SWEDISH ARMY

Grey River Argus, 8 June 1943, Page 5

SWEDISH ARMY

CALL-UP TO TRAIN

Russian Allegations

[Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] (Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON June 6. The Commander-in-chief. of the Swedish Army has called up additional forces for army training. He is using the Stockholm radio as a test of mobilisation in the event of emergency. The Commander-m-Chief explained that the call up has not been caused by foreign developments, but is only part of the programme that was announced in December last for Sweden’s extensive winter and spring exercises. The Prime Minister of Sweden, M. Hansson, in a 1 speech, warned thu country that the danger to Sweden would increase as the war grew fierce. He remarked: “Our desire is to live in peace. That desire has determined our attitude. The purpose of our military preparedness is to secure respect for that desire, ano •simultaneously, to maintain our freedom and independence. At Moscow a fortnightly publication, “War and the Working Class.' an organ of the Russian trade union movement, detailing alleged breaches of Swedish neutraliay stated: ine Times’s” Moscow correspondent says: “The article lists the following violations: Firstly, permitting transit or belligerent troops, munitions, and food; secondly, conniving at the formation of Swedish military units to fight for Germany; thirdly, trading, through State arms enterprises, with Germany; fourthly, failing to intern armed men and planes which infringed Swedish neutrality; fifthly, allowing territorial waters to be used tor transit of German warships; sixthly, the use of Swedish ports and- transferring of Swedish warships to Germany; seventhly, permitting Fmnisn ships to sail under Swedish flags, ine article further alleged that twenty trainloads of Germans ‘on leave, at times, traversed Sweden weekly, while 320,000 passengers of this type were carried in 1942. According to the article Swedish State ordnance works are repairing German military vehicles, supplying Bofors guns, and the ports of Malmo, Lrelleborg and Helsingborg have become practically German bases.”