Sweden in T2K

[Raellus]

Agree with you on all points, Dark.

The m/45's appearance as a sanitized weapon in Poland, c. 2001 is somewhat ironic as U.S. SOF carried them on covert ops in Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Thanks for calling my attention to the Kpist m/37-39. I wasn't aware of its existence.

On a bit of a tangent, I can also see the Swedes mounting hearts and minds ops in relatively secure areas- teams of medical personnel and engineers helping to repair bodies and infrastructure.

[ArmySGT.]

Why wouldn't neutral Sweden be the exchange point for POWs instead? There is enough influence in that.

There is heavy fighting all around them. 100 Fins for 100 Soviets, as an example.

Also Sweden maybe an ironic place where Soviets and NATO troops openly mingle in open air markets buying luxuries and food.

Sweden would be flooded with refugee children and the only place maybe with University level education intact.

[WallShadow]

Here's a bit of industrial trivia that would provide any Swedish-supplied troops with an advantage--the city of Falkenburg is the site of an aramid-fiber production plant--body armor and splinter-shielding for everybody!

[ArmySGT.]

Antenna hasn't been on in two years. Maybe send him an email and get his input? I think he is Finnish.

How many Royals and 1% have parked their kids in neutral Sweden and Switzerland? There is your influence and leverage. The Royals are all inter related in some way; Usually through Queen Victoria.

Do the Swede's really need to even bother with sanitized weapons and equipment after 4 years of world war? Anyone raises a stink just tell them that armories for reserve troops were looted by marauders and sold on the black market.

[mpipes]

This is my take on Sweden in my modified timeline.

The repaired USS Enterprise leaves Narvik on the 16th February. Tipped off by a Soviet agent, the Soviets launch an air strike conducted through Swedish airspace. Analysts note that the escorting aircraft this time are long range SU27 Flankers. Sweden intercepts the strike, catching the Soviets by surprise, downing a number of attacking TU22M Backfires as well as Flanker escorts. Although a number of missiles are launched targeting the carrier, all are successfully engaged by the escorting cruisers and frigates or fighters. The Soviets suffer relatively light losses, as they wisely choose to break off the attack rather than risk getting caught in a pincer between Swedish Gripens and U.S. Tomcats. Sweden protests to the Soviet Union against the use of its air space and warns both NATO and the Pact that they intend to aggressively defend their airspace. However, before the end of March, Sweden declares war on the side of NATO as New Pact aircraft and submarines kept repeatedly violating Swedish territorial limits and attacking Swedish shipping. Swedish troops deploy north into the northern front with a few units moving into northern Germany.

[Raellus]

Interesting take, Mpipes.

@ArmySGT, I think Antenna is Swedish. I suppose Sweden could hope to gain influence by harboring V.I.P.s, but it's a little too passive for my tastes, and with no guarantees. "Leverage" sort of implies strong-arm tactics, but I don't think that you are suggesting that Sweden use "guests" as hostages to achieve political/economic ends.

I don't think that brokering prisoner exchanges between the Finns and Soviets is going to help Sweden gain influence in Poland.

Your Casablanca idea is intriguing, but I don't see Sweden allowing NATO and/or Soviet troops on its soil, even unarmed.

Sanitizing gear requires minimum effort and still, IMHO, lends itself better to plausible deniability than claiming marauders somehow made it to Sweden, stole a bunch of Swedish military guns, and then made their way back to Poland.

[Raellus]

Bottom line for me is that, as of early 2001, Sweden is in the best position of any nation east of France to emerge as Northern/Central Europe's leading economic and military power. Canon says that, as of mid-to-late 2000, the U.S.S.R. can no longer control its Baltic republics, and Ukraine is in open rebellion. Sweden is well positioned to lend covert support to the Baltics with the aim of bringing them into its sphere of influence. It could also support friendly factions in northern Poland, with like goals. Granted, this posits a Swedish government that is ambitious and not overly risk averse (in the spirit of Gustavus Adolphus).

Personally, I really like the idea of formerly neutral Sweden emerging as a power player c.2001. As a campaign designer, it opens up interesting new possibilities for NPCs, weapons and equipment, and PC options.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by ArmySGT.

Antenna hasn't been on in two years. Maybe send him an email and get his input? I think he is Finnish.

Antenna is Swedish, but is of Finnish extraction.

[RN7]

I don't think Sweden actually believed that its neutrality would survive a major war in Europe, largely because the Soviet's (and the Swedes) believed Sweden was part of the West. Although in the Twilight War Sweden's neutrality did seem to have been more or less respected.

Swedish neutrality since the early 19th Century was more to do with suiting themselves than any ideals about being a peaceful country. Sweden had pretty much fought itself out during previous European conflicts, and despite being the largest Scandinavian country it was rapidly overtaken by the larger European powers by the 19th Century. Also the other Scandinavian countries didn't entirely trust Sweden due to past dominance over them, and Sweden still had ambitions on Norway into the 1850's. During the two world wars Sweden had an uncomfortably close relationship with Germany for a neutral country, and British and French intervention in Norway in 1940 was as much to with preventing Swedish iron ore from reaching Germany as it was in helping Norwegian independence.

As Dark as already pointed out Sweden had a close relationship with the U.S. and NATO during the Cold War, and they also shared a lot of intelligence on the Soviets with NATO. They also traded weapons with many NATO countries during the Cold War, particularly with Britain and today most of the Swedish defence sector is British owned.

Sweden also believed in armed neutrality, and they were very heavily armed with a large indigenous defence sector. Sweden built and designed most of its own weapons, ranging from rifles to tanks, fighter jets and submarines. What they didn't design or build themselves they generally built under license, and license building of other Western arms and components only enhanced the already advanced Swedish defence sector.

Sweden wasn't targeted by Soviet nuclear weapons during the Twilight War, at least there is no mention of it. And it is likely to have survived conventional attack or invasion due to the fact that Sweden fighting with NATO would have severely compromised the Soviet's defence position in the Baltic and Arctic theatres due to the fact that Sweden has a very powerful army. This would have left a relatively intact Sweden in an advantageous position in Northern Europe at the end of the Twilight War.

Would Sweden have sent mercenary groups outside of its own territory with government backing to secure Swedish interests? Highly likely. In fact I would be surprised if Sweden didn't actually send larger forces outside of its territory to secure a number of Swedish interests and there are quite a few.

1) Swedes in Finland: About 10% of Finland's population is ethnically Swedish, and over 5% of them still speak Swedish as their first language. They are concentrated in the Aland Islands in the Gulf of Bothnia, and in communities on the western and southern coast of Finland. Some naval and land forces could be sent to secure these areas.

2) The Baltic Approaches: Passing through the Skagerrak and Kattegat is necessary to enter the Baltic Sea from the west. Although Sweden shares control with Denmark and Norway, Denmark geographically dominates the region. With Denmark disorientated due to the war and nuclear attacks, I could see Swedish naval and air forces patrolling this region and some Swedish land forces on the Danish island of Zealand.

3) Oil: The Swedes need oil like everyone else, and the nearest source is Norway. I think we could see some Swedish forces in Norway (maybe in cooperation with the Norwegians) to secure oil resources and infrastructure in the North Sea and Norwegian deep sea ports.

4) Southern Baltic Coast: As Sweden is still an intact nation, a lot of refugees will want to make their way to Sweden from across the Baltic Sea. So we could seen some Swedish naval and air activity along the southern Baltic coast which includes Denmark, Germany, Poland and the Baltic States. Also Sweden will be taking an interest in who's in charge and of any emerging threats across the Baltic region. So it is likely that it will be here that we will see most Swedish mercenary activity, volunteers with the unofficial approval of their government.


Army

Peacetime Establishment
Army: 44,500 (37,700 conscripts)
6 Military Commands (1st, 3rd, 12th, 13th, 15th divisions and 18th (Gotland) Brigade)

War Establishment (725,000 on mobilisation)
Field Army: 350,000

• 6 Armoured Brigade (6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 18th, 26th)
• 1 Mechanised Brigade (10th)
• 18 Infantry Brigade (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 21st, 33rd, 38th, 41st, 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th)
• 5 Arctic Infantry (Norrland) Brigade (13th, 19th, 35th, 50th, 51st)
• 9 Artillery Regiment (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 8th, 9th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th)
• 1 Aviation Battalion (1st)
• 100 independent battalions (armoured, infantry, artillery, air defence)

Local Defence Units: 250,000

• 60 Independent battalions, 400-500 Independent companies

Home Guard: 125,000

• Assorted infantry, artillery, static artillery and air defence units

Equipment
Tanks: 785 (450x Centurion, 335x Strv-103)
Light Tanks: 200 (200x Ikv-91)
APC: 600 (600x Pbv-302)
SP Artillery: 30 (30x 155mm BK-1A)
Artillery: 990 (300x 155mm FH-77, 140x 150mm M-39, 550x 105mm Type-40)
Mortar: 1,500 (500x 120mm, 1,000x 81mm)
ATGW: RB-53 Bantam, RB-56 Bill, TOW
Recoilless Rifle: AT-4, Carl Gustav, Miniman
AD Guns: 714 (600x 40mm, 114x 20mm)
SAM: RBS-70, Redeye, I-Hawk
Aircraft: 19 (17x Bae Bulldog, 2x Do-217)
Helicopter: 79 (20x Bo-105CB-3, 14x Bell-204B, 19x Agusta-Bell 206, 26x Hughes 300)


Air Force

Air Force: 8,000 (5,500 conscripts)

• 4 Air Defence Districts
• 6 Fighter/Ground Attack (FGA) Squadrons
• 11 Fighter Squadrons
• 3 Reconnaissance Squadrons
• 1 Transport Squadron

Equipment
FGA: 99 (81x AJ-37 Viggen, 18x SK-37 Viggen)
Fighter: 218 (139x JA-37 Viggen, 68x J-35 Draken, 11x SK-35C Draken)
Recce: 48 (48x SH/SF-37 Viggen)
ECM: 2 (2x Caravelle ECM/ELINT)
Transport: 30 (8x C-130E/H)
Communication: 22 (3x Beech Super King Air 200, 2x Fairchild Metro III, 16x Saab 105, 1x Saab 34D)
Training: 207 (22x J-32D/E Lansen, 30x Saab 91, 105x Saab 105, 50x B.125 Bulldog)
Helicopter: 32 (10x CH-46, 12x Super Puma, 4x Bo-105CB-3, 6x Agusta-Bell 206)


Navy

Navy: 12,000 (6,300 conscripts and including Coast Defence)

• Submarines: 12 (4x Vastergotland, 3x Nacken, 5x Sjoorman)
• Missile Craft: 31 (1x Goteborg, 2x Stockholm, 16x Hugin, 12x Norrkoping)
• Patrol Craft: 11 (4x PFI, 7x PCI)
• Minelayer: 3 (1x Carlskrona, 2x Alvsborg)
• Minehunter: 23 (3x Arko, 6x Landsort, 14x other)
• Amphibious: 12 (12x LCM)
• Support Ship: 12
• Aircraft: 1 (1x C-212)
• Helicopter: 23 (14x CH-46, 9x Agusta-Bell 206)

Coast Defence: 2,650 (including 1,700 conscripts)

• 5 Coastal Artillery Regiment
• Minelayer: 16 (10x Coastal. 16x Inshore)
• Patrol Craft: 18 (18x Inshore)
• Amphibious: 154 (14x LCM, 80x LCU, 60x LCA)
• Fixed Artillery: 98 (18x 120mm, 6x 105mm, 74x 75mm)
• Anti-Ship Missile: RBS-17, RBS-15KA, RBS-08A, RB-52
• AD Guns: 40mm

Paramilitary

Coast Guard: 600

• Patrol Craft: 72 (2x Fishery Protection, 70x Inshore)
• Aircraft: 3 (1x C-212, 1x Cessna 337, 1x Cessna 402)

[Raellus]

Thanks for the detailed analysis, RN7. You nailed it, IMO. An additional area of strategic economic interest, as far as Sweden is concerned, is the oil shale deposits in Estonia.

I took the time to check out the T2K Scandinavia Sourcebook and its depiction of Sweden, IMO, is pretty nonsensical. It describes Sweden as the most devastated of the Scandinavian countries. Not only are they badly nuked, there's a bloody civil war. It doesn't seem congruent with established canon, or historical reality. I much prefer the vision that RN7 outlined (as it aligns very well with my own).

[cawest]

Originally Posted by RN7

I don't think Sweden actually believed that its neutrality would survive a major war in Europe, largely because the Soviet's (and the Swedes) believed Sweden was part of the West. Although in the Twilight War Sweden's neutrality did seem to have been more or less respected.

Swedish neutrality since the early 19th Century was more to do with suiting themselves than any ideals about being a peaceful country. Sweden had pretty much fought itself out during previous European conflicts, and despite being the largest Scandinavian country it was rapidly overtaken by the larger European powers by the 19th Century. Also the other Scandinavian countries didn't entirely trust Sweden due to past dominance over them, and Sweden still had ambitions on Norway into the 1850's. During the two world wars Sweden had an uncomfortably close relationship with Germany for a neutral country, and British and French intervention in Norway in 1940 was as much to with preventing Swedish iron ore from reaching Germany as it was in helping Norwegian independence.

As Dark as already pointed out Sweden had a close relationship with the U.S. and NATO during the Cold War, and they also shared a lot of intelligence on the Soviets with NATO. They also traded weapons with many NATO countries during the Cold War, particularly with Britain and today most of the Swedish defence sector is British owned.

Sweden also believed in armed neutrality, and they were very heavily armed with a large indigenous defence sector. Sweden built and designed most of its own weapons, ranging from rifles to tanks, fighter jets and submarines. What they didn't design or build themselves they generally built under license, and license building of other Western arms and components only enhanced the already advanced Swedish defence sector.

Sweden wasn't targeted by Soviet nuclear weapons during the Twilight War, at least there is no mention of it. And it is likely to have survived conventional attack or invasion due to the fact that Sweden fighting with NATO would have severely compromised the Soviet's defence position in the Baltic and Arctic theatres due to the fact that Sweden has a very powerful army. This would have left a relatively intact Sweden in an advantageous position in Northern Europe at the end of the Twilight War.

Would Sweden have sent mercenary groups outside of its own territory with government backing to secure Swedish interests? Highly likely. In fact I would be surprised if Sweden didn't actually send larger forces outside of its territory to secure a number of Swedish interests and there are quite a few.

1) Swedes in Finland: About 10% of Finland's population is ethnically Swedish, and over 5% of them still speak Swedish as their first language. They are concentrated in the Aland Islands in the Gulf of Bothnia, and in communities on the western and southern coast of Finland. Some naval and land forces could be sent to secure these areas.

2) The Baltic Approaches: Passing through the Skagerrak and Kattegat is necessary to enter the Baltic Sea from the west. Although Sweden shares control with Denmark and Norway, Denmark geographically dominates the region. With Denmark disorientated due to the war and nuclear attacks, I could see Swedish naval and air forces patrolling this region and some Swedish land forces on the Danish island of Zealand.

3) Oil: The Swedes need oil like everyone else, and the nearest source is Norway. I think we could see some Swedish forces in Norway (maybe in cooperation with the Norwegians) to secure oil resources and infrastructure in the North Sea and Norwegian deep sea ports.

4) Southern Baltic Coast: As Sweden is still an intact nation, a lot of refugees will want to make their way to Sweden from across the Baltic Sea. So we could seen some Swedish naval and air activity along the southern Baltic coast which includes Denmark, Germany, Poland and the Baltic States. Also Sweden will be taking an interest in who's in charge and of any emerging threats across the Baltic region. So it is likely that it will be here that we will see most Swedish mercenary activity, volunteers with the unofficial approval of their government.


Army

Peacetime Establishment
Army: 44,500 (37,700 conscripts)6 Military Commands (1st, 3rd, 12th, 13th, 15th divisions and 18th (Gotland) Brigade)

War Establishment (725,000 on mobilisation)
Field Army: 350,000

• 6 Armoured Brigade (6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 18th, 26th)
• 1 Mechanised Brigade (10th)
• 18 Infantry Brigade (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 21st, 33rd, 38th, 41st, 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th)
• 5 Arctic Infantry (Norrland) Brigade (13th, 19th, 35th, 50th, 51st)
• 9 Artillery Regiment (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 8th, 9th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th)
• 1 Aviation Battalion (1st)
• 100 independent battalions (armoured, infantry, artillery, air defence)

Local Defence Units: 250,000

• 60 Independent battalions, 400-500 Independent companies

Home Guard: 125,000

• Assorted infantry, artillery, static artillery and air defence units

Equipment
Tanks: 785 (450x Centurion, 335x Strv-103)
Light Tanks: 200 (200x Ikv-91)
APC: 600 (600x Pbv-302)
SP Artillery: 30 (30x 155mm BK-1A)
Artillery: 990 (300x 155mm FH-77, 140x 150mm M-39, 550x 105mm Type-40)
Mortar: 1,500 (500x 120mm, 1,000x 81mm)
ATGW: RB-53 Bantam, RB-56 Bill, TOW
Recoilless Rifle: AT-4, Carl Gustav, Miniman
AD Guns: 714 (600x 40mm, 114x 20mm)
SAM: RBS-70, Redeye, I-Hawk
Aircraft: 19 (17x Bae Bulldog, 2x Do-217)
Helicopter: 79 (20x Bo-105CB-3, 14x Bell-204B, 19x Agusta-Bell 206, 26x Hughes 300)


Air Force

Air Force: 8,000 (5,500 conscripts)

• 4 Air Defence Districts
• 6 Fighter/Ground Attack (FGA) Squadrons
• 11 Fighter Squadrons
• 3 Reconnaissance Squadrons
• 1 Transport Squadron

Equipment
FGA: 99 (81x AJ-37 Viggen, 18x SK-37 Viggen)
Fighter: 218 (139x JA-37 Viggen, 68x J-35 Draken, 11x SK-35C Draken)
Recce: 48 (48x SH/SF-37 Viggen)
ECM: 2 (2x Caravelle ECM/ELINT)
Transport: 30 (8x C-130E/H)
Communication: 22 (3x Beech Super King Air 200, 2x Fairchild Metro III, 16x Saab 105, 1x Saab 34D)
Training: 207 (22x J-32D/E Lansen, 30x Saab 91, 105x Saab 105, 50x B.125 Bulldog)
Helicopter: 32 (10x CH-46, 12x Super Puma, 4x Bo-105CB-3, 6x Agusta-Bell 206)


Navy

Navy: 12,000 (6,300 conscripts and including Coast Defence)

• Submarines: 12 (4x Vastergotland, 3x Nacken, 5x Sjoorman)
• Missile Craft: 31 (1x Goteborg, 2x Stockholm, 16x Hugin, 12x Norrkoping)
• Patrol Craft: 11 (4x PFI, 7x PCI)
• Minelayer: 3 (1x Carlskrona, 2x Alvsborg)
• Minehunter: 23 (3x Arko, 6x Landsort, 14x other)
• Amphibious: 12 (12x LCM)
• Support Ship: 12
• Aircraft: 1 (1x C-212)
• Helicopter: 23 (14x CH-46, 9x Agusta-Bell 206)

Coast Defence: 2,650 (including 1,700 conscripts)

• 5 Coastal Artillery Regiment
• Minelayer: 16 (10x Coastal. 16x Inshore)
• Patrol Craft: 18 (18x Inshore)
• Amphibious: 154 (14x LCM, 80x LCU, 60x LCA)
• Fixed Artillery: 98 (18x 120mm, 6x 105mm, 74x 75mm)
• Anti-Ship Missile: RBS-17, RBS-15KA, RBS-08A, RB-52
• AD Guns: 40mm

Paramilitary

Coast Guard: 600

• Patrol Craft: 72 (2x Fishery Protection, 70x Inshore)
• Aircraft: 3 (1x C-212, 1x Cessna 337, 1x Cessna 402)

I wonder what they would put as priories when war looked to be escalating. you would think that they would put weapons on the market early in the China/Russian war. this would give them time to ramp up production of AT and SAMs, but also APC's . maybe even a wheeled based SP ardy and MRL. what do you all think?

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by RN7

3) Oil: The Swedes need oil like everyone else, and the nearest source is Norway. I think we could see some Swedish forces in Norway (maybe in cooperation with the Norwegians) to secure oil resources and infrastructure in the North Sea and Norwegian deep sea ports.

There's oil (and gas) in the Baltic, mostly in Polish and Russian (Kaliningrad) waters, although it's hard to say how much extraction would have taken place in a T2K timeline, particularly V1 (large scale work on the Polish B3 field didn't start until after the collapse of the Soviet Union, although it was worked prior to that).

http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles...he-baltic.html

There are also onshore fields in the Baltic States, especially Lithuania, which were already being worked in Soviet times, albeit on a small scale.

http://www.baltic-course.com/archive...m-read=387.htm

I'm not sure how practical exploiting any of those resources would be in T2K but it's a possibility.