Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization

Independent auxiliary defence organization in Sweden
Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization
Svenska Lottakåren
S·L·K
Riksförbundet Sveriges lottakårer
Coat of arms of the Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization
Founded1924; 100 years ago (1924)
Country Sweden
Size5,000
Garrison/HQStockholm
Military unit

The Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization[a] (Swedish: Svenska Lottakåren (SLK) communicatively, lit. 'The Swedish Lotta Corps', and Riksförbundet Sveriges lottakårer juridically, lit. 'national federation of Sweden's lotta corps'[b])[3] is an independent auxiliary defence organization in Sweden. The organisation is part of the Swedish Total Defence (Totalförsvaret), the national defence strategy of Sweden.

The organisation was created in 1924 as a Swedish version of the Finnish equivalent organisation Lotta Svärd (created in 1918),[4] which subsequently inspired other Scandinavian and the Baltic states to create their own organisations based on the same principles. These are collectively called "Lotta movements" as the majority of these organisations have adopted the name Lotta as the general designation for organisation members.[5][6][7][8]

Organisation

One of several "Lotta club houses", Swedish: Lottastugor (English: Lotta Cottages), in Sweden. The Lotta Cottage in the picture is located in the community park of Varberg Sweden. Notice the SLK emblem across the door.

The organization currently consists of approximately 5,000 women of all ages throughout Sweden. Svenska Lottakåren's purpose is to recruit and educate women for tasks in the Swedish total defence, and to conduct comprehensive defence training. Svenska Lottakåren works in both the Armed Forces and in Civilian Emergency Preparedness. The organization is politically neutral, and is one of the country's largest female networks.

Members are called lotta (singular) or lottor (plural).

History

Origin

Founder of the SLK, Tyra Wadner.

Svenska Lottakåren was created in 1924 with the Finnish women's auxiliary organization, Lotta Svärd (founded in 1920), as a direct role model. The name Lotta comes from a poem by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, about a fictional woman named Lotta Svärd, who took care of wounded soldiers during the Finnish War.

The organisation was founded by a Swedish woman named Tyra Wadner, whom also became the organization's first chairperson, and was originally an auxiliary aid unit for the Swedish landstorm militia, then named Sveriges Landstormskvinnor (Sweden's Landstorm Women).[4]

The organisation's original mission was non-militant and primarily aimed at collecting money for the landstorm militia. However, by the late 1930s it became apparent that the organisation was needed for militant missions during wartime, however not of combatant nature. In 1936 rules were laid down that regulated the organisation's activities in peacetime and wartime.

In peacetime, the activities would be concentrated in four areas:

  • Collection of funds for the landstorm militia
  • Provide service at landstorm militia exercises
  • Training of their own members
  • Information work to "raise the motherland and homeland patriotism feeling and strengthen the nation's defence".

During the war, Svenska Lottakåren instead had to undertake various forms of assistance for defence in the homeland, especially during mobilization.[9] Members were divided into army, navy and airfields.

World War II

  • Left: Lotta performing air surveillance in 1942.
  • Center: SLK with Finnish war children during World War II, 1944.
  • Right: Lotta receiving self-defence weapon training at the Svea Life Guards, 1944.