I know this is an old thread, BUT...
I have been a Tank officer in the Swedish Army between 1978-2012.
During the 80´s i was first a platoon commander and later a Tank company C.
I was alwas placed at the same unit in the same battalion.
This battalion was on 24 h standby 24-7, 365 dayes a year, all thrugh the 80´s.
The first week in case of war, we had a standing order to defend some of the Swedish airforce peacetime airfields, NOT the war/road airfieldes. As you can understand this was discussed a lot between the officer´s. ALL war planning was against an attac from WP.
I saw earlier in the thread, that The tension between Sweden and Soviet during the U137 incedent in 1981. A few years after that my Brigade(Brigade units) and my Battalion were called in for a 5-6 weeks manuver. The S-tank and Viggen had a lot in common when it came to the hydralic system. The hydralic mekanic in my company normaly worked with Viggen´s. During this exercise we became verry good friens. The story he told me was the fact, that a full skale war between Sweden and Soviet was avoided with only 15-20 sec to spare.
Two ships had broken loose from the Soviet armada just outside the Swedish border and was steming towards Karlskrona.Our Supreme Comander had got orders to defend the Swedish bor
der at any prize. My friends airbase scrambeld more than 40 AJ37 with live anti-ship missels.The pilot on my friend´s Viggen estimated that they were 15-20 sec from launch when the stand down order came.
The fact was that two West German merchent ships, headed for Karlskrona had traveld right thrugh the Soviet armada. How this was detected, i don´t know, maby thrugh a swedish sub.
I have been a Tank officer in the Swedish Army between 1978-2012.
During the 80´s i was first a platoon commander and later a Tank company C.
I was alwas placed at the same unit in the same battalion.
This battalion was on 24 h standby 24-7, 365 dayes a year, all thrugh the 80´s.
The first week in case of war, we had a standing order to defend some of the Swedish airforce peacetime airfields, NOT the war/road airfieldes. As you can understand this was discussed a lot between the officer´s. ALL war planning was against an attac from WP.
I saw earlier in the thread, that The tension between Sweden and Soviet during the U137 incedent in 1981. A few years after that my Brigade(Brigade units) and my Battalion were called in for a 5-6 weeks manuver. The S-tank and Viggen had a lot in common when it came to the hydralic system. The hydralic mekanic in my company normaly worked with Viggen´s. During this exercise we became verry good friens. The story he told me was the fact, that a full skale war between Sweden and Soviet was avoided with only 15-20 sec to spare.
Two ships had broken loose from the Soviet armada just outside the Swedish border and was steming towards Karlskrona.Our Supreme Comander had got orders to defend the Swedish bor
der at any prize. My friends airbase scrambeld more than 40 AJ37 with live anti-ship missels.The pilot on my friend´s Viggen estimated that they were 15-20 sec from launch when the stand down order came.The fact was that two West German merchent ships, headed for Karlskrona had traveld right thrugh the Soviet armada. How this was detected, i don´t know, maby thrugh a swedish sub.