Master-General of the Ordnance (Sweden)

Master-General of the Ordnance[1] (Swedish: Generalfälttygmästare, Gftm) was in Sweden a chief officer of the Krigskollegium ("Board of Warfare") from 1682 to 1865, then until 1968 in the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration.[2]

History

In Sweden, the Master-General of the Ordnance (Generalfälttygmästare) was an appointment for a member of the Krigskollegium ("Board of Warfare") from 1675 and the head of the Artillery Office (Artillerikontoret) from 1682 to 1794 and from 1807 to 1897. The Master-General of the Ordnance was responsible for the central administration of the artillery, the procurement and care of the army's weapons and ammunition, and for the land defence' (lantförsvaret) stock supplies, the so-called Ordnance Storage (Tygförrådet). Earlier, he was called Riksfälttygsmästare. Between 1782 and 1865, the Master-General of the Ordnance was the head of the Ordnance Department of the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration, with, among others, the Deputy Chief of Ordnance and two Tygmästare ("Master of the Ordnance") of regimental officers or captain's rank, as subordinates.[3]

The Master-General of the Ordnance was head of the artillery until 1898. That year a change was carried out through which the artillery regiments and corps were placed under the command of the commander of each army division, while the Master-General of the Ordnance retained the command over the Artillery Staff and the artillery workshops and ordnance staff. However, he still had the obligation to inspect the artillery's exercises, and his complete title was therefore the Master-General of the Ordnance and Inspector of Artillery. He also served as head of the Artillery Department of the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration.[4] As Inspector, he was responsible for the artillery in the same way as the Inspectors of the Infantry and the Cavalry, and also commanded and supervised the Swedish Army Artillery School (Artilleriets skjutskola, ArtSS).[5]

As Master-General of the Ordnance, it was imperative for him to pay constant attention to the improvement of firearms with associated ammunition and equipment, and for that purpose at the King's request to employ or attempt to arrange for them. Furthermore, he would submit to the King for review and establishing proposals for new or changed weapon designs and more. Finally, he would oversee operations at artillery factories and ordnance establishments and oversee manufacturing of weapons, ammunition and artillery equipment for the needs of the army.[5] To his assistant, the Master-General of the Ordnance and the Inspector of Artillery in the latter capacity had at his disposal certain personnel from the Artillery Staff. This personnel, which together formed the Artillery Inspectorate (Artilleriinspektionen), was made up partly of the head of the Artillery Staff, who also served as commander of the Swedish Army Artillery School, and partly of the chief of staff of the Artillery Inspectorate, a major of the Artillery Staff, with the subordinate Equipment Department and the Inspector's Office Department. The personnel in the departments consisted of Artillery Staff officers and commissioned officers.[5]

In 1936, the Master-General of the Ordnance's role as Inspector of Artillery ceased and in 1937 he became the head of the Swedish Army Ordnance Corps.[6] In 1968 the post was eliminated.

Masters-General of the Ordnance
  • 1682–1692: Per Larsson Sparre
  • 1692–1693: Erik Dahlbergh
  • 1693–1710: Johan Siöblad
  • 1710–1712: Vacant
  • 1712–1715: Reinhold Johan von Fersen
  • 1715–1719: Henning Rudolf Horn af Rantzien
  • 1719–1724: Hugo Hamilton Hamilton af Hageby
  • 1724–1728: Vacant
  • 1728–1740: Fredrik Magnus Cronberg
  • 1741–1754: Per Siöblad
  • 1754–1757: Vacant[7]
  • 1757–1759: Thomas Cunninghame[note 1]
  • 1759–1761: Carl Ehrensvärd (acting)[8]
  • 1761–1765: Carl Funck (acting)
  • 1766–1772: Anders Reinhold Wrangel
  • 1772–1781: Reinhold Anrep
  • 1781–1784: Gabriel von Spången (acting)
  • 1784–1791: Carl Gideon Sinclair
  • 1791–1800: Carl Ulrik Silfverschiöld
  • 1800–1803: Nils Fredrik Ehrenström
  • 1803–1807: Vacant
  • 1807–1815: Carl von Helvig
  • 1816–1821: Carl von Cardell
  • 1821–1844: Crown Prince Oscar
  • 1828–1834: Claes Josef Breitholtz
  • 1844–1849: Axel Gustaf von Arbin
  • 1849–1857: Crown Prince Charles
  • 1857–1867: Fabian Wrede af Elimä
  • 1867–1872: Carl Henrik Hägerflycht (acting)
  • 1872–1874: Carl Henrik Hägerflycht
  • 1874–1890: Carl Leijonhufvud
  • 1890–1898: Edvard Julius Breitholtz
  • 1898–1902: John Hamilton
  • 1902–1903: Gottschalk Geijer
  • 1903–1915: Fredrik Johan Leth
  • 1915–1919: David Hedengren
  • 1919–1929: Lars Sparre
  • 1929–1934: Ludvig Hammarskiöld
  • 1934–1939: Oscar Osterman
  • 1939–1949: Halvar Gustafsson
  • 1949–1959: Birger Hedqvist
  • 1959–1964: Edward Malm
  • 1964–1966: Sten Wåhlin
  • 1966–1968: Ove Ljung
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See also

Footnotes
  1. After Per Siöblad's death in 1754 the office was vacant. By subservient letter of 21 October 1756, it was decided that one of the lieutenant colonel in the Artillery would be given the rank of colonel and, until further notice, conduct the tasks of the Master-General of the Ordnance. The government's choice fell on Cunninghame. Cunninghame held the post from 24 January 1757 to 10 December 1758, after which he continued as deputy until his death in 1759.[7]

References
  1. Granberg, Per Adolf (1807). English and Swedish pocket-dictionary, eller Engelskt och swenskt hand-lexikon, af P. A. Granberg. Stockholm, tryckt hos Carl Fredrik Marquard, 1807. På eget förlag. Stockholm. p. 289. SELIBR 2417602.
  2. "Generalfälttygmästare". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  3. "Generalfälttygmästare". Förvaltningshistorisk ordbok (in Swedish). Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  4. Westrin, Theodor, ed. (1908). Nordisk familjebok: konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi (in Swedish) (Ny, rev. och rikt ill. ed.). Stockholm: Nordisk familjeboks förl. p. 905. SELIBR 8072220.
  5. Betänkande och förslag rörande den centrala försvarsförvaltningen. Statens offentliga utredningar, 0375-250X ; 1927:29 (in Swedish). Stockholm. 1927. pp. 29–30. SELIBR 1334799.
  6. Sveriges statskalender för året 1945 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1945. p. 342.
  7. Boёthius, B. (1931). "Thomas Cunninghame". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). 9. National Archives of Sweden. p. 449. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  8. Hammarskiöld, Ludvig (1949). "Carl Ehrensvärd". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). 12. National Archives of Sweden. p. 438. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
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