Carl Wilhelm von Sydow (1878-1952 - the father of the actor Max von Sydow) was one of the great folklorists to follow in the footsteps of Jacob Grimm. Leading up to WWII, he became enamored by the German Nazis movement, seemingly because he saw it as a celebration of Nordic/Germanic culture. He was an important player in organizing the National Swedish-German Association, but according to his biographer, Nils-Arvid Bringeus, on 9 April 1940, represented a dramatic turning point. One of his students "testifies that she had 'never seen von Sydow so furious as on 9 April when he stomped off to ask for his immediate resignation from the Swedish-German Association.'"
My question for our many WWII authorities is what may have happened in early April 1940 to have inspired this sudden break between von Sydow and the Nazis. He became a fierce opponent of all things fascists after that date.
On April 9th, 1940 Germany invaded Denmark and Norway. So maybe he assumed Sweden was next? Germany had no intention to invade Sweden, but the attack on Norway and Denmark was to ensure that Germany could continue to receive Iron Ore and to ensure the allies couldn't seize the iron ore mines in the North of Sweden.
Despite many historical misgivings, Sweden had a close relationship with Denmark and especially with Norway. It was only 35 years since the Union between Sweden and Norway had been dissolved - and peacefully at that.
Sweden and Germany had close ties - economically, culturally, academically and even at times politically. English did not replace German as the most common chosen 2nd language to study until 1944.
There were also many in the Swedish old elite that put their hope to nazi Germany as a bulwark against the percieved great evil of communism.
Up to 9th of April 1940, in the eyes of many Swedes, Germany had only attempted to regain territories lost after the First World War - Austria and the Sudetenland were inhabited by Germans and Poland had refused to return territories lost, which had caused a war.
But the invasion of Denmark and Norway was bare naked aggression against "brethren people" to the Swedes.
From the point where the Germans invaded Norway, anything they wanted out of the Swedes would have to be forced, strongarmed or paid very expensively for. The Swedes never forgave the Germans for Norway, and when Barbarossa rolled around, the nazis were infuriated by the lukewarm response at best they got from the Swedes.
After 9th of April 1940, only the most die-hard rightwingers in Sweden supported the Germans. I suppose von Sydow was not one of them and were one of many who up to that point had supported the Germans.
Ironically, his student (and my mentor), Sven S. Liljeblad (1899-2000) was a communist who was begging, borrowing, and stealing to raise money to help people escape Germany in the late 1930s, and he was forced to flee Europe with the outbreak of war in 1939. According to von Sydow's biographer, Sven wrote a scathing review of von Sydow in late 1939, perhaps in response to the political division of the time. By the time I worked with Liljeblad, 1976-1981, his view of von Sydow had completely softened.
This is a fun read, by the way - a contemporary look at how many Scandinavians interpreted German attempts to woo them.