Gotland Regiment

Gotland Regiment
Gotlands regemente
Active 1963–1994, 2000–2005
Country  Sweden
Allegiance Swedish Armed Forces (1963–1994, 2000–2005)
Branch Swedish Army
Type Armoured regiment
Role Mechanized infantry
Size Regiment
Part of Milo Ö (1963–1982)
MKG (1982–1994)
Opil (2000–2005)
Garrison/HQ Visborgsslätt
Motto(s) Regementet för framtiden
Colors Blue and white
March "In Treue Fest" (Teike)[not 1]
Mascot(s) Harald the Ram[2]
Disbanded 2005

The Gotland Regiment (Swedish: Gotlands regemente), also P 18, was a Swedish Army armoured regiment that was active in various forms 1963–1994 and 2000–2005. The regiment was based in Visby as part of the Gotland Garrison.[3][4][5]

History

The chancellery at Gotlands regiment, P 18, in Visby, Sweden.

In connection with the 1958 Defense Decision, the Riksdag decided that eight armored brigades with new combat vehicles would be organized in the army. A decision which was for economic reasons changed in August 1960, to include only seven armored brigades.[6][7] The North Scania Regiment (I 6), South Scania Regiment (I 7), Södermanland regiment (I 10) and Gotland Infantry Regiment (I 18) were the infantry regiments that were transferred from the infantry to the armored forces.

On Gotland there was the detachment, the Göta pansarlivgardes kompani på Gotland, since 1944. The detachment was on 1 April 1963 merged in the new Gotland Regiment, forming the backbone of the new armored regiment. The Gotland Regiment was simultaneously given the designation P 18. It had previously been designated I 18 as an infantry regiment.[8]

In conjunction with the so called OLLI reform, which was carried out by the Swedish Armed Forces in 1973 and in 1975, A units and B units were created. The A units were regiments responsible for a defence area, and the B units were training regiments. In Gotland's case, it distinguished itself from the allotment on the mainland. This when the VII. Military Area was reorganized into Gotland Military Command (MKG) in 1966. The military command constituted a special command and control organization within the Eastern Military District, but did not have the overall responsibility for the administration of the island. Furthermore, the professional mobilization was led on a unit level. Through the reform, the full mobilization and material responsibility for the army units on Gotland. This meant that the Gotland Regiment, which was included in the Gotland Military Command (MKG), came to be a B unit (training regiment) as of 1 July 1974.[9]

Prior to the 1977 Defense Decision, the Defence Peace Organization Investigation (Försvarets fredsorganisationsutredning, FFU) proposed to the Riksdag a merging of Gotland Regiment (P 18), Gotland Artillery Regiment (A 7) and Gotlands luftvärnsbataljon (Lv 2) to create an army regiment.[10] However, the Committee on Defence and the Minister for Defence, felt that no decision would be taken before the issue of further land acquisition in connection to Visborgs slätt had been met. In autumn 1980 the issue was considered sufficiently resolved when the Riksdag decided on 16 October 1980 to merge the army units into an army regiment.[11]

On 30 June 1982 the regiment was dissolved as an independent unit, and from 1 July 1982 the regiment was subordinate to the commanding officer of the Gotland Military Command (MKG).[5] Through the 1992 Defense Decision, the Gotland Military Command received a new role. The command came only to lead all operations on Gotland, which on the mainland were settled by the defence area staffs, division staffs and naval command staffs. The army units which since 1982 had been subordinate to the command, came to form independent units. However, the Gotland Regiment was decommissioned and merged with the war unit Gotland Brigade and formed the Gotland Regiment and Gotland Brigade (MekB 18).

Prior to the 2000 Defense Decision, the government proposed to the Riksdag that only six units for training of army brigade commands and mechanized battalions would be the starting point for the future of the Swedish Armed Forces. When it came to Gotland, the government considered that operational requirements made it necessary to have a military presence on the island. But primarily because of cost and maintenance reasons, the government considered that no tank training would be carried out on Gotland. The Swedish Armed Forces' new peace organization did not come to reflect the war organization in the same way as before, which meant that Gotland Regiment and Gotland Brigade was decommissioned on 30 June 2000, and in its place the Gotland Regiment (P 18) was formed on 1 July 2000.

In the 2004 Defense Decision, the Riksdag decided on a decommissioning of the Gotland Regiment (P 18). Prior to the defense decision, the regiment was put up against the Jämtland Rifle Regiment (I 5), South Scania Regiment (P 7) and Södermanland Regiment (P 10), where the government was keen to create rational production conditions, and a sustainable organizational structure. The new organization would respond to the requirements of the new structure of operational units and the development and education resources sets. Each regiment trained mechanized units, and had good production conditions and good engineering resources. The government wanted that the Swedish Armed Forces would be developed into an operational defense, with a greater emphasis on internationalization, which came to mean that the government proposed a decommissioning of Gotland Regiment. Remaining of the three regiments was South Scania Regiment, which the government considered had geographically the best advantageous location, with proximity to the training ground, which was central to the Swedish Armed Forces. The government also drew great importance of having military training units with emphasis on ground warfare in southern Sweden, with short distances to both the Øresund Bridge and Barsebäck Nuclear Power Plant.[12]

The Gotland Regiment was decommissioned on 31 December 2004. From 1 January 2005, the regiment changed name to the Decommissioning Organization P 18 (Avvecklingsorganisation P 18), which would account for the decommissioning of the regiment, which would be completed on 31 August 2006. On 28 May 2005 the official decommissioning of the regiment took place.[13][14]

Campaigns

Organization before close-down

2003-2005

These companies merged with Södermanland Regiment (P 10) to form the battalion Viktor Niklas (VN).

-2003

Organization until 2003:[16]

Barracks and training grounds

Barracks

The regiment was placed on 30 August 1905 to a newly built barracks establishment at Visborgs slätt which the regiment since 1887 had as its meeting place and military camp. The barracks establishment was erected after the 1901 Defence Reform's building program after the Fortifikationen' type drawings för infantry establishments. In total, just over a hundred buildings came to be erected in the area.[17] The barracks area has a number of times been extended in the form of garage and storage buildings and barracks. From 1986 the Gotland Artillery Regiment was colocalized with Gotland Regiment. And from 1978 the Gotlands luftvärnskår was colocalized with Gotland Regiment. Except these units, the barracks area has also hosted a number of staffs, including the staff of the Gotland Military Command and Gotland Military District. After the regiment was decommissioned the Swedish Fortifications Agency on behalf of the government, sold the entire barracks area for about 40 million Swedish krona.[18]

Training grounds

The regiment's primary practice and firing range has been based in Visby, Stånga malm, Blekväten, Vallstena, Hällarna and Tofta firing range.[3]

Heraldry and traditions

When the regiment was reorganized into an armored regiment in 1963, the regiment carried a banner which was awarded to the regiment on 13 June 1954 by the Chief of the Army Carl August Ehrensvärd. The regiment also came for some time to carry the banner of Göta pansarlivgardes kompani på Gotland alongside their own banner.[3]

In 1975 the name "Royal" was removed from all regiments according to a parliamentary decision, wherein the name was now only Gotland Regiment (P 18). In 1978, the regiment organized the World Military Shooting Championship. In 1979, Corporal Harald I (a ram) did his first appearance in service during the Royal Guards ceremony at the Stockholm Palace. He later was appointed honorary corporal.[3]

In 1991 the Gotland Regiment Honorary Medal (Gotlands regementes hedersmedalj) in gold and silver was instituted. The medal is of the 8th size, and has a ribbon in blue with a narrow white stripe on each side and a narrow red stripe in the middle.[19][20] In connection with decommissioning of the regiment in 2005, the Gotland Regiment Memorial Medal (Gotlands regementes minnesmedalj) in silver was instituted. The medal is of the 8th size, and has a blue ribbon with a red stripe on the inside followed by a white stripe on each side. The ribbon is coated with a ram in silver.[21]

The banner of the Gotland Regiment. 
Gotland Regiment Honorary Medal in gold. 
Gotland Regiment Memorial Medal in silver. 
Shoulder sleeve insignia. Was introduced 1 July 1994 and was carried by officers and conscripts until 2000. 
Unit insignia from 1960. 
Military branch insignia from 1963. 

Commanding officers

Regimental commanders active from when the regiment was organized as an armored unit. For regimental commanders before 1963, see Gotland Infantry Regiment. The years 1982-1994 the regimental commander was subordinate to the commaning officer of the Gotland Military Command (MKG). For the years 1994-2000, see Gotland Regiment and Gotland Brigade (MekB 18).[22]

  • 1963-04-01 – 1964-03-31: Colonel Jan von Horn (appointed 1957-10-01)
  • 1964-04-01 – 1971-09-30: Colonel Gerhard Hjukström
  • 1971-10-01 – 1976-09-30: Colonel Nils Stenqvist
  • 1976-10-01 – 1977-09-30: Colonel Curt Hasselgren
  • 1977-10-01 – 1980-03-31: Colonel Hodder Stjernswärd
  • 1980-04-01 – 1983-03-31: Colonel Lars-Erik Wahlgren
  • 1983-04-01 – 1983-09-30: Lieutenant Colonel Bengt Hammarhjelm
  • 1983-10-01 – 1988-09-30: Colonel Stig Barke
  • 1988-10-01 – 1992-06-30: Colonel Anders Sifvertsson
  • 1992-07-01 – 1994-06-30: Colonel Karlis Neretnieks
  • 1994-07-01 – 2000-06-30: See Gotland Regiment and Gotland Brigade
  • 2000-07-01 – 2003-08-31: Colonel Peter Molin
  • 2003-09-01 – 2005-06-30: Colonel Gunnar Karlson
  • 2005-07-01 – 2006-08-31: Lieutenant Colonel Ronny Larsson (Led the decommissioning of the regiment)

Names, designations and garrison

Names
Kungliga Gotlands regementeRoyal Gotland Regiment 1963-04-01 – 1974-12-31
Gotlands regementeGotland Regiment 1975-01-01 – 1982-06-30
Gotlands regementeGotland Regiment 2000-07-01 – 2004-12-31
AvvecklingsorganisationDecommissioning Organization 2005-07-01 – 2006-08-31
Designations
P 18 1963-04-01 – 1982-06-30
MKG/P 18 1982-07-01 – 1994-06-30
P 18 2000-07-01 – 2004-12-31
AO P 18 2005-07-01 – 2006-08-31
Garrison towns and training grounds
Gotland Garrison (G) 1963-04-01 – 2006-08-31
Visborgs slätt (T) 1963-04-01 – 2006-08-31
Tofta firing range (T) 1963-04-01 – 2006-08-31

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Was adopted as the march of the Gotland Infantry Regiment (I 18) in 1909.[1]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Kjellander 2005, p. 250
  2. ↑ Kjellander 2005, pp. 235-238
  3. 1 2 3 4 Braunstein 2003, pp. 175-177
  4. ↑ Kjellander 2003, pp. 263-264
  5. 1 2 Holmberg 1993, p. 25
  6. ↑ Larsson 1994, pp. 64-65
  7. ↑ Kjellander 1992, pp. 412-414
  8. ↑ Kjellander 1992, p. 44
  9. ↑ "Kungl. Maj:ts proposition nr 135 för år 1974" (PDF) (in Swedish). Riksdag. 25 October 1974. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  10. ↑ "Prop. 1977/78: 65 Regeringens proposition" (PDF) (in Swedish). Riksdag. 15 December 1977. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  11. ↑ "Regeringens proposition 1980/81:27" (PDF) (in Swedish). Riksdag. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  12. ↑ "Regeringens proposition 2004/05:5" (PDF) (in Swedish). Riksdag. 23 September 2004. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  13. ↑ "Sista marschen i Visby" [Last march in Visby] (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. 30 May 2005. Archived from the original on 8 February 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  14. ↑ "Om Gotlands Regemente" [About Gotland Regiment] (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Archived from the original on 13 August 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  15. ↑ Liedholm 2004
  16. ↑ Olsson, Kjell. "Gotlands regemente" (in Swedish). Tjelvar.se. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  17. ↑ Berg 2004, p. 88
  18. ↑ Värjö 2016
  19. ↑ "GotregSM". www.medalj.nu (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  20. ↑ "GotregGM". www.medalj.nu (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  21. ↑ "GotlregMSM". www.medalj.nu (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  22. ↑ Kjellander 2005, pp. 25-31

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Coordinates: 57°36′48″N 18°16′57″E / 57.61333°N 18.28250°E / 57.61333; 18.28250

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