Nixon Greeting Hungarian Refugees at Andau, Austria, December, 1956
Posted on 05/28/2007 1:37:58 PM PDT by WesternCulture
Historians have long known that the Swedish DC3 shot down by a Soviet fighter plane in 1952 was being used to spy on military facilities on the other side of the Baltic Sea. But only now have the true aims of the covert operation been revealed.
Documents recently declassified show that Sweden was prepared at the beginning of the Cold War to launch retaliatory military strikes in the event of a Soviet attack.
But not all files have yet been released. According to Ingvar Åkesson, head of Sweden's National Defence Radio Establishment (Försvarets Radioanstalt - FRA), "there are structures from that time that are still very much current."
FRA has been the agency responsibly for intercepting military signals since 1942. It was particularly active during the Cold War years.
Åkesson revealed the nature of the DC3's mission in connection with Friday's presentation of the results of an army investigation into the incident.
"The mission was to find out what sort of facilities they had on the other side of the Baltic Sea, in the vicinity of marine ports and airfields, that could be used in a war against Sweden.
"The intention was, and this is clearly stated, to launch strikes against such facilities in a Swedish aerial attack. That was why it was necessary to carry out these reconnaissance flights," said Åkesson.
The documents also show that Sweden was prepared to launch retaliatory attacks on Soviet industry, communications and population centres. The potential targets included locations in the Baltic States.
The Swedish DC3 was shot down by the Soviet Union 65 kilometres east of the Baltic island of Gotska Sandön on June 13th 1952. It is however only four years since the wreck was found.
According to the new accident report, the blast was so powerful that all eight crew members most likely died on impact, although it is possible that one of the men managed to parachute out of the DC3.
Today, Swedes and Westerners in general ought to view the Russians as close allies and partners, but still, the Cold War ought not to be forgotten. Totalitarianism and oppression is always at our doorstep.
I view Russia as a part of the Western World and I truly admire all of the great achievements by the Russian people.
Let us all remember the Russians defeated Hitler.
“Sweden was prepared at the beginning of the Cold War to launch retaliatory military strikes in the event of a Soviet attack’
Well, duh. It’s not the Sweden is France, is it?
America had just A-bombed Japan into submission, and Russia didn’t have the bomb at this time. To say America was asleep in 1948 is, well, stupid. The US military had 1.5 million soldiers in 1948. The entire population of Sweden in 1948 was only 6.9 million.
“Let us all remember the Russians defeated Hitler.’
If Adolf hadn’t broached the nonaggression treaty, Russia would have gladly watched Hitler overrun UK and the west.
And present day Russia is looking less and less than a democracy.
Huh?
Americans did a thing or two during the Cold War at that time, with tens of thousands sacrificing their lives when it went hot in Korea.
Glad the Russians fought the Nazis, only problem is they killed 20 million of their own folks “building socialism” in the course of their 70 year experiment. And they exported that poison to other countries who in turn murdered millions (e.g. 40 million in China). The Ruskies ain’t our friends and neither are the Swedes who traded with the Nazis during WW2. Finland and Norway fought their invaders, even if the odds were long. The Swedes, well, they looked out for number one.
“The US military had 1.5 million soldiers in 1948. The entire population of Sweden in 1948 was only 6.9 million.”
- Correct. Still, we had an army of at least 500 000 men in those days. Later on, these numbers increased to around 1 000 000 men.
We were more ‘prepared’ than any other nation around the globe.
A popular supposition is that the Soviets signed the non-agression pact looking to see the west (Britain and France) fight it out to exhaustion and then the Soviets would go in and pick up the pieces. Stalin was surely shocked after he found himself all alone on the continent with Hitler after the fall of France.
You’ll like this one.
“Glad the Russians fought the Nazis, only problem is they killed 20 million of their own folks “building socialism” in the course of their 70 year experiment. And they exported that poison to other countries who in turn murdered millions (e.g. 40 million in China). The Ruskies ain’t our friends and neither are the Swedes who traded with the Nazis during WW2. Finland and Norway fought their invaders, even if the odds were long. The Swedes, well, they looked out for number one.”
- All true, although I think Russia could well develop into a close ally of the US. There are a lot of good things to be said of the Russians.
I wish I saw it coming, but I don’t. Putin is enjoying 80% favorable opinion ratings (if the numbers can be believed, that is). Vlad isn’t a friend of the US. He continues to run a government which sells arms and nuclear technology to our avowed enemies. Its kind of hard for Russians to own up to the criminality of the Soviet system, because its an indictment of their whole civilization. They have consistently underperformed their potential for the last 1000 years, and look to continue that record. Too bad for them and us.
“But I suspect some estimable historians would probably contest the
idea that America actually slept during that time period.”
- I guess there are scholars/professors ready and willing to support more or less anything. In the end, it probably depends on who’s paying their wages.
The Soviet Union developed and tested their first nuclear weapon in 1949. At that time, the US was paralyzed.
How well were they doing before the Americans got in the war. And they likely would not have won without American guns, tanks, trucks, aircraft...
Found this with a quick search:
"400.000 trucks, over 12.000 tanks and other combat vehicles, 32.000 motorcycles, 13.000 locomotives and railway cars, 8.000 anti-aircraft cannons and machine-guns, 135.000 submachine guns, 300.000 tons of explosives, 40.000 field radios, some 400 radar systems, 400.000 metal cutting machine tools, several million tons of foodstuff, steel, other metals, oil and gasoline, chemicals etc." and "Lend-lease aircraft amounted to 18% of all aircraft in the Soviet air forces, 20% of all bombers, and 16-23% of all fighters (numbers vary depending on calculation methods), and 29% of all naval aircraft."
http://lend-lease.airforce.ru/english/articles/geust/aircraft_deliveries.htm
“Americans did a thing or two during the Cold War at that time, with tens of thousands sacrificing their lives when it went hot in Korea.”
- By all means, this ought to be acknowledged and remembered.
As a European, I feel gratitude towards the US.
The US has done more in order to advance freedom and liberty than most other countries.
The boldness of Reagan and the men and women who dared to support him paved way for Europe of today, a continent where ALL people feel free to speak their minds without fear of being arrested by Stasi, Securitate and the KGB.
A European who does not realize this is, to say the least, an embarassment to Europe.
“The Ruskies ain’t our friends and neither are the Swedes who traded with the Nazis during WW2”
Ann Margret was born in Sweden. She can be my friend any day.
I could admit to a lot of improper actions carried out by Sweden throughout the centuries, but at least we seldom get paralyzed.
Read the article below and ask yourself this question;
- Where was the rest of the world when the Holocaust was revealed?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_buses
Another Swedish example of ‘not being paralyzed’ by evil:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raul_Wallenberg
“- All true, although I think Russia could well develop into a close ally of the US. There are a lot of good things to be said of the Russians.”
I have a lot of good things to say about the younger Russian generation whom got a small but important taste of freedom and now understandably want more. But I do not like nor admire Putin whom has done an about face with us on the WOT and provides nuclear know-how to Iran. I don’t like the bullying of former Soviet sattelite states that are independant and pushing for Democracy. Russia is not our friend although it would be nice if they were, that is simply wishful thinking.
“The US has done more in order to advance freedom and liberty than most other countries.
The boldness of Reagan and the men and women who dared to support him paved way for Europe of today, a continent where ALL people feel free to speak their minds without fear of being arrested by Stasi, Securitate and the KGB.
A European who does not realize this is, to say the least, an embarassment to Europe.”
Well glad to see we still have allies out there. Reagan was a great President. I believe we would have a great President in Bush if he simply stuck to his plans and not been ill-advised by foolish cabinet members who feel we can negotiate with evereone. Not all people on this earth feel or think the way the West does. Look at Iran and the EU’s position to negotiate. The mullah’s there don’t give a whit about being sociably responsible member of this globe. They want and intend to rule it by building nukes and blackmailing the West, annihalating Israel etc. The only way to deal with them now is violence.
“I apologize if I sounded torqued at the Swedes.”
- There is nothing to apologize for.
Furthermore, I deliberately chosed the words ‘While America slept’ just in order to get the thread going.
“I was just giving some counter-evidence to the idea that the USA was asleep after WWII in terms of the Communist threat.”
- Such evidence sure exist and they ought to be remembered. In my eyes, bringing them to topic proves you’re a good American.
“The USA was tired, counting the blessings of having been separated
from the chaos of WWII by a couple of oceans...
and catching their breath before a new threat loomed in term of
the USSR and Communist China.”
- True.
All the same, it is all apt to ask why such a powerful nation, THE most powerful nation on earth, would refrain from fully committing itself to developing superior weaponry during the late 1940’s/early 1950’s.
The ‘tiny’ nation of Sweden, by the way, possessed nuclear power in 1954.
Agreed & well said.
Weren’t they supposedly ‘neutral’ during the war? The Russians were extremely cruel to the German people as well. Tit for Tat maybe? But I don’t trust them for a minute. They are NOT our friends, just as China is NOT our friend. We can count our friends on our middle fingers. (joke)
There’s no doubt that the Russians are good people, but their government stinks.
The Russians had the A-bomb in 1949. You can thank the Rosenbergs for that. They got a deliverable H-bomb BEFORE the US...although we exploded a fusion “device” before they did, it was not then a deliverable weapon.
“Well glad to see we still have allies out there”
- More Europeans support the US than the MSM allow you to find out.
Ordinary people of the Middle East desire the same things in life we Westerners do; happiness, prosperity and freedom.
Today, terrorists, devotees of a new Dark Age and haters of humanity stand in our way.
“The only way to deal with them now is violence.”
- Often there are alternatives to violence.
In this case, there is not.
We could easily become friends with the russians, and help ourselves to boot.....they need hard currency, we need land..........what would the land on the other side of the bering straight cost????? a bridge could be built with no problem....we give them hard currency, they give us frozen tundra.....that is loaded with oil and natural gas deposits.........everyone wins!!!!!
“Historians have long known that the Swedish DC3 shot down by a Soviet fighter plane in 1952 was being used to spy on military facilities on the other side of the Baltic Sea.”
Somehow I don’t think America was sleeping in 1952. Seems to me that there was a war of some sort going on.
A bridge is a great idea, but I hope you’re not all serious about US acquisition of Russian territory.
Russia is Russia.
Would you favor the idea of selling off parts of the US to foreign countries?
“And let us all remember the millions killed or displaced by the same Russians.”
- Yes let’s do that and please promise me you’ll never let anyone tell you Western Democracy is NOT the most humane and civilized concept of social order ever developed by man.
This is the true face of Socialism:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Gulag_camps
The Russians should be treated more like your paranoid schizophrenic cousin - you don't trust them with sharp implements. The Russians are busy arming our enemies, and threatening our new East European friends with economic warfare. Keep them close, yes - but in the spirit of the old adage "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
They may be part of Western Civilization, but Western Civilization has often torn itself apart with internal wars.
The ethics of their current leadership seems to draw more from their Hun, Tartar and Mongol experience than from Western Civ.
Remember that before Hitler stupidly attacked the Soviet Union, the U.S.S.R. was an ally of Nazi Germany. Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union gleefully divided up Poland between themselves. Of course, a lot can be blamed on the short-sightedness and criminality of Stalin.
Would they use it if attacked by a foreign power?
Yeah, I’m pretty sick of hearing that they were “innocent.” My Royal Irish @$$. The Rosenbergs got less than they deserved.
Fuelled equipped and supplied by the Western allies. Without the West, Russia would have been on foot and sooner or later signed a separate peace just as they did in WWI.
To say that Russia (as opposed to "Russians" I suppose) are "close allies and partners" is a serious break with reality. Oh and BTW, America was not "sleeping," we were busy forging and standing up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Perhaps you've heard of it, NATO, even though Sweden couldn't be bothered to join.
“The Russians are busy arming our enemies”
- American companies trade with Iran...
“They may be part of Western Civilization, but Western Civilization has often torn itself apart with internal wars.”
- Very true, but the forces that today threaten Russia are very much the same as the ones that threaten Western Europe and the US.
Western Europeans and Americans should try and refrain from attacking Russia verbally and instead watch what, eventually, could develop out of mutual understanding and consideration.
The Russians have a culture of their own that they, rightfully, always will strive to maintain.
Let’s remember that this, per se, is very honorable.
However, when all of The West is endangered, all of The West must remain united!
Civilization will not come to an end.
“Perhaps you’ve heard of it, NATO, even though Sweden couldn’t be bothered to join.”
We don’t need the NATO to defend Civilization in our part of the world.
We might be a nation of a mere 9 million inhabitants, but we also got what it takes to remain a nation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_XII
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustavus_Adolphus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkeQ1sNUOKE
Civilization will not come to an end.
Yeah well the problem with that is the Russians themselves who seem to have only their might and threat to soothe their self-esteem issues.
where did alaska come from? I thought we bought it from the russians..............
“where did alaska come from? I thought we bought it from the russians..............”
- A Blind Man Could See This One Coming.
Alaska once was Russian territory, that is true, but it was never integrated culturally with the rest of Russia.
“Hmmmm....interesting and puzzling....didn’t one of your (early 70s-Palme????) PM, greatly admired the U.S.S.R....(no insult intended).”
- Our former PM Palme expressed a great deal of admiration of the Soviet Union and because of this he is still hated in Sweden.
are you saying it is not even worth a try?
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