The Swedish Air Force or 'Flygvapnet' was created on July 1,1926 when the aviation units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalating international tension during the 1930s the Air Force was reorganised and expanded from four to seven squadrons. When the Second World War broke out in 1939, a further growth was initiated and this expansion was not finished until the end of the War. Although Sweden never entered the War, a large air force was considered necessary to ward off the threat of invasion, and to resist pressure through military threats. By 1945 the Swedish Air Force had over 800 combat-ready aircraft, including fifteen fighter divisions. A major problem for the Swedish Air Force during World War II was the lack of fuel as Sweden was surrounded by countries at war and could not rely on imported oil. Instead shale oil was produced for the much-needed petrol. The Swedish Air Force underwent a rapid modernisation post-1945, and it became no longer politically acceptable to equip its forces with second-rate models. Instead, the air staff purchased the best it could find from abroad, and as such aircraft like the P-51D Mustang, the de Havilland Mosquito NF.19 and de Havilland Vampires were introduced, whilst its aviation industry geared up to build some of the most eclectic fighters ever produced. When the SAAB J 29 Tunnan light fighter was introduced around 1950, Sweden suddenly had aircraft that were equal to the best that the RAF, USAF and Soviet forces could field.
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