Internment camps in Sweden during World War II A number of internment camps were operated by Sweden during World War II . These camps were used for interment of , among others , suspected criminals , German refugees and Swedish communists . The camps were claimed to have been a decision necessary in the ambition to keep Sweden out of the war . It was made by the then - ruling grand coalition government under social democrat prime minister Per Albin Hansson , which all included all parties in the Parliament of Sweden , with the exception of the Communists . Camps during the war . In February 1940 , the decision was made to build fourteen internment camps , which are believed to have held around 3000 inmates between the years 1940 - 1948 . - Axmar ( 1945 ) - Ede ( 1943 – 1948 ) - Florsberg ( 1943 – 1948 ) - Hälsingmo ( 1943 – 1948 ) - Ingels ( 1942 – 1946 ) - Kusfors ( 1944 – 1945 ) - Långmora ( March 1940 – 1945 ) - Rengsjö ( 1942 – 1945 ) - Smedsbo ( March 1940 – 1945 ) - Sunnerstaholm ( 1945 – 1946 ) - Säter ( 1943 – 1946 ) - Sörbyn ( 1944 – 1945 ) - Tjörnarp ( 1945 – 1946 ) - Vägershult ( 1942 – 1945 ) Internees . Internee s were commonly suspected criminals , German refugees , left - wing activists or anti - Nazis . They were imprisoned without trial and without being informed of the accusations made against them . Most of these were foreigners . Treatment . Wardens were instructed to ensure humane treatment of internees . All internees were forced to wear certain uniform and submit daily routines . Internees in Smedsbo internment camp had a typical daily routine of being woken up at 7 . 15 , they were then escorted to the dining room where they were expected to have their breakfast in complete silence followed by working passes . They were not permitted to leave their working station at any time . Jobs like road building , repair duty and woodcutting were commonly adopted . With one break for lunch , work proceeded until 14 . 45 , after which internees were more or less free for the rest of the day . Internment of Allied air crews . A number of British and US servicemen , primarily crew members of the aircraft damaged during bombing missions over Germany , found themselves on Swedish soil , and were interned by the Swedish authorities . Unlike civilian refugees from Germany , who were kept in interment camps , British and American airmen were placed in hotels and bed and breakfast establishments in the Falun area , and enjoyed relative freedom . They received their regular military pay from their home countries , which allowed them to be much better off than the local Swedish residents . “ Disclosure ” . In 2008 , Swedish journalist Niclas Sennerteg and researcher Tobias Berglund published “ Swedish Concentration Camps in the Shadow of the Third Reich ” ( Swedish title : “ Svenska koncentrationsläger i tredje rikets skugga ” ) , where they claim to be exposing what the government had kept secret regarding the presence of Swedish concentration camps . After the discovery was brought to media and thus public attention , the use of the term concentration camp has been highly debated . Post - war use of Swedish internment camps . After the war the internment camps were used to store foreigners that the Swedish government deemed dubious . However , details regarding much of this have still not been uncovered . Quotes . " Den svenska staten använder sig av brutala tvångs - och våldsmetoder för att eftertryckligt trampa ned den utländska antifascisten som likt en vrakspillra efter den tyska demokratins skeppsbrott kastats upp på svensk strand " " Translation : " " The Swedish government is using brutal methods to forcefully crush the foreign anti - fascist who like the remnants of a wrecked ship after the shipwreck of the German democracy was washed upon Swedish shores . ” " Det svenska folket får inte tolerera att oskyldiga människor kastas i fängelse och kvarhålles där på obestämd tid . ” " Translation : " ” The Swedish people must not tolerate the fact that innocent people are imprisoned and retained indefinitely . ”