‘The Baltic Cauldron: Two Navies and the
Fight for Freedom.’ Edited by Michael Ellis, Gustav von Hofsten and Derek Law.
290 pp; Illustrated in colour/black and white; 14 maps; Whittles Publishing;
ISBN 978-184995-549-2; Hardback, £30/ $44.95.
Originally published in Swedish under the
title ‘I Fred och Örlog’, to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of
the founding of the Swedish Navy by King Gustav Vasa on the 7 June 1522, the
English version ‘The Baltic Cauldron’, reviewed here, was published in 2023. Contributions
are by Swedish, British and American academics, scholars and naval officers, all
experts in their field, including TNS’s own author and historian Peter Hore. The
long relationship between Sweden and Great Britain both in ‘peace and war’
takes us from the sixteenth century to the present day, during which time it fluctuated
between one of wariness, to one of beneficial co-operation and occasionally,
hostility. Beneath it all, however, one senses a mutual regard and a growing recognition
of the other nation’s qualities.
Early chapters concern the formative years
of the Swedish and British navies, the first appearance of a British fleet in
the Baltic and an early confrontation between the two at Orfordness in 1704. The
later exploits of Sir Sidney Smith during the Russo-Swedish War; Nelson’s
action against the League of Armed Neutrality and his threat to the Swedish
fleet following the Battle of Copenhagen; and the actions, or diplomatic inactions,
taken by Vice Admiral Sir James Saumaurez are also well covered, as is a welcome
chapter concerning the Swedes who fought at Trafalgar. Britain relied heavily on
Sweden and other Baltic countries for timber, tar, hemp and other naval
supplies, without which the Royal Navy would not have been able to function
effectively. It was also an important trade for Sweden, keen also to export her
own produce, albeit under the eyes of the French and her ally Denmark.
With the advent of steam and ship construction
changing from wood to iron and later steel, the relationship between the two
countries continued. The Crimean War saw the resurgence of war in the Baltic, causing
Russia to divert much of her attention. With their being forced out of the
Åland Islands at Bomarsund in 1854, followed by the shelling of Sveaborg by an
Anglo-French fleet in 1855, Czar Alexander II realised what he was up against
and the subsequent fall of Sevastopol forced Russia to a peace settlement. The
Scandinavian nations remained traditionally neutral, although King Oscar l had hoped
that Britain would help Sweden regain Finland, lost to Russia in 1809. He was
to be disappointed and Finland was to remain a part of Russia until her
independence in 1917.
Despite Sweden’s neutral stance many technological
advances were made, particularly with regard to her navy which by the 1860’s
had five steam vessels. Prominent amongst her engineers was John Ericsson who developed
the usage of twin propellers. He emigrated first to England and then America in
the 1839, where he was to develop the gun turret and later the torpedo. Whilst
Sweden has never been a particularly belligerent nation, she has always been at
the forefront in the development of military technology, the high quality of
which can be attested today by military forces worldwide.
The two World Wars again saw Sweden adhering
to her neutrality policy and whilst Britain and her allies conducted operations
in the Baltic they were aware that many Swedes had German sympathies. Despite
this Sweden aided the allies where possible, particularly during the Second
World War. In 1940, believing that she might be dragged into the War, Sweden purchased
four destroyers from Italy. The operation was meticulously planned, the crews
and stores were transported to Italy by ship and the route home carefully
charted. However, in the Faroe Islands they were blockaded in one of the
fjords… by the Royal Navy. The Swedes were outraged, Britain’s response being
that the destroyers might fall in to German hands. There is rather more to this
intriguing story than space permits of here, but in the eyes of this reviewer it
was not one of Britain’s finer moments! The breakout from the Baltic of the
German battleships Bismark and Prinz Eugen and the invaluable assistance
the Swedes gave in keeping the British Admiralty informed as to the ships’
movements is also dealt with, invaluable information being provided by the shadowing
seaplane carrier Gotland, which sent regular
reports back to Sweden. Two further incidents during the war are highlighted,
one concerns the continued supply of high quality Swedish ball bearings for
Britain’s war effort, the other Winston Churchill’s plan to bomb Luleå, to
deprive Germany of Sweden’s iron ore. The first was, thankfully, successful…
the second was quietly shelved!
The post war years until today have seen
ever closer ties between the Swedish and British navies, both technologically
and operationally, as evidenced by their working together and in consort with
NATO partners. The final chapter, concerning the seizure of the Swedish Stena Impero by Iran in 2019,demonstrates the fact that the world is
still a dangerous place and that we must never be complacent. A thought-provoking
afterword by Admiral Lord West, a list of further reading and vignettes of the fifteen
contributors, round off what is a remarkable book. Highly recommended.
