Stig Synnergren

Stig Synnergren
Stig Synnergren, 1974.
Birth name	Stig Gustaf Eugén Synnergren
Born	(1915-02-25)25 February 1915 Boden, Sweden
Died	29 April 2004(2004-04-29) (aged 89) , Sweden
Buried at	Galärvarvskyrkogården, Stockholm
Allegiance	Sweden
Service/branch	Swedish Army
Years of service	1939–1978
Rank	General
Commands held	Chief of the Army Staff Commander of Milo B Chief of the Defence Staff Supreme Commander

Stig Gustaf Eugén Synnergren (25 February 1915 – 29 April 2004) was a Swedish Army general who was the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces from 1970 to 1978. Synnergren was a strong advocate for the conscription system and during his time as Supreme Commander the combat aircraft Saab 37 Viggen was introduced. Synnergren was famous for advancing from the rank of captain to becoming the "youngest general in the modern times" in just five years.

Synnergren was born in Boden, Sweden, the son of the engine driver Gösta Synnergren and his wife Sara (née Carlstén). His father was also a Social Democratic city councilman in Boden and his mother was a Social Democratic member of the child welfare committee. Synnergren's school years were marked by sports, physical education and outdoor recreation. He passed studentexamen in Luleå in 1936 with the grades A in physics and a in mathematics and chemistry. He was then admitted to the Royal Institute of Technology in . He had at this time no thought of becoming an officer.

The turning point of his life happened during a fall day in 1936 during the Berlin Olympics in which Synnergren participated as a member of the Swedish gymnastics squad. The experience of Adolf Hitler, surrounded by the Third Reich throughout threatening paramilitary splendor changed Synnergren's choice of career. Like so many of his peers, he had a strong feeling that a new world war was imminent. He withdrew his application to the Royal Institute of Technology and decided to become an officer. In 1939, as World War II broke out, he finish first in his class at the Infantry Officer Cadet School (Infanteriets officersaspirantskola) at the Royal Military Academy.