Fale Burman

Lieutenant General Fale Faleson Burman (12 January 1903 – 6 September 1973) was a Swedish Army officer. Burman’s military career spanned from his commissioning in 1922 to his retirement as a lieutenant general in 1968. Starting in the Scanian Hussar Regiment, he advanced through rigorous training and General Staff service, contributing to Sweden’s defense modernization in the 1930s. During World War II, he held key staff positions, including chief of staff for the 2nd Army Division and the II Military District. Post-war, he served as military attaché in Ankara, Athens, and Tehran, commanded the Göta Life Guards, and acted as Inspector of the Army Signal Troops. Promoted to major general in 1959, he became Commanding General of both the VII and III Military Districts before retiring to the reserve list. Known as a forthright debater, author of Born to be a Soldier, and leader in civilian organizations, Burman remained an influential figure well beyond his active service.

Early life Burman was born on 12 January 1903 in in Malmö, Sweden, the son of Fale Burman, a captain in the cavalry, and his wife Cornelia Siwers. He passed studentexamen at Nya Elementar in Stockholm in 1920.

Career Burman was commissioned as an officer in 1922 and was assigned as a second lieutenant to the Scanian Hussar Regiment in Helsingborg. He attended the Swedish Army Riding and Horse-Driving School from 1923 to 1924 and was promoted to underlöjtnant in 1924 and attended the Royal Central Gymnastics Institute from 1924 to 1926. Burman attended the General Course at the Artillery and Engineering College from 1928 to 1930 and the Higher Course there from 1930 to 1932. He was an aspirant in the General Staff from 1933 to 1935, was promoted to captain in the General Staff in 1935 and was appointed ryttmästare in the Scanian Cavalry Regiment in 1936. He was head of the Equipment Office in the Organization Department in the General Staff and thereby made efforts in various areas of equipment during the strengthening of the Swedish defence in the late 1930s, including the acquisition of tanks. and of the staff in the II Military District from 1942 to 1944.

Burman was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1944 and served in the Scanian Armoured Regiment from 1944 to 1945, in Göta Armour Guards Regiment in 1946 and in Södermanland Armoured Regiment in 1946. but before he took command, he was instead appointed executive commander of Göta Life Guards - a post he came to hold from 1951 to 1955. Burman then served as Inspector of the Swedish Army Signal Troops in the Defence Staff from 1955 to 1959 when he was promoted to major general and appointed Commanding General of the VII Military District. He served in this position until 1963 when he was appointed Commanding General of the III Military District. From 1966 to 1968 Burman was at the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces's disposal and in 1968 he retired from active service and was promoted to lieutenant general on the reserve list. He was an inspector at the higher general educational institution in Enköping from 1951 to 1955 and chairman of the Gotland Shooting Association (Gotlands skytteförbund) from 1960 to 1963.

Death Burman died on 6 September 1973 in Råsunda Parish, Solna Municipality.

Dates of rank 1922 – Second lieutenant 1924 – Underlöjtnant 1927 – Lieutenant 1935 – Ryttmästare 1935 – Captain 1941 – Major 1944 – Lieutenant colonel 1949 – Colonel 1959 – Major general 1968 – Lieutenant general

Awards and decorations

Uppsala Association for Volunteer Military Training's medal in gold Gotland Shooting Association's medal in gold Gotland Association for Volunteer Military Training's medal in gold Army Shooting Medal (Arméns skyttemedalj) Swedish Red Cross Badge of Honor Norwegian Shooting Board Badge of Honor

Honours Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1958)