Samuel Åkerhielm

Lieutenant General Friherre Samuel Lars Åkerhielm af Blombacka (23 October 1887 – 15 January 1976) was a senior Swedish Army officer. Åkerhielm had a distinguished military career in Sweden. He began as an officer in 1908, serving in various roles and attending military colleges. He rose through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant colonel and later a colonel. He held key positions, including heading the Royal Swedish Army Staff College and commanding the Svea Artillery Regiment. In 1941, he briefly served as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff. Åkerhielm was promoted to major general and became the military commander of the VII Military District and the Gotland Naval District in 1942. Despite challenges to his role, he remained in command for several years. He retired in 1953 as a lieutenant general and transitioned to the military reserve. Additionally, he played active roles in various organizations during his career.

Early life Åkerhielm was born on 23 October 1887 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of the President of the , Friherre Lars Åkerhielm and his wife Hulda (née Nyström). He passed mogenhetsexamen in Stockholm on 26 May 1906 and became a volunteer in the Svea Artillery Regiment (A 1) on 29 May the same year.

Career

Military career Åkerhielm was commissioned as an officer on 29 May 1908 and was assigned as underlöjtnant to the Svea Artillery Regiment on 31 December the same year. Åkerhielm, however, remained in the post for 6 years before being appointed military commander of the I Military District.

Other work Åkerhielm was chairman of the Gotlands skarpskytte och jägargille ("Gotland Sharpshooter and Hunter Guild") from 1946 to 1948.

Personal life On 14 May 1913 in Stockholm, he married Frances Anna Margareta Reuterswärd (born 6 November 1891), the daughter of lieutenant colonel Carl Fredrik Casper Reuterswärd and Baroness Rosa Elisabet von Ungern-Sternberg. They had one daughter, Margareta Elisabet, born 12 February 1915 in Svea artilleriregemente Parish in Stockholm.

Dates of rank 1908 – Underlöjtnant 1913 – Lieutenant 1920 – Captain 1929 – Major 1934 – Lieutenant colonel 1936 – Colonel 1942 – Major general 1953 – Lieutenant general

Awards and decorations

Swedish

King Gustaf V Olympic Commemorative Medal (Konung Gustaf V:s olympiska minnesmedalj) (1912) Gotland Association for Volunteer Military Training's Gold Medal (Gotlands befäls(utbildnings)förbunds guldmedalj) Gotland Sharpshooter and Hunter Guild Medal of Merit (Gotlands skarpskytte och jägargilles förtjänstmedalj)

Foreign

Honours Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1938)