Bo Varenius

Major General Bo Gerhard Otto Varenius (3 November 1918 – 23 July 1996) was a senior Swedish Coastal Artillery officer. Varenius served as Chief of the Naval Staff from 1972 to 1984.

Early life Varenius was born on 3 November 1918 in Hedvig Eleonora Parish, Stockholm, Sweden, the son of professor Otto Varenius and his wife Gurli Lindbäck. Varenius passed studentexamen from the Latinlinjen in Stockholm in 1938, after which he began studying law at Stockholm University College and supplemented his studentexamen with science subjects. From 1939 to 1942, he did his military service and reserve officer training in the Swedish Coastal Artillery, from which he receives a reserve officer degree in 1942. He felt at home in the archipelago environment and saw it as a challenge to work with the problems with coastal defence. Varenius thus let go of the idea of studying law. at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1950 to 1952 and he was promoted to captain in 1951 and served in the Naval Staff from 1956 to 1957. Varenius was promoted to major in 1960 and served in the Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration from 1960 to 1961, and then as head of department in the Defence Staff from 1961 to 1963 He then served from 1966 to 1970

Dates of rank 1943 – Second lieutenant 1944 – Lieutenant 1951 – Captain 1960 – Major 1963 – Lieutenant colonel 1964 – Colonel 1972 – Major general

Awards and decorations

Honours Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1971) Honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (1972)