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Sweden maintained its policy of neutrality during World War II.When the war began on 1 September 1939, the fate of Sweden was unclear. But by a combination of its geopolitical location in the Scandinavian Peninsula, realpolitik maneuvering during an unpredictable course of events, and a dedicated military build-up after 1942, Sweden kept its official neutrality status throughout the war.
To counter the effects of Soviet reinforcements starting to arrive at the war front, Finland asks Sweden to contribute to the war effort with 2 divisions, 20.000 soldiers. Sweden declines, but is willing to raise the roof of the numbers of Swedish volunteers to Finland. Finland explores the option of large scale western intervention in the war.
Sweden was formally a non-belligerent nation throughout World War II, but saw considerable military build-up as the level of threat from the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany increased. Between 10,000 and 20,000 Swedes fought as volunteers abroad, a majority of them in service of Finland during the Winter War .
Sweden was a neutral state during World War II and was not directly involved in the Holocaust in German-occupied Europe.Nonetheless, the Swedish government maintained important economic links with Nazi Germany and there was widespread awareness within the country of its policy of persecution and, from 1942, mass extermination of Jews.
Swedish iron ore was an important economic and military factor in the European theatre of World War II, as Sweden was the main contributor of iron ore to Nazi Germany.The average percentages by source of Nazi Germany’s iron ore procurement through 1933–43 by source were: Sweden: 43.0 Domestic production (Germany): 28.2 France: 12.9. [1]
Headlines on February 23, 1944. The Soviet Bombings of Stockholm and Strängnäs in 1944 were a military incident where Soviet aircraft bombed several locations in Stockholm and eastern Sweden during the night of February 22–23, 1944. [1]
With Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Ireland and the Vatican, Sweden maintained neutrality throughout World War II and cooperated with both sides. According to Winston Churchill , during the war Sweden ignored the greater moral issues and played both sides for profit (particularly in the German occupation of Denmark and Norway ...
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 subject to internment.