Anderberg in 1947.
Birth nameErik Magnus Anderberg
Born(1892-01-01)1 January 1892
Stockholm, Sweden
Died28 February 1990(1990-02-28) (aged 98)
Buried
Service/branchSwedish Navy
Years of service1912–1957
RankVice Admiral
Commands held

Career

Anderberg was born on 1 January 1892 in the Rörstrand neighborhood of Stockholm, Sweden,[1] the son of accountant Anders Anderberg and his wife Anna Eidem-Andersson.[2] He was admitted at age 14 at the six-year long course at the Royal Swedish Naval Academy where he became acting sub-lieutenant (underlöjtnant) in 1912.[1] During his time as a cadet, he served, among other things, aboard the cruiser HSwMS Fylgia and the corvette HSwMS Saga.[3] In the same class, throughout the entire education period was Jacob Wallenberg, later the CEO of Stockholms Enskilda Bank. Between these two a constant struggle of becoming first occurred, and a friendship that lasted a lifetime.[3] After the World War II's neutrality watch and education during the first years as an officer, Anderberg made a lasting effort in the signal and intercommunication service. In 1917 he was in France where he was educated at the École spérieure d'électricité in Paris.[3] Anderberg then underwent radio studies in Paris from 1919 to 1920.[4]

During the interwar period, Anderberg's time was filled with teachership at various intercommunication courses, serving as a teacher of intercommunication at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1923 to 1924 and as a naval assistant at the Board of Telecommunications Services (Telegrafstyrelsen).[3] Anderberg was promoted to lieutenant (kapten) in 1921 and served in the Naval Staff from 1922 to 1928 and from 1932 to 1934.[2] At the end of the 1920s, when he served in the Communications Department of the Naval Staff, new signal books were prepared. At the same time, he served as attaché at the International Radiotelegraph Conference in Washington, D.C. From 1934 he participated in the preparation of the International Signal Book.[3] Anderberg served as naval attaché in Paris and The Hauge from 1934 to 1937 when he was promoted to commander.[2] While in Paris, he tutored Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland during his service at the Swedish Embassy.[3]

Anderberg's technical orientation, his intuitive talent, good memory and outstanding language skills made him particularly suitable for tasks in international contexts. He also engaged in ciphers, where he became an expert of international standing.[3] Anderberg is considered the grand architect of the notion of a unified Swedish signal intelligence authority after playing a crucial role both in the practical development of radio monitoring and in the early recruitment of key civilian personnel of high calibre for cryptoanalytical work.[5] In the spring of 1931, regular signal collection of military radio traffic was started on the coastal defence ship HSwMS Drottning Victoria. It comprised Russian, German, and English signals. This was done at the initiative of then captain Anderberg.[6] In 1937 he was appointed head of the Military Signals Department in the new Defence Staff. Before this, under the aegis of the old General Staff, Anderberg had organized courses in cryptology for specially selected candidates from 1930.[5]

In 1940 he was appointed captain of the coastal defence ship HSwMS Sverige, which he commanded until 1941.[2] Anderberg served as flag captain in the Coastal Fleet from 1941 to 1943 and he was promoted to captain in 1942. He was then the head of the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1943 to 1945 when he was promoted to rear admiral. Anderberg was appointed Chief of the Naval Staff in 1945 and five years later he served as naval attaché in Washington, D.C. and Ottawa.[3] In 1951 he was appointed commanding officer of the East Coast Naval District. Anderberg retired and left the position in 1957 and was at the same time promoted to vice admiral.[2] After retirement, Anderberg served on the board of Ericsson and Svenska Ackumulator AB Jungner.[2] Anderberg kept his interest in the navy and what happened there. He participated in gatherings, anniversaries and proven talks despite an increasingly reduced visual capacity.[3]

Personal life

In 1929 he married Margaretha Lindahl (1903–1995), the daughter of Arvid Lindahl and Hulda Larsson. He was the father of Carl (born 1930) and Magnus (born 1938).[7] Anderberg died on 28 February 1990 and was buried at Galärvarvskyrkogården in Stockholm.[8]

Dates of rank

Awards and decorations

Anderberg (right) in 1947.

Anderberg's awards:[7]

Honours

Bibliography

  • Anderberg, Erik (1926). Maritim förbindelsetjänst under världskriget: en studie. Marinlitteraturföreningen, 0348-2405 ; 28 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Marinlitteraturföreningens förl. SELIBR 1339639.

References

  1. "Dödsfall". Svensk sjöfartstidning [The Swedish Shipping Gazette] (in Swedish). Göteborg: Sveriges redareförening (11): 12. 1990. SELIBR 3428612.
  2. Lagerström, Sten, ed. (1968). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1969 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1969] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 27. SELIBR 3681519.
  3. Lindemalm, Åke; Blidberg, Einar (1990). "Erik Magnus Anderberg" (PDF). Tidskrift i sjöväsendet (in Swedish). Carlskrona: Tidskrift i sjöväsendet (4): 183–184. SELIBR 8258455.
  4. Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1943 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1943] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1940. p. 28. SELIBR 10335454.
  5. McKay, C.G.; Beckman, Bengt (2003). Swedish signal intelligence, 1900–1945. Cass series—studies in intelligence. London: Frank Cass. p. 256. ISBN 0-7146-5211-3. SELIBR 8622145.
  6. Beckman, Bengt; Widman, Kjell-Ove (2002). Codebreakers: Arne Beurling and the Swedish crypto program during World War II. Providence, R.I.: American Mathematical Society. p. 30. ISBN 0-8218-2889-4. SELIBR 8631441.
  7. Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1962). Vem är vem? 1, Stor-Stockholm [Who's Who? 1, Greater Stockholm] (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem. p. 41. SELIBR 53509.
  8. "Anderberg, Erik Magnus". www.svenskagravar.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  9. Sveriges statskalender för året 1955 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1955. p. 8.
  10. Sveriges statskalender för året 1955 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1955. p. 68.
  11. Sveriges statskalender för året 1955 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1955. p. 145.
Military offices
Preceded by
None
Defence Staff's Military Signals Department
1937–1940
Succeeded by
Sture Montelius
Preceded by
Helge Strömbäck
Flag captain of the Coastal Fleet
1941–1943
Succeeded by
Erik Samuelson
Preceded by
Eric Öberg
Royal Swedish Naval Staff College
1943–1945
Succeeded by
Ragnar Smith
Preceded by
Helge Strömbäck
Chief of the Naval Staff
1945–1950
Succeeded by
Ragnar Wetterblad
Preceded by
Yngve Ekstrand
East Coast Naval District
1951–1957
Succeeded by
Erik af Klint
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