Boden Fortress

Sweden had just lost one third of its population, as Russia had conquered the eastern part and created the Grand Duchy of Finland out of it during the Finnish War in 1808–1809. Shortly after, in 1814, the west flank had been secured by the personal union with Norway, and after the Napoleonic Wars, the former main enemy of Sweden in the south, Denmark, was no longer any threat.^[5] The only threat left was Russia, which now stood just across the border in the north, and had possession of the Åland Islands less than 150 km from the Swedish capital Stockholm. The Swedish Navy was considered superior to the Russian in the Gulf of Bothnia, so a seaborne invasion against the coast of Norrland was not likely. And even though the Russians had invaded northern Sweden via Finland in the previous war, the general opinion was that in case of a new war, their main attack would be conducted towards Stockholm and southern Sweden.^[7]

It was not until fifteen years later, when yet another committee—the Coastal Fortification Committee of 1839 (1839 års kustbefästningskommitté)—studied the defence of Norrland, that the Swedish Armed Forces started to focus a bit more on the northern provinces. This study however mainly presented plans for middle Norrland, and the provinces of Medelpad, Ångermanland and Jämtland.^[14] Those provinces had a more significant role as it was there that the main roads of Sweden started to intersect with the road network of Norway, which at the time was allied with Sweden. The road network north of this area consisted of the large coastal road—the only major north–south road—from Haparanda and all the way through Norrland down to Gävle. All the other major roads exclusively ran southeast–northwest—following the run of the large rivers—before ending in wilderness and thus did not provide any route further west into Norway and on to the Atlantic coast.^[10] The plans to strengthen Norrland by building a central fortress either on Frösön outside Östersund, or closer to the coast at Borgsjö outside Ånge, once again fell flat due to lack of money and lower priority compared to fortifications in southern Sweden.^[13][15]

By the 1860s, the first

Even though the northernmost stretch of the Main Line Through Upper Norrland had long been planned, it was not until 1887 and the victory of the Lantmanna Party's protectionist wing in that year's election that the financial means—from increased trade tariff income—and the political will allowed the completion of the railway through Överluleå,^[24] which Boden was sometimes called. The "slumbering resources and the rapid expansion"^[25] in Upper Norrland were two reasons to build a railway to the sparsely populated area; another factor that had a big part in the decision to complete the main line was the government's takeover of the Luleå–Gällivare line,^[24] which had previously been in the hands of an English company. The stretch was very lucrative, as it considerably eased the transport of iron ore from the ore fields around Kiruna and Gällivare down to the coast for further transport by boat. Another English company had in the 1860s tried to construct a combination of a railway and a canal—the English Canal—for the stretch, but went bankrupt before their plans were completed. The company contracted for the new railway line experienced similar economic difficulties and the Swedish state decided to buy the nearly completed line to finish it in 1891.^[26]

The decision to complete the railway through to Boden sparked interest in Norrbotten among the members of the Swedish General Staff, and the chief, Axel Rappe, conducted a survey trip to the region in 1887. His report mentioned the changed strategic options due to the railway lines on both sides of the Gulf and a need for some kind of fortification in Boden, but he also toned down the earlier thoughts on the Russian interest in the Luleå–Narvik line.^[20] Rappe's report directly affected the future stretch of the railway line in Norrbotten. His recommendations, largely based on his and the General Staff's military planning, not to build the line along the coast, or build it all the way to the Swedish-Finnish border at Haparanda were later followed.^[27] The subsequent report completed in 1890 by the Neutrality Committee of 1888 (1888 års neutralitetskommitté)—with Axel Rappe as one of its members—suggested that a credible neutrality required an increased defence of the north-eastern border and proposed a budget of 1.3 million Swedish kronor, corresponding in today's money^[28] to around US$11 million (as of 2011), for the construction of permanent fortifications in Boden.^[29][30]

Reason and decision

Why Boden?

The following year, in 1891, Rappe wrote a memorandum that explained in more detail the budget, which suddenly had risen to 4.5 million kronor, and would finance the construction of two strongholds at Paglaberget and Åberget with a total of six long cannon, ten howitzers and eight quick-firing cannon, all in armoured turrets, along with machine guns and bunkers, barracks and supply depots. The plan included a reserve battalion of 1,000 men, an artillery battalion of 600 men, an engineer company of 120 men, and supply and depot personnel.^[32] Axel Rappe's large study on the permanent fortifications of Sweden—a mandate given to him in 1882—was published in 1892 and cemented the view that a central fortress was needed in Boden to support and supply troops gathering between the Lule River and the eastern border, alongside the strengthening of the coastal defences at Stockholm, Gothenburg and Karlskrona.^[29][33]

Although Rappe did not completely rule out the possibility of a German or British attack on southern Sweden if the opportunity arose, he felt that Russia was the most realistic threat.^[34] There were only two plausible scenarios for war with Russia: either Sweden would become involved in a war between Germany and Russia which would feature southern and central Sweden as the battleground—and Rappe made no attempt to hide which country the General Staff wanted Sweden to side with in that case—or Russia would make a limited attack on Norrbotten to reach northern Norway and the Atlantic, an attack that Rappe earlier said was not very likely. Rappe had played down the strategic importance of the Ofoten and Iron Ore Lines and played up the importance of the main railway line to Boden, which was under discussion at that time, to speed up its completion. The railway to Boden was nearly finished by 1892, negating the need for Rappe to play that political game any longer.^[35] A railway line to Boden was of utmost need to be able to bring up troops to Lule River—the main line of defence—and a future fortress there.^[20]

During the following years a fierce debate raged between the supporters of the army on one side and the navy on the other. The proposed expansion of Swedish fortifications nationwide, which in turn would see less money spent on the fleet, upset many naval proponents, amongst them Wilhelm Dyrssen—later Minister for Defence—and Fredrik von Otter—later Admiral and Prime Minister of Sweden. They argued that the theory of central defence would leave large swathes of Swedish land in the hands of the enemy, and instead suggested smaller fortifications at the border, along with a strengthened navy.^[36][37] The debate was inconclusive and a request for 500,000 kronor to initiate construction of the fortress was not accepted by the government.^[38] Instead, they wanted a committee to further investigate all Swedish fortifications and possible new constructions of such. Thus the Fortification Committee of 1897 (1897 års fästningskommitté) was formed. The committee, led by chairman Jesper Crusebjörn, discussed and examined the defence of Norrland thoroughly, and also travelled to Boden where they climbed most of the heights and mountains that were considered for the fortifications.^{[39][40][note 5]} The selection of Boden as the most suitable place for the fortification, according to the committee's final report published 25 July 1898, had numerous reasons:

• The main rail line through Norrland crossed Lule River there.
• The intersection of the main line and the Luleå–Narvik line was located there.
• The most important road intersection in Norrbotten was located there.
• The most suitable river crossing sites over Lule River were located there.
• The distance to the coast was long enough to prevent a surprise attack by a naval landing force.
• The topography of the area was suitable for a modern fortress.^[41][42]

Final decision

The report calculated the costs at 8.7 million kronor which corresponds in today's money

Despite this progress, Axel Rappe left as Minister for War in 1899, due to setbacks on other issues. He was replaced by Jesper Crusebjörn, who inherited the Boden fortification project.^[47] Crusebjörn followed in the footsteps of Rappe—described as "the spiritual father of Boden Fortress"^[48][49] thanks to his efforts—as he proposed, in accordance with the committee's plan, that the Riksdag should allocate an initial sum of 560,000 kronor which would be used to initiate construction of Boden Fortress.^{[50][note 6]} Crusebjörn also maintained the belief of his predecessor, and of the committee in which he was chairman, that Boden Fortress when completed should act as the operational base for all troops attached for the defence of Norrbotten, that it should serve as a supply fortress for troops stationed between it and the front line, and that it also should serve as a blocking fortress in case of a Russian surprise attack.^[51] The 1897 committee also had set the goal to have Boden Fortress in a finished state when the Haparanda Line found its way through to the border against Finland.^[52]

The result of the votes—held 7 May 1900,^[53] a date which can be seen as the birth of the fortress—in the first and second chambers were the same as the previous year. The first chamber was overwhelmingly for the proposal with the result 108–16, but the proponents feared a defeat in the second chamber. During the debate both the Prime Minister of Sweden Erik Gustaf Boström and Jesper Crusebjörn threatened to resign from their posts if the proposal was not accepted, to exert pressure on the second chamber. Boström expressed the following that day:

For believe me gentlemen, I consider this question so important that in the same moment I get the definite answer that it is not embraced by the Swedish Riksdag, I will no longer stay in this place.^[50]

Even after this, the second chamber voted against the proposal, with a vote count of 73–130. Neither Boström nor Crusebjörn resigned, since after further discussion and voting it was decided that the matter should be settled by a joint vote. The first chamber voted in favor, 125–14, while the second chamber voted against, 87–135, with a total outcome of 212–149 in favour of constructing Boden Fortress and allocating the funds needed to start construction.^[54] Funding for the purchase of the land that the fortifications were to be built on had largely been provided several years in advance by two voluntary organisations. The Organisation for the Fortified Defence of Upper Norrland (Föreningen för Övre Norrlands fasta försvar) and the Swedish Women's Organisation (Svenska Qvinnoföreningen) had collected 71,000 kronor out of the 131,000 kronor needed for land purchase.^[55][56]

Construction

Initial work

The main inspiration for the design—in which the forts are blasted into the mountains rather than constructed on top of them—came from Vaberget Fortress near Karlsborg Fortress. Vaberget Fortress was built in the 1890s and its southern fort was the first fort in the world that fully used the protection provided by the bedrock itself by having all of its functions embedded in the mountain.^[57][58] Vaberget Fortress served as a prototype for Boden Fortress and many more future fortifications in Sweden, including the late 20th century fixed army and coastal artillery batteries that gave the Swedish Fortifications Agency world renown.^[59] Preparatory work was started in 1900 and consisted of a diverse number of tasks, ranging from purchase of beds for the construction workers, construction of a new loading site for the railway, building roads to the various construction sites and clearing the land of those sites. The plan for the Fortifications at Boden (Befästningarna vid Boden)—which was the term used until the First World War when the present name Boden Fortress came into widespread use^[60]—was largely based on the proposal laid forward by the Fortification Committee of 1897, with only minor modifications.

Even before any construction work had started the cost of the forts had been estimated to exceed the previous calculations by fifty percent. In December 1901, only few months after the first blasting work that had been done at Gammelängsberget in July 1901,^[61] the cost for the four forts northeast of the river was expected to be sixty-five percent more expensive than the initial calculation.^[62] The blueprints of the forts at Degerberget, Gammelängsberget and Södra Åberget were the first to be confirmed, which happened on 11 May 1901. The fort at Mjösjöberget followed suit on 3 April 1902 and the last fort to get a confirmed blueprint was the fort at Rödberget, on 19 May 1903. The last proposed fort, at Paglaberget, was deleted from the plans in 1906—along with the batteries at Fällberget and Slumpberget as well as the fortifications at Avan and Svartbyträsket—before any work on the fort had started, due to the proposal of the new Fortification Committee of 1905, which was formed following the reports of the large rise in costs.^[63] On 9 February 1906, the current Minister for War Lars Tingsten calculated the total cost to end at 19,220,000 kronor, more than twice the cost reported by the 1897 committee.^[64]

All work on the large masses of bedrock was conducted by hand, without any help of powered machines, as the first

When the ditches and tunnels were finished, concrete works started, including flooring, construction of joist systems in forts with second floors, staircases, partition walls and

Apart from the forts, the garrison itself was heavily expanded during the initial construction years and became the largest garrison in Sweden, taking an exceptional position in Swedish military history of the 20th century; even at the start of the 21st century, Boden was the largest garrison city in the Swedish Army.^[75] Still, no other fortifications than the forts themselves were finished by 1908, and work now started to fill the holes in between them. It was realised that prepared positions were needed for the mobile batteries, and apart from those, three larger battery positions (sometimes called fästen, strongholds) were also constructed at Leåkersberget, Norra Åberget and Svedjeberget. These works were started in 1911 and were finished during the First World War. The last of the three strongholds was positioned in the mountain itself with embrasures in the mountain side,^{[note 9]} and Leåkersberget had parts of the battery position inside the mountain, but the gun emplacements outside—the other positions were concrete fortifications above the ground, some inside a bunker and others behind a parapet.

The main fortifications for infantry consisted of 44 concrete bunkers, 23 dugouts and 26 fortified observation posts.^[76] The concrete bunkers (infanteriskansar, redoubts) were long and narrow. The longest, Abramsskansen, was 155 metres (509 ft) long and had room for 160 men and four machine guns, but most had room for less than 80 men—usually a rifle platoon reinforced with a machine gun section and an anti-tank section.^[77] Due to their length, their curved shapes following the mountain sides, and other characteristics, the bunkers were popularly referred to as "sausages" (korvar). The construction of these started in 1911. Many officers still considered the fortress to have inadequate and too few fortifications for the infantry, and one officer compared the fortress to "a shoe, which is too large for the foot."^[78] One million kronor was allocated in 1915 to fix that problem, and many minor fortifications were built during the First World War.

Blockhouses were also built by the railway bridge at Trångforsen and the road bridge Hedenbron (built from 1911 to 1912), located just 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) southeast of the Trångforsen bridge. The later was built to accommodate easier access to Rödberget Fort and the military training area on the southwestern shore of Lule River and was at the time of completion the longest single span road bridge in Sweden.^[79][80]

Only a few necessary projects were funded, including an underground headquarters bunker, improvement of the garrison hospital and new training areas. It was not until the increased tension in Europe following

When the Second World War broke out, only limited resources were allotted to the defence of Northern Sweden, but following the Soviet attack on Finland a few months later and the German Operation Weserübung against Norway and Denmark the next year, major work on improving and extending the defensive lines was commenced. Bunkers, bomb shelters, gun emplacements—particularly for anti-tank guns—were built by the units that had been mobilised and stationed in the vicinity of Boden. The Finnish experiences gained from meeting superior armoured forces during the Winter War were adopted in Sweden, and triple rows of large stones or blocks of reinforced concrete, dragon's teeth, soon formed a continuous line—defended by anti-tank guns in concrete bunkers and machine-gun nests—around the fortress and city. As the war continued and advances in most fields of warfare were made, Boden Fortress was continually improved to meet new or increased threats such as air, armoured or gas attacks. The command, supply and intelligence services were improved as well.^[85][86]

As Sweden has remained neutral since 1816, Boden Fortress was never put to the test. Nonetheless, there are a few indications on how Boden, the garrison, the fortress and its crew would have come through a wartime attack. Already in 1904, Lars Tingsten—commander of

The first known attempt of purposeful espionage against the fortress was conducted in 1913–14. A former lieutenant in the Danish coastal artillery, A. B. Fredrikssen, was enlisted in Copenhagen by the Russian military attaché in Stockholm, colonel Assanovitch. Fredrikssen was sent to Boden with the task to explore the fortress and its surroundings. He and his wife stayed at a boarding house in the city, and had regular correspondence with his employer who stayed in Copenhagen. It was also the correspondence that exposed the attempt, which was not very successful in terms of information gained by the Russians. They had better luck in late 1914 with two brothers named Hiukka, who both served with one of the artillery regiments in Boden, Norrland Artillery Regiment. They were discovered due to their extravagant living, and it was found out that one of the brothers—despite his employment in the army—had Finnish-Russian citizenship. They had provided intelligence to Russia, but the full extent of the affair was never disclosed.^[95] A minor case of German espionage was exposed during the Second World War. The first permanently stationed German officer in Luleå, a Hauptmann Schultz, was caught photographing parts of the fortifications and was deported. It is probable that his espionage was not ordered from any higher command but was an act on own initiative.^{[96][note 10]}

Two extensive espionage cases in Sweden during the

The fortress was gradually modernised in the decades following the Second World War, including newer main artillery for some of the forts and newer secondary artillery for all forts as well as other improvements. But the development of new weapons and the evolution of warfare during the

Due to the strict security surrounding the garrison, many rumours circulated during the fortress' lifetime. Some were later dismissed as myths or as disinformation, but others were confirmed. One common rumour was that the artillery of the main forts had a range of fire that made it possible to shoot at the important

The total construction cost of Boden Fortress—somewhere around 20 million kronor at the time—would correspond to almost 1 billion kronor (as of 2011) according to the consumer price index which the government agency Statistics Sweden uses.^[28] Despite this, the cost has been claimed to correspond to 4 billion kronor of today,^[109][76] and it has also been claimed that the project was more expensive than the JAS 39 Gripen project,^[110] which cost 106 billion kronor in total, each aircraft costing between 300 and 500 million kronor depending on what to include in the calculation.^[111] No matter what the actual cost was, opinions on Boden Fortress differ markedly, from being called a boastful project and the "JAS project of the turn of the century"^[112] to one of the reasons that kept Sweden out of two World Wars.^[105][99] The fortress also had a psychological aspect, in that its mere existence kept a firm grip of peoples' minds—essentially functioning as a morale booster—during times when Sweden was in the shadow of war.^[113]

Forts

Degerberget

Degerberget Fort (Degerbergsfortet) was planned and constructed on Degerberget Mountain, north of Boden and west of the lake Buddbyträsket, between 1900 and 1908. It was the only fort in the northern fort group as defined in the 1914 defensive plans for Boden Fortress.^[114] The main artillery consisted of four 12 cm (4.7 in) kanon m/99, backed up by another four 8.4 cm (3.3 in) kanon m/94-04 which were replaced by 8.4 cm kanon m/47 in the early 1950s.^[115] Surrounded by a caponier ditch on all sides, the fort area also features one observation post, two searchlight sites and two larger bunkers. Part of the Swedish gold reserve was kept here from 1941 to 1982.^[116] Degerberget Fort was decommissioned in 1992 together with Gammelängsberget Fort.^[77]

Mjösjöberget

Mjösjöberget Fort (Mjösjöfortet) was planned and constructed between 1900 and 1908. A part of the eastern fort group together with Gammelängsberget Fort,^[114] it was situated on Mjösjöberget Mountain to the east of Boden. As Rödberget Fort it was fitted with the 15 cm (5.9 in) fästningshaubits m/06 as main artillery, together with the standard secondary 8.4 cm cannon and tertiary 57 mm (2.2 in) caponier cannon. Since Rödberget Fort was refitted with new main artillery in the 1970s, Mjösjöberget Fort is the only to still feature 15 cm main artillery as it was decommissioned in 1979, some 20 years earlier than the other forts. Like the other two forts northeast of Boden, it is surrounded on all sides by a ditch. The fort also has a large bunker and two searchlight sites close by.^[116]

Gammelängsberget

Planned and constructed between 1900 and 1908, Gammelängsberget Fort (Gammelängsfortet) situated on Gammelängsberget Mountain east of Boden was the first of the five forts to be finished and the first to fire any guns when a test firing was conducted in 1907. It was part of the eastern fort group—together with the close by Mjösjöberget Fort—in the 1914 defensive plans. Just as on the other forts, the original secondary guns, 8.4 cm kanon m/94-04, were replaced by 8.4 cm kanon m/47 between 1950 and 1952. The main artillery, 12 cm kanon m/99, and the caponier artillery, 57 mm kaponjärkanon m/07, served with the fort until it was closed down in 1992. Gammelängsberget Fort is surrounded by a caponier ditch on all sides, and a large concrete bunker is located in proximity of the fort.^[116]

Södra Åberget

The only fort not to feature four distinct sides, Södra Åberget Fort (Södra Åbergsfortet) instead features the triangular design that was originally planned for all the forts,^[62] and the southwestern side is formed by the mountain scarp rather than a caponier ditch. The fort—planned and constructed on Södra Åberget Mountain south of Boden between 1902 and 1908—was together with Rödberget Fort part of the southern fort group.^[114] Södra Åberget Fort had the standard armament in the form of 12 cm kanon m/99, 8.4 cm kanon m/94-04 and 57 mm kaponjärkanon m/07. The 8.4 cm artillery was modernised between 1950 and 1952. Just like the neighbour Rödberget Fort on the other side of Lule River, Södra Åberget Fort has four bunkers, two observation posts and two searchlight sites in its surroundings.^[116]

Rödberget

Perhaps the best known of the five forts, Rödberget Fort (Rödbergsfortet), situated on Rödberget Mountain southwest of Boden, was the last in line for construction, which started in 1903. The fort was finished in 1908 and originally featured four 15 cm fästningshaubits m/06 which in 1976 were replaced by four 12 cm kanon m/24 taken from scrapped Swedish Navy destroyers.^{[76][note 13]} At the same time, another two 12 cm cannon were fitted on a newly constructed small satellite fortification to the north of the fort. Rödberget Fort was part of the southern fort group together with Södra Åberget Fort on the other side of Lule River. These two forts—unlike the other forts—do not have a caponier ditch on all sides, as the western side of Rödberget Fort is protected by the natural scarp of the mountain. The surroundings feature four large bunkers, two observation posts and two searchlight sites. Today, Rödberget Fort is the only larger fortification of Boden Fortress that is open to the public.^[116]

Commandants

During the first years in existence, the position was simply titled Commandant in Boden (Kommendant i Boden), but from 1928 on, the officer in charge was Commandant in Boden Fortress (Kommendant i Bodens fästning), and later on had additional commands connected to the position:^[118][119]

In media

Boden Fortress is mentioned in Tage Danielsson's Sagan om Karl-Bertil Jonssons julafton; the story was made into a short film in 1975 and has been shown on Sveriges Television every Christmas Eve since that year. Karl-Bertil Jonsson, the young boy of the story, works extra at the post office where he steals Christmas gifts addressed to rich people and instead gives them to the poor, Robin Hood-style. One of all the gifts he steals is a matchstick picture (tändstickstavla) of the fortress. When telling the intended receiver of the gift, senior administrative officer H. K. Bergdahl, what he had done Bergdahl answers "Thank you, my lad, for saving us from Boden Fortress!"^[120]

The fortress also plays a part in Operation Garbo, a three-volume novel written by Harry Winter, a pseudonym for an undisclosed number of people. The techno-thriller novel is about a Soviet invasion of Sweden, and while Boden Fortress is not a main part of the story, one chapter in the first volume briefly mentions Södra Åberget Fort,^[121] and two chapters in the second volume are devoted to events at and around the forts, Södra Åberget and Mjösjöberget Forts are mentioned by name while Rödberget Fort is described more in detail.^[122][123]

A 30-minute episode of the Swedish public broadcaster SVT's series Hemliga svenska rum ("Secret Swedish spaces") covered Boden Fortress and its secrets, lesser known facts and myths. The programme brought up the use of Degerberget Fort as storage for the gold reserve and other pieces of information from 100 years of Swedish military history about "one of Sweden's most peculiar and perhaps mightiest constructions".^[124]

Notes

Citations

1. ^ ^{a b c} Fästningsguiden.
2. ^ Statens fastighetsverk 2000.
3. ^ ^{a b} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 31.
4. ^ ^{a b} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 31–32.
5. ^ ^{a b} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 32.
6. ^ Clausewitz 1873, bk. VI, chpt. III.
7. ^ ^{a b} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 33.
8. ^ ^{a b} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 34.
9. ^ ^{a b} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 36.
10. ^ ^{a b} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 37.
11. ^ ^{a b} Bergmark 1980, p. 518.
12. ^ Nordisk familjebok 1905, "Boden".
13. ^ ^{a b} Kartaschew 2000, pp. 12–13.
14. ^ Kartaschew 2000, p. 12.
15. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 38–39.
16. ^ Nordhagen Ottosen 2005, p. 25.
17. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 43–44.
18. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 41.
19. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 41–42.
20. ^ ^{a b c d} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 53.
21. ^ Björhammar 1998, pp. 29–30.
22. ^ Törnquist 2007, p. 347.
23. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 40–41.
24. ^ ^{a b} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 45.
25. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 44.
26. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 45–46.
27. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 54–55.
28. ^ ^{a b c d} Statistiska centralbyrån 2011.
29. ^ ^{a b} Kartaschew 2000, p. 13.
30. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 58–59.
31. ^ ^{a b} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 109.
32. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 59.
33. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 60–62.
34. ^ Nordhagen Ottosen 2005, p. 56.
35. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 60.
36. ^ Nordhagen Ottosen 2005, p. 98.
37. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 63–64.
38. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 65–66.
39. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 67–68.
40. ^ Bergmark 1980, p. 526.
41. ^ Kartaschew 2000, p. 3.
42. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 103–104.
43. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 68.
44. ^ Bergmark 1980, p. 519.
45. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 68–69.
46. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 69.
47. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 69–70.
48. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 51.
49. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 66.
50. ^ ^{a b} Bergmark 1980, p. 528.
51. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 70.
52. ^ Bergmark 1980, p. 527.
53. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 79.
54. ^ Bergmark 1980, pp. 528–529.
55. ^ Bergmark 1980, p. 532.
56. ^ Nordisk familjebok 1896, "Supplement Boden".
57. ^ Svensson 2000, p. 19.
58. ^ Törnquist 2007, p. 350.
59. ^ Kartaschew 2000, p. 1.
60. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 126–127.
61. ^ ^{a b} Strömholm 1933, p. 31.
62. ^ ^{a b} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 157.
63. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 166.
64. ^ Bergmark 1980, p. 533.
65. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 158–160.
66. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 329.
67. ^ Lidström 2005, p. 4.
68. ^ Strömholm 1933, p. 33.
69. ^ ^{a b} Bergmark 1980, p. 536.
70. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 161–163.
71. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 164–165.
72. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 167.
73. ^ Bergmark 1980, p. 534.
74. ^ ^{a b} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 168.
75. ^ ^{a b} Högberg & Ohlsson 2006, p. 222.
76. ^ ^{a b c} Boden Fortress exhibition.
77. ^ ^{a b} Dig Maps 2001.
78. ^ Bergmark 1980, p. 537.
79. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 170–171.
80. ^ Strömholm 1933, p. 34.
81. ^ Strömholm 1933, p. 35.
82. ^ Strandell 2009.
83. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 178.
84. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 178–179.
85. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 179–182.
86. ^ Törnquist 2007, pp. 350–352.
87. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 117–118.
88. ^ Björhammar 1998, pp. 31–32.
89. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 201–202.
90. ^ ^{a b} Ericson Wolke 2009, p. 175.
91. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 132–139.
92. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 89.
93. ^ Forsberg 2003, pp. 14–15.
94. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 88.
95. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 86–87.
96. ^ Gyllenhaal & Gebhardt 2001, p. 29.
97. ^ Forsberg 2003, pp. 220–224.
98. ^ Forsberg 2003, pp. 253–254.
99. ^ ^{a b} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 140.
100. ^ Englund 2005.
101. ^ Kartaschew 2000, p. 15.
102. ^ Törnquist 2007, p. 352.
103. ^ Högberg & Ohlsson 2006, p. 224.
104. ^ PM 2002.
105. ^ ^{a b} Hagerfors 2002.
106. ^ Gallin 2011.
107. ^ ^{a b} Anundby 2006.
108. ^ Björhammar 1998, pp. 32.
109. ^ Råde 2004.
110. ^ Prage 2005, p. 22.
111. ^ Michélsen 2004.
112. ^ Haglund 1999.
113. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 141.
114. ^ ^{a b c} Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 128.
115. ^ Persson 2002, page "8 - 9 cm".
116. ^ ^{a b c d e} Fästningsguiden, page "Om Bodens fästning".
117. ^ Kartaschew 2000, pp. 4–6.
118. ^ Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 14.
119. ^ Sköld 2001, pp. 45–48.
120. ^ Danielsson 2000, §8.
121. ^ Winter 1988, pp. 389–391.
122. ^ Winter 1989, pp. 32–35.
123. ^ Winter 1989, pp. 182–185.
124. ^ Sveriges Television 2008.

References

All sources in Swedish unless otherwise noted.

Books

• Bergmark, Ragnar, ed. (1980). Bodens kommun: från forntid till nutid: utgiven med anledning av beslut rörande Bodens jubileumsfond 1969. Boden: Bodens kommun.
• Clausewitz, Carl von (1873). On War. Translated by J. J. Graham. London: N. Trübner. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
• ISBN 91-46-17781-7
  .
• Ericson Wolke, Lars (2009). Svensk militärmakt: strategi och operationer i svensk militärhistoria under 1 500 år. Stockholm: Försvarshögskolan/Svenskt Militärhistoriskt Bibliotek.
  ISBN 978-91-85789-47-4
  .
• Forsberg, Tore (2003). Spioner och spioner som spionerar på spioner: spioner och kontraspioner i Sverige. Stockholm: Hjalmarson & Högberg.
  ISBN 91-89660-18-8
  .
• Forslund, Björn (1988). Fästningsstad i liv och utveckling. Boden: Kungl. Bodens artilleriregemente.
• Gyllenhaal, Lars; Gebhardt, James F. (2001). Slaget om Nordkalotten: Sveriges roll i tyska och allierade operationer i norr (2nd (paperback) ed.). Lund: Historiska media.
  ISBN 91-89442-26-1.^{[ref 1]}
• Högberg, Leif; Ohlsson, Jan Erik (2006). Militär utflykt!: en vägvisare till militärhistoriska sevärdheter i Sverige. Skurup: Fort & Bunker.
  ISBN 91-973900-8-9
  .
• Högberg, Leif; Ohlsson, Jan Erik (2008). Fortsättningen!: militär utflykt, en vägvisare till militärhistoriska sevärdheter. Skurup: Fort & Bunker.
  ISBN 978-91-976075-1-3
  .
• Nelsson, Bertil (1993). Från Brunkeberg till Nordanvind: 500 år med svenskt infanteri. Stockholm: Probus.
  ISBN 91-87184-23-0
  .
• "Supplement Boden". Nordisk familjebok. Vol. 19 (1st ed.). Stockholm: Expeditionen af Nordisk familjebok. 1896. pp. 955–956. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
• "Boden". Nordisk familjebok. Vol. 3 (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Nordisk familjeboks förlag. 1905. pp. 857–858. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
• Nyström, Bror Oscar; Skeppstedt, Sven, eds. (1990). Boden: fästningen, garnisonen, samhället. Boden: Kungl. Bodens artilleriregementes historiekommitté.
• Sköld, Christer, ed. (2001). Fo 63: en minnesskrift för, om och av anställda. Boden: Försvarsmakten.
  ISBN 91-631-0587-X
  .
• Strömholm, Fredrik (1933). Boden, fästningen och staden: några minnesblad. Boden.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Törnquist, Leif (2007). Svenska borgar och fästningar: en militärhistorisk reseguide. Stockholm: Medströms.
  ISBN 978-91-7329-008-1
  .
• Winter, Harry (1988). Operation Garbo: en thriller om en möjlig verklighet. Stockholm: Timbro.
  ISBN 91-7566-146-2
  .
• Winter, Harry (1989). Operation Garbo II: slutet. Stockholm: Timbro.
  ISBN 91-7566-213-2
  .

Journals

• Björhammar, Anders (1998). "Sista skottet från fästningen: nu ska Bodens hemligheter bli turistmål". Populär Historia (5): 29–32.
  ISSN 1102-0822
  . Retrieved 2011-12-13.
• Ericson Wolke, Lars; Eriksson, Sten Olof; Törnquist, Leif (2007). "Militära hemligheter: svenska fort och fästningar". Populär Historia (7): 36–46.
  ISSN 1102-0822
  . Retrieved 2011-12-13.
• Haglund, Magnus (1999). "Försvarets framtid - försvarsgrensstrid eller nationell strategi?". Vårt Försvar (2).
  ISSN 0042-2800. Archived from the original
  on 2012-04-04. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
• Kartaschew, Kenneth von (2000). "Bodens fästning" (PDF). SFV Kulturvärden (3): 10–15.
  ISSN 1104-845X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-11-18.^{[ref 2]}
• Lidström, Hans (2005). "Rödbergsfortet - Ett monument". Ledaren: Tidskrift för Västerbottens Befälsutbildningsförbund (1): 4. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2006-12-27.
• Nordhagen Ottosen, Morten (2005). Militære tiltak og vurderinger i Trøndelag 1890–1905 (PDF) (Master's degree thesis) (in Norwegian). University of Oslo. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
• Prage, Göran (2005). "'Bombsäkra' lokaler att hyra" (PDF). SFV Kulturvärden (4): 22–23.
  ISSN 1104-845X. Archived from the original
  (PDF) on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
• Svensson, Göran (2000). "Vår första moderna befästning" (PDF). SFV Kulturvärden (1): 14–19.
  ISSN 1104-845X. Archived from the original
  (PDF) on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
• "Bodens fästning öppnas" (PDF) (Press release).
  Statens fastighetsverk. 2000-06-20. Archived from the original
  (PDF) on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-11-18.

News

• Anundby, Nils (2006-07-18). "Många myter om fortet". Norrländska Socialdemokraten. Luleå. Archived from the original on April 18, 2013. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
• Englund, Peter (2005-08-18). "Om terroristskräcken i vårt land". Dagens Nyheter. Stockholm. Archived from the original on 2006-12-14. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
• Hagerfors, Anna-Maria (2002-07-28). "Topphemlig fästning blev turistmål". Dagens Nyheter. Stockholm. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
• Michélsen, Thomas (2004-01-21). "Jas Gripens nota: 106 miljarder". Dagens Nyheter. Stockholm. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
• PM (2002-08-25). "Turistmålet som skulle stoppa ryssen". Helsingborgs Dagblad. Helsingborg. p. 22.
• Råde, Hampus (2004-05-11). "Sveriges hemliga rum". Värnpliktsnytt. Täby. p. 17. Archived from the original on 2004-07-01. Retrieved 2006-12-27.

Online

• "Kultur & Nöje - Boden". Bothnian Arc. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2006-09-04.
• "Bodens fästnings karta". Bodenkartan.com. Dig Maps. 2001. Archived from the original on 2006-06-14. Retrieved 2006-09-04.
• "Bodens fästning & Rödbergsfortet". Rodbergsfortet.com. Fästningsguiden i Norr. Archived from the original on 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
• "Bodens fästning". Försvarsmuseum Boden. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
• Gallin, Christer (2011-10-04). "Bodens salutstation". Bodens kommun. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
• Persson, Mats (2002). "Breech-loaded Guns and Cannon used by the Swedish Armed Forces". Mats' Weapons Page. Archived from the original on 2007-05-18. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
• Pötter, Uwe (2005-06-12). "Hemvärnet - Vi var där". Hemvärnet. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
• Spangsberg, Svend. "Bodens fästning - Nordens største bjergforter". Forter og Befæstningsanlæg i Danmark, Norge og Sverige (in Danish). Archived from the original on 2008-02-21. Retrieved 2006-09-04.
• "Bodens fästning".
  Statens fastighetsverk. Archived from the original
  on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
• "Price level in Sweden 1830–2010". Statistiska centralbyrån. 2011-01-13. Archived from the original on 2012-01-13. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
• Strandell, Monica (2009-08-09). "Ballonghallen".
  Fortifikationsverket. Archived from the original
  on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
• "Bodens Fästning - En mäktig hemlighet". Sveriges Television. 2008. Retrieved 2011-11-18.^{[ref 3]}

Other

• Boden Fortress exhibition at Försvarsmuseum Boden. Visited on 2006-07-28.
• Rödberget Fort guided tour by Fästningsguiden i Norr AB Archived 2016-04-27 at the Wayback Machine. Visited on 2006-07-28.

Reference notes

1. ^ The chapter used as source in this article was added to the book for the 2nd edition, and can thus not be found in the 1st (hardcover) edition.
2. ^ A slightly different version of the article which contains some additional information but lacks pictures, is available at sfv.se Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine. Citations for pp. 1–7 refers to this alternative version.
3. ^ A transcript of the programme in English can be found at docstoc.com.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boden Fortress.

• Swedish National Property Board - Boden Fortress (in English)
• Bodens fästning & Rödbergsfortet Archived 2016-04-27 at the Wayback Machine (in Swedish)
• Rödberget Fort is at coordinates 65°47′28″N 21°39′26″E / 65.7911°N 21.6572°E / 65.7911; 21.6572 (Rödberget Fort)
• Södra Åberget Fort is at coordinates 65°47′05″N 21°42′09″E / 65.7848°N 21.7025°E / 65.7848; 21.7025 (Södra Åberget Fort)
• Gammelängsberget Fort is at coordinates 65°49′36″N 21°46′16″E / 65.8268°N 21.7712°E / 65.8268; 21.7712 (Gammelängsberget Fort)
• Mjösöberget Fort is at coordinates 65°50′00″N 21°45′45″E / 65.8333°N 21.7626°E / 65.8333; 21.7626 (Mjösöberget Fort)
• Degerberget Fort is at coordinates 65°51′35″N 21°38′59″E / 65.8598°N 21.6497°E / 65.8598; 21.6497 (Degerberget Fort)