Stellan Anestads Flygbilder

Stellan Anestad, 1905 - 1976, graduated from Norra Real high school in Stockholm, 1923. After his graduation he started his mining engineering studies at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm. Halfway through his studies, he left for military service and to join the navy's aircraft unit (marinens flygväsende), and then in 1926 the newly created Swedish Air Force (SAF). He stayed in the SAF until 1929, when he resumed his engineering studies and graduated in 1931. While pursuing a successful career in the Swedish mining industry, he remained in the SAF reserve, and maintained his flying skills through regular training sessions. At the outbreak of WW II, he was called back into service, and served on-and-off through 1944. He remained in the SAF Reserve until the mid 50's.

The following text is an excerpt from Seve Ungermark's website "Birth of the Swedish Air Force"

"The independent Swedish Air Force had been formed in 1926 by the fusion of an army unit (arméns flygkompani) and a navy unit (marinens flygväsende). Before this happened all higher officers were ordered from the navy and the army to head the air force units. These gentlemen lacked both knowledge - and what was worse - interest in aviation. Most of them even considered flying as a temporary technical trendy thing that soon would fade out. As a result the creation of the new air force suffered. According to plans there would be - in 1935 - 229 aircraft for different missions located at four flying corps (flygkårer) in Västerås, Hägernäs (at Täby north of Stockholm), Malmslätt (near Linköping) and Frösön (an island outside Östersund).

"According to the views of the head officers, the only reason for the air force to exist was to support other troops. Consequently, emphasis was placed on reconnaissance. The experience from World War I was that the bombers both carried too meager a load and had too small a range to have any importance in the war effort. The fighters, on the other hand, were going so slowly that they were hardly of any use. However, no one could deny that the reconnaissance aircraft had proved themselves invaluable by providing information that was only available from the air."

To read more click on the link below

http://www.ungermark.se/elarm.html

The photos on the following pages come from an album with photos my father collected during his years in the SAF, some of which are from years before his flying time. There was no text in the album to indicate when and where the photos were taken, nor any information on the types of air crafts depicted. The photos on the following pages are not in chronological order, but in the order they appear in my fathers album. (As I started this project, that was the only order I knew. At some time in point they will probably be reordered.)

The text to the photos on the following pages has kindly been supplied by Jan Waernberg, with further valuable input from Lars Sundin.

	1		Hispano-Suiza J-24 ca 1925

	2		Unknown plane and crash site

	3a		Charles Lindbergh's and Anne Morrow's airplane, "Tingmissartoq", a Lockheed Sirius, 1933
	3b		Charles Lindbergh checking the "Tingmissartoq"
	3c		Charles Lindbergh with officers at F2 Hägernäs, at his visit in 1933. Stellan Anestad, third from left

	4		Stellan Anestad, bottom right, on board the support ship "Dristigheten, 1927/28

	5		Armstrong Whitworth Siskin Mk. IIA at the ILUG air show in Gothenburg, 1923