Thomas Nilsson
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thonil.bsky.social
Thomas Nilsson
@thonil.bsky.social
240 followers 710 following 100 posts
Swedish regional civil servant. This account mostly deals with issues of national security. Swedish account: @thomasnilsson.eu
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thonil.bsky.social
You can read more on the Swedish Total defence and Civil defence service on the website of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), soon to be renamed the Swedish Defence and Resilience Agency (Myndigheten för civilt försvar). www.msb.se/en/advice-fo...
The coat-of-arms of the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (Myndigheten för civilt försvar) replacing the Swedish Civil Contingecies Agency (Myndigheten för säkerhet och beredskap, MSB) on January 1st 2026, featuring Sweden's lesser coat of arms with three golden crowns on a blue shield with a royal crown symbolising the Swedish government, resting on a golden staff of office symbolising the agency's leading position in civil defence, ornated with a blue triangle symbolising civil defence per the International Civil Defence Organisation, surrounded by two golden oak leafs, symbolising strength, resilience, endurance and constancy.
November 30, 2025 at 2:06 PM
thonil.bsky.social
Last year, the Swedish government decided to reintroduce civil defence service for rescue services and grid maintenance. Now, my local newspaper is reporting that the first "conscripts" for grid maintenance has arrived in my county for training.
A picture from the local daily newspaper Sydsvenskan in Malmö depicting a report featuring electricians in yellow clothing and the headline "They were forced to Skåne [county] to save electricity in war".
November 30, 2025 at 2:06 PM
thonil.bsky.social
Well, he was a tall man. Here’s a contemporary cartoon of him.
A cartoon of Mr. Tage Erlander (1901-1985), prime minister of Sweden between 1946 and 1969.
November 26, 2025 at 6:55 PM
thonil.bsky.social
The Swedish aerospace and defence company SAAB also uses the Scanian version of the griffin in its logotype, as the company traces parts of its origin to Scania. The fighter aircraft JAS 39 Gripen is named after the griffin in the company’s logotype.
The logo of the SAAB company featuring a red crowned griffin's head.
October 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
thonil.bsky.social
Thus the legacy of the House of Griffin is still in wide use across the south Baltic area today. Versions appears in the coat-of-arms of the county of Scania in Sweden, the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the Polish voivodeships of West Pomerania and Pomerania.
The coat-of-arms of the County of Scania in Sweden, featuring a crowned yellow (golden) griffin's head on a red shield. The lesser coat-of-arms of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, featuring the black crowned bull's head on a yellow (golden) background on its left half, and a red griffin on a white (silver) background on its right half. The coat-of-arms of the West Pomeranian voivodeship in Poland, featuring a red griffin, armed golden on a white (silver) shield. The coat-of-arms of the Pomeranian voivodeship in Poland, featuring a black upright griffin on a yellow (golden) shield.
October 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
thonil.bsky.social
When king Charles X died in 1660, the royal council needed to get coat-of-arms from the Skåneland provinces to represent them at the funeral. For the province of Scania the council went with the coat-of-arms of Malmö, but with the colours of the Duchy of Swedish Pomerania.
The coat of arms of the province of Scania, with the blazon "Or, a Griffin's head erased Gules, crowned Azure and armed Azure"
October 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
thonil.bsky.social
Two hundred years later in 1648, in a remarkable reversal of fortunes, king Charles X of Sweden replaced the House of Griffin for the western part of Pomerania, called Swedish Pomerania. To separate it from the eastern part of Pomerania, Sweden adopted new colours to the coat-of-arms of the duchy.
The coat of arms of Swedish Pomerania in 1660, with the blazon: "Or, an upright Griffin Gules"
October 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
thonil.bsky.social
In 1437 a troubled king Erik visited the then Danish city of Malmö in search of support and “donated” a coat-of-arms to the city; the same crowned Pomeranian griffin’s head as the city of Szczecin already had. It didn’t help, as he was disposed as king of Denmark in 1439 and returned to Pomerania.
Excerpts from the original letter from king Erik to the city of Malmö with the rights to bear the coat-of-arms of the Pomeranian griffin's head. In the letter there is also a drawing of the coat-of-arms. The coat-of-arms of the city of Malmö, with the blazon: "Silver, a griffin's head erased Gules, crowned Or and armed Gules."
October 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
thonil.bsky.social
Early on the city of Szczecin, then the capital of the Duchy of Pomerania, featured a griffin in its city seal, and the current design of the coat-of-arms featuring a crowned griffin’s head was established in the 1360-ies.
The coat of arms that serves as the symbol of the city of Szczecin in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland depicts the head of a red griffin with a yellow (golden) beak wearing a yellow (golden) crown, placed on the blue background.
October 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
thonil.bsky.social
The griffin in question is the so-called Pomeranian griffin. Pomerania was a duchy founded in the 12th century along the southern shores of the Baltic Sea, headed by the House of Griffin. The dynasty’s coat-of-arms features a red griffin on a silver background. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchy_o...
The coat of arms of the the House of Griffin depicts a red griffin with yellow (golden) beak and claws on a white (silver) background.
October 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
thonil.bsky.social
I noticed that the closest Polish combat unit, the 12th Bolesław Krzywousty Szczecin Mechanised Division (12 DZ) headquartered in the city of Szczecin, just south of Sweden across the Baltic Sea, virtually have the same coat of arms as the 7th South Scanian Regiment.
The coat-of-arms of the 7th South Scanian Regiment, with the blazon: "Or, a griffin's head erased Gules, crowned Azure and armed Gules." The coat-of-arms is crowned by a royal crown and behind the coat-of-arms a pair of golden armoured arms holding golden swords is depicted. The coat-of-arms of the 12th Szczecin Mechanised Division with the blazon: "Azure, a Griffin's head erased Silver, crowned Or and armed Or, above "12" in Gules."
October 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
thonil.bsky.social
I live in the south Swedish city of Lund, where the 7th South Scanian Regiment (P 7) currently is raising the 7th Mechanised Brigade. The regiment itself was raised as an infantry regiment in 1811 during the Napoleonic wars.
Photo of uniformed soldiers parading with the flag of the 7th Southern Scanian Regiment from 2011. The yellow flag features a red griffin's head with a blue crown. Photo from the Swedish Armed Forces, https://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/aktuellt/2011/08/kungen-och-tusentals-besokare-hyllade-p-7/
October 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
thonil.bsky.social
The other day I noticed that 7th South Scanian Armoured Regiment in the very south of Sweden have virtually the same coat-of-arms as the 12th Bolesław Krzywousty Szczecin Mechanised Division in the northwesternmost corner of Poland, all be it with different colours. A coincidence? 🧵
A map of the south Baltic area showing the south coast of Sweden, the Danish islands of Zeeland, Fyn and Bornholm, the Baltic coasts of Germany and Poland. The cities of Lund in south Sweden and Szczecin in northwestern Poland are marked by the coat-of-arms of the 7th Southern Scanian Regiment and the 12th Mechanised Division. It is approximatly 260 kilometers between the cities with a direct airborne route.
October 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
thonil.bsky.social
Poland also issued a similar booklet on civic preparedness in case of war a few days ago. Good timing. www.gov.pl/attachment/9...
The cover of the new Polish booklet titled "Safety handbook" with the tag line "Read it, practice, keep it!". It features a black and white cartoon of a multitude of citizens (men, women, adults, children, seniors, pets, but also an air force pilot and an army soldier) in the centre of the cover, whose background is white and red, just as the Polish flag.
September 10, 2025 at 10:28 AM
thonil.bsky.social
Men det verkar som om Riksarkivet även har en "riktig" vapenflagga.
The official flag of the Swedish National Archives, featuring a golden Janus Bifrons ("Two-faced Janus") on a blue background.
August 20, 2025 at 1:35 PM
thonil.bsky.social
Föreningsflaggor med vapen från Svenska domstolar, Kriminalvårdsverket, Länsstyrelsen Skåne och Riksarkivet
The official flag of the Courts of Sweden Official flag of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service Official flag of the County Adminstrative Board of Skåne in Sweden. Official flag of the Swedish National Archives.
August 20, 2025 at 1:35 PM
thonil.bsky.social
Högsta domstolen förefaller också ha en riktig vapenflagga, även om man uppenbarligen hellre använder föreningsflaggor bland domstolarna (dvs vapnet uppsmackat på en vit duk).
The flag of the Supreme court of Sweden, featuring an upright golden Sword with a golden tipping scale on a blue background.
August 20, 2025 at 1:23 PM
thonil.bsky.social
Polisens flagga räknar jag dock som "föreningsflagga" i st f "vapenflagga" (som Kustbevakningen och Region Skånes flaggor är), eftersom de bara har smackat på sitt vapen på en blå duk. Visserligen snyggare än Trafikverkets flagga, men fortfarande i samma kategori.
The official flag of the Swedish police, featuring the coat-of-arms of the Swedish police on a blue background.
August 20, 2025 at 1:18 PM
thonil.bsky.social
Tja, jag räknar i varje fall Kustbevakningen som en civil myndighet, och deras flagga ser jag ibland från fönstret från mitt jobb i Malmö. Den är också vansinnigt lik min egen regionala "myndighetsflagga".
The official flag of the Swedish coast guard, featuring a golden eagle's head on a blue background. The official flag of the regional council of Skåne in Sweden, featuring a golden crowned griffin's head on a blue background.
August 20, 2025 at 1:14 PM
thonil.bsky.social
And a nice flag too. With three crowns! (Here when it was replaced by the new flag in 1986)
August 20, 2025 at 12:14 PM
thonil.bsky.social
I liked the old coat-of-arms (1944-1986) better. It had four defence triangles!
August 20, 2025 at 12:04 PM
thonil.bsky.social
From the local weekly free paper, in the area where we have our summer cottage: “Preparedness: Villagers in Södra Mellby ready to face crisis and war”. The article describes how the local (old) community inform newcomers (from the cities) on where water and common storages are.
Photo of an article in the local weekly free paper, with the headline “Preparedness: Villagers in Södra Mellby ready to met possible crisis and war”, featuring a photo of the locked village water well, which will be opened in the event of a crisis.
July 27, 2025 at 10:43 AM
thonil.bsky.social
Did an AI write this article? Yes, Belarus and Ukraine are closest to Russia, but neither are NATO members, and Belarus is allied with Russia. I guess you mean “the Baltic states and Finland”.
Excerpt from the article in Stars and Stripes: “Countries closest to Russia, BELARUS and UKRAINE [my caps], have all agreed to the target, as well as nearby Germany, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, which is hosting the June 24-25 summit.”
June 21, 2025 at 9:34 AM
thonil.bsky.social
Well, soon it’s 10 year anniversary for this little gem.
June 19, 2025 at 3:01 PM
thonil.bsky.social
No cheating. Post the last photo of your pet.
March 15, 2025 at 12:04 PM