ALL THOSE POSITIONS

When Lars-Åke Jansson travelled to the Middle East around Midsummer 1975 to serve with the 1st Company of Battalion 58M as part of UNEF II, the Swedish contingent had already been established in the area for approximately two years. The battalion was stationed at two main camps and a number of smaller outposts known as “positions.”

During his service with Battalion 52M, Lars-Åke brought his camera and carefully documented life at the various positions along the confrontation line and within the buffer zone. Lars-Åke would later also serve with Battalions 64M and 66M. Below is a selection of photographs from some of these positions.

Camp Tre Kronor

The main camp, Tre Kronor (Three Crowns), was located in Al Nagila. The camp was established on the site of an old railway station, where some of the existing buildings could be repurposed, including for the battalion's administrative office.

The old water tank that had once supplied steam locomotives was converted into a reservoir for shower water.

Camp Sinai

Camp Sinai was a smaller Force Headquarters (FHQ) located in the northern sector. The camp was built next to a bomb-damaged railway station.

Position 501.

At Position 501, there were numerous tank wrecks along what had been nicknamed “Shoot-rep Road” (a “shoot-rep” was the type of report UN peacekeepers submitted whenever they heard gunfire).

Position 507.

Life at the position, located right on the Mediterranean coast, could at times be quite demanding despite its beautiful setting. The outpost was extremely isolated, and travelling to and from it was difficult.

Position 510.

Located in close proximity to the buffer zone and Israeli forces. On occasion, a football match was played against the Israelis.

Position 512.

One of the battalion's duties was to monitor the transit of refugees fleeing from both sides of the confrontation line. Prisoner exchanges between the warring parties also took place on occasion.

Position 514.

The Israelis had positioned a mobile aerial work platform in the middle of the desert. They used it to raise personnel equipped with binoculars, allowing them to observe far into Egyptian territory.

Leaveresor

During their deployment, the UN peacekeepers were also given the opportunity to take a well-deserved break from their demanding work in the desert. Leave trips, as they were called, were organised to destinations including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

UNEF II was established following the war between Israel and a coalition of Arab forces led by Egypt and Syria in October 1973. The conflict is known by several names, including the October War, the Yom Kippur War and the Ramadan War, as it coincided with both the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The Swedish contingent was formed from personnel serving with Sweden's UN Standby Battalion, following the deployment of an advance party from the Swedish UN battalion in Cyprus.

In total, Sweden filled 7,642 positions within UNEF II.