Ernst af Klercker

Lieutenant General Achates Ernst Wilhelm af Klercker (28 December 1881 – 18 May 1955) was a senior Swedish Army officer. His senior commands include postings as chief of the Military Office of the Land Defence and Acting Chief of the Army Staff. He commanded the 1st Army Division and the I Military District during World War II.

Ernst af Klercker
af Klercker as colonel (1932–1937).
Birth nameAchates Ernst Wilhelm af Klercker
Nickname(s)Dess Gentleman[lower-alpha 1]
Born(1881-12-28)28 December 1881
Kristianstad, Sweden
Died18 May 1955(1955-05-18) (aged 73)
Helsingborg, Sweden
Allegiance Sweden
Service/branchSwedish Army
Years of service1902–1947
RankLieutenant General
Commands held
RelationsGeorg af Klercker (brother)

Early life

af Klercker was born on 28 December 1881 in Kristianstads Heliga Trefaldighet Parish, Kristianstad County, Sweden, as the youngest of seven brothers (including Georg af Klercker),[1] of Major Fredrik af Klercker and Baroness Lotten Bennet.[2]

Career

af Klercker was commissioned as an officer in 1902 and assigned to the 2nd Life Grenadier Regiment as underlöjtnant. He passed the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1909 to 1911, and was appointed, after officer candidate service, Captain of the General Staff in 1916. af Klercker was a teacher of tactics at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1917 to 1918, and he was promoted to Major in 1923.[3]

af Klercker was again serving as a teacher of tactics at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1923 to 1926, and as Chief of Staff at the Inspector of the Military Academy (Inspektören för Militärläroverken) from 1923 to 1926. As head of the General Staff's International Department from 1926 to 1930, he studied certain military conditions abroad. af Klercker was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1928 and served as head of the Military Academy Karlberg from 1930 to 1933 and was promoted to Colonel in 1932.[3]

af Klercker was regimental commander of Hälsinge Regiment from 1933 to 1934 and chief of the Military Office of the Land Defence from 1934 to 1936 as well as Acting Chief of the Army Staff from 1936 to 1937 when he was promoted to Major General.[3] He was then commanding officer of the 1st Army Division (I. arméfördelningen) from 1937 to 1942 and of the I Military District from 1942 to 1947. af Klercker was promoted to Lieutenant General in the reserve of the General Staff on 1 March 1947 and left active service on 1 April 1947.[1]

Personal life

On 12 October 1907 in Hakarp, Jönköping he married Anna Ingegerd Maria Tham (10 April 1887 in Hakarp – 16 November 1963 in Helsingborg), the daughter of Gustaf Wilhelm Sebastian Tham and Julia Elisabet Louise Reuterskiöld.[1]

Dates of rank

af Klercker's dates of rank:[1]

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Foreign

Honours

Bibliography
  • Klercker, Ernst af (1919). Order: handledning för avfattande av order i fält med applikatoriska exempel jämte hänvisningar till vederbörliga reglementen (in Swedish). Stockholm: Förf. SELIBR 1654341.

Footnote
  1. af Klercker's nom de guerre among the cadets at the Military Academy Karlberg was Dess Gentleman ("Its Gentleman"), an allusion to "Its White Lustschloss" which the Military Academy sometimes was called by the cadets.[1]

References
  1. Wikland, Erik (1975–1977). "A Ernst W Klercker, af". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 21. National Archives of Sweden. p. 298. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  2. Svensson, Stina, ed. (1953). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1953 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1953] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 567. SELIBR 9649164.
  3. Dahl, Torsten; Bohman, Nils, eds. (1948). Svenska män och kvinnor: biografisk uppslagsbok. 4 I-Lindner (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier. pp. 276–277. SELIBR 53803.
  4. Sveriges statskalender för året 1947 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1947. p. 8.
  5. Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1940 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1940. p. 11.
  6. Sveriges statskalender för året 1931 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1931. p. 35.
  7. Sveriges statskalender för året 1947 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1947. p. 85.
  8. Sveriges statskalender för året 1947 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1947. p. 188.
  9. Sveriges statskalender för året 1947 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1947. p. 309.
  10. Sveriges statskalender för året 1950 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1950. p. 321.
  11. Sveriges statskalender för året 1925 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell. 1925. p. 229.
  12. Sveriges statskalender för året 1928 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell. 1928. p. 231.
  13. Sveriges statskalender för året 1931 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1931. p. 337.
  14. Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1940 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1940. p. 269.
  15. Sveriges statskalender för året 1942 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1942. p. 269.
  16. Sveriges statskalender för året 1935 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1935. p. 77.
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