Helge Strömbäck

Vice Admiral Helge Hjalmar Immanuel Strömbäck (26 July 1889 – 20 March 1960) was a Swedish Navy officer. He was the Chief of the Naval Staff from 1942 to 1945 and the Chief of the Navy from 1945 to 1953.

Helge Strömbäck
Vice Admiral Helge Strömbäck at his resignation as Chief of the Navy in 1953.
Birth nameHelge Hjalmar Immanuel Strömbäck
Born(1889-07-26)26 July 1889
Delsbo, Sweden
Died20 March 1960(1960-03-20) (aged 70)
Stockholm, Sweden
Buried
Galärvarvskyrkogården, Stockholm
Service/branchSwedish Navy
Years of service1903–1953
RankVice Admiral
Commands held

Career

Strömbäck was born on 26 July 1889 in Delsbo, Gävleborg County, Sweden, the son of vicar Hjalmar Strömbäck and his wife Ida (née Steinmetz). He became a sea cadet in 1903 and sub-lieutenant in the Swedish Navy in 1909.[1] Strömbäck conducted Russian language studies in Moscow from 1913 to 1914 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1918.[1] He attended the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1918 to 1921 and was a teacher there and at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College. Strömbäck was secretary of the 1929 Defense Investigation and expert assistance in the 1930 Defence Commission.[2] Strömbäck was promoted to commander in 1933 and was head of department at the Naval Staff from 1933 to 1936.[1]

He was captain of the seaplane cruiser HSwMS Gotland in 1936 and then head of the Naval Operations Department in the Defence Staff from 1937 to 1939. Strömbäck was promoted to captain in 1939 and was flag captain of the Coastal Fleet from 1939 to 1941 and Chief of the Naval Staff from 1942 to 1945. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1943 and finally vice admiral in 1945.[1] Strömbäck was Chief of the Navy from 1945 to 1953.[2]

Personal life

In 1921, Strömbäck married Melanie Suchy (1892–1981). He was the father of Melanie (born 1922), Gudrun (born 1925) and Barbro (born 1927).[1] Strömbäck died in 1960 and was buried at Galärvarvskyrkogården in Stockholm.[3]

Dates of rank
  • 28 October 1909 – Acting Sub-Lieutenant (Underlöjtnant)
  • 31 October 1913 – Sub-Lieutenant (Löjtnant)
  • 6 December 1918 – Lieutenant (Kapten)
  • 12 December 1933 – Lieutenant commander
  • 1 April 1937 – Commander
  • 1 April 1939 – Captain
  • 1 October 1943 – Rear Admiral
  • 1 April 1945 – Vice Admiral

Awards and decorations
Vice Admiral Strömbäck inspects the Swedish Auxiliary Naval Corps' cadet school at Dalarö Fortress circa 1950.

Strömbäck's awards:[1]

Honours

Bibliography
  • Strömbäck, Helge (1936). Sverige och Östersjön: en försvarspolitisk studie [Sweden and the Baltic Sea: a defense policy study]. Marinlitteraturföreningen, 0348-2405 ; 40 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes bokförl.

References
  1. Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1945). Vem är vem?. D. 1, Stockholmsdelen [Who is Who?. D. 1, Stockholm part] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. p. 818.
  2. Burling, Ingeborg, ed. (1956). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1957 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1957] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. pp. 916–917.
  3. "Galärvarvskyrkogården, kvarter B, gravnummer 16" (in Swedish). Hittagraven.se. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
Military offices
Preceded by
None		 Defence Staff's Naval Operations Department
1937–1939		 Succeeded by
Stig H:son Ericson
Preceded by
?		 Flag captain of the Coastal Fleet
1939–1941		 Succeeded by
Erik Anderberg
Preceded by
Yngve Ekstrand		 Chief of the Naval Staff
1942–1945		 Succeeded by
Erik Anderberg
Preceded by
Fabian Tamm		 Chief of the Navy
1945–1953		 Succeeded by
Stig H:son Ericson
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by
Bengt Nordenskiöld		 President of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences
1949–1951		 Succeeded by
Birger Hedqvist
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.