Copyright © Hans Högman 2019-01-25
History of the Swedish
Coast Artillery
Coast Artillery Regiments
Vaxholm Coast Artillery Regiment, KA1
Swedish name: Vaxholms kustartilleriregemente,
KA1
The Vaxholm Coast Artillery Regiment, KA1, was
established on 1 January 1902 when the Vaxholm
Artillery Corps (Army coastal fortress artillery unit)
was transfered to the then newly established branch
of the services, the Coast Artillery (Navy) as the
Vaxholm Coast Artillery
Regiment.
The image to the right shows
the Vaxholm Coast Artillery
Regiment’s coat of arms.
Wikipedia.
The garrison with the barracks at Rindö near
Vaxholm were ready in 1906. Some barracks were in
use already in 1904. The units first regimental
commander was Colonel Oskar Sylvander.
The regiment consisted initially of artillery
companies and sea mine companies.
Image; a barrack at the
garrison of the Vaxholm
Coast Artillery Regiment
(1906–2000) and the
Vaxholm Amphibious
Regiment (2000–2005) at
Rindö.
The regiment were manning the Vaxholm fortress,
the Oscar-Fredriksborg fortress and the
Hörningsholm defense position.
The Coastal Ranger School (Swe: Kustjägarskolan
(KustJS)) was established in 1959 at the regiment.
Through an Defense Act passed in the Parliament in
2000 the Coast Artillery was to be disestablished in
its current form. The former Coast Artillery units
were to be transfered to a new branch of the
services called the Amphibious Corps. This
comprised two coast artillery regiments; the
Vaxholm Coast Artillery Regiment (KA1) and the
Älvsborg Coast Artillery Regiment (KA4). The other
coast artillery units were to be disbanded and the
stationary coast artillery fortresses to be shut down.
The two remaining coast artillery units was
transformed into amphibious regiments with the
names; Vaxholm Amphibious Regiment (Amf1)
and the Älvsborg Amphibious Regiment (Amf4).
The Vaxholm Coast Artillery Regiment (KA1) was
disestablished on 30 June 2000 and the Vaxholm
Amphibious Regiment (Amf1) was established on 1
July 2000. The new amphibious unit took over the
former units garrison at Rindö, Vaxholm.
The amphibious unit Amf1 was relocated to the
Berga naval base in 2006. Vaxholm is located just
north of Stockholm while Berga is located just south
of Stockholm.
The Vaxholm Grenadier Regiment, I26, (Vaxholms
grenadjärregemente, I26) was established in 1901 as
marine infantry when the Värmland Rangers
(Värmlands fältjägarkår) and the Halland Batallion
was consolidated into a new unit. The new grenadier
unit was garrisoned at Rindö, Vaxholm in 1907. This
marine infantry unit was used as a defense force of
the Vaxholm coast artillery batteries.
Karlskrona Coast Artillery Regiment, KA2
Swedish name: Karlskrona kustartilleriregemente,
KA2
The Karlskrona Coast Artillery Regiment, KA2,
was established on 1 January 1902 when the
Karlskrona Artillery Corps (Navy coastal fortress
artillery unit) was transfered to the then newly
established branch of the services, the
Coast Artillery as the Karlskrona Coast
Artillery Regiment. The units first
regimental commander was Colonel
Otto Ludvig Beckman.
The image to the right shows the
Karlskrona Coast Artillery Regiment’s
coat of arms. Wikipedia.
The Defense Act of 1942 separated this unit’s
detachment in Gothenburg which then formed an
independent regiment, the Älvsborg Coast Artillery
Regiment, KA4.
The Karlskrona Coast Artillery Regimen was a
training center of the mobile coast artillery.
The Karlskrona coast artillerymen has been
garrisoned at different locations in Karlskrona over
the years. The artillerymen of the mobile coast
artillery units was located at Oscarsvärn while the
artillerymen of the stationary coast artillery units
was located at Vallgatan. In the middle of the 1940s
the Karlskrona garrison was moved to Gräsvik
outside Karlskrona. In the end of the 1960s they
received new barracks at Rosenholm. Also the old
Kungsholm fortress in the Karlskrona archipelago
has been used as encampment.
The Kungsholm fortress
has been continuously
been used by the military
since 1680.
The image to the left
shows the Kungsholm
fortress, Kungsholmen,
Karlskrona.
Through the Defense Act passed in the Parliament
in 2000 the Coast Artillery was to be disestablished
in its current form. The former Coast Artillery units
were to be transfered to a new branch of the
services called the Amphibious Corps. This
comprised two coast artillery regiments but the
Karlskrona Coast Artillery Regiment wasn’t one of
them and was therefore disestablished on 30 June
2000.
Gotland Coast Artillery Regiment, KA3
Swedish name: Gotlands kustartilleriregemente,
KA3
According to the 1936 Defense Act a coast artillery
regiment was to be set up and
garrisoned at Fårösund on the island
of Gotland. The Gotland Coast
Artillery Corps, KA3, was therefore
established on 1 July 1937.
The image to the right shows the
Gotland Coast Artillery Regiment’s
coat of arms. Wikipedia.
The Coast Artillery defense branch was established
in 1902 and from 1904 the Vaxholm Coast Artillery
Regiment had a detachment at the Fårösund
defense position in Gotland. This detachment was
the core when the Gotland Coast Artillery Corps was
established. The Corps became a regiment in 1975,
the Gotland Coast Artillery Regiment.
Fårösund is located circa 55 km (about 30 miles)
north of Visby town. The barracks at the garrison
were built between
1939–1944.
The image to the right shows
the barrack Ankaret at the
garrison of the Gotland Coast
Artillery Regiment, Fårösund,
Gotland.
Through the Defense Act passed in the Parliament
in 2000 the Coast Artillery was to be disestablished
in its current form. The former Coast Artillery units
were to be transfered to a new branch of the
services called the Amphibious Corps. This
comprised two coast artillery regiments but the
Gotland Coast Artillery Regiment wasn’t one of them
and was therefore disestablished on 30 June 2000.
The former garrison was then listed as a historic
structure.
Älvsborg Coast Artillery Regiment, KA4
Swedish name: Älvsborgs kustartilleriregemente,
KA4
The Coast Artillery defense branch was established
in 1902 and from the beginning the Karlskrona Coast
Artillery Regiment had a detachment in Gothenburg,
the Älvsborg Coast Artillery
Detachment. The former navy base
Nya Varvet was then made ready for
the disposal of the new unit.
The image to the right shows the
Älvsborg Coast Artillery Regiment’s
coat of arms. Wikipedia.
On 1 January 1915 an independent
corps was established, the Älvsborg Coast Artillery
Corps. However, the Corps was disestablished in
1926 and on 1 November 1926 replaced by the
former detachment from Karlskrona, KA2. The
Älvsborg detachment was on 1 October 1942
transformed into a regiment, the Älvsborg Coast
Artillery Regiment, KA4.
The first regimental commander was Colonel Rudolf
Kolmodin.
The unit was garrisoned at Kärringberget in the
west of Gothenburg. At the garrison was also a
school for coastal radar
operators.
The image to the left
shows an aerial photo of
the Älvsborg Coast
Artillery Regiment’s
garrison at
Kärringberget,
Gothenburg.
Through the Defense Act passed in the Parliament
in 2000 the Coast Artillery was to be disestablished
in its current form. The former Coast Artillery units
were to be transfered to a new branch of the
services called the Amphibious Corps. This
comprised two coast artillery regiments; the
Vaxholm Coast Artillery Regiment (KA1) and the
Älvsborg Coast Artillery Regiment (KA4).
The two remaining coast artillery units was
transformed into amphibious regiments with the
names; Vaxholm Amphibious Regiment (Amf1) and
the Älvsborg Amphibious Regiment (Amf4).
The Älvsborg Coast Artillery Regiment (KA4) was
disestablished on 30 June 2000 and the Älvsborg
Amphibious Regiment (Amf4) was established on 1
July 2000. The new amphibious unit took over the
former units garrison at Kärringberget, Gothenburg.
The Defense Act of 2004 ruled that the Älvsborg
Amphibious Regiment (Amf4) was to be
disestablished. Only the Vaxholm Amphibious
Regiment (Amf1) was to be kept. However an
amphibious detachment from Amf1 was to be
established in the Gothenburg garrison.
The Älvsborg Amphibious Regiment disestablished
on 31 December 2004.
Härnösand Coast Artillery Regiment, KA5
Swedish name: Härnösands kustartilleriregemente,
KA5
The Härnösand Coast Artillery Regiment, KA5,
was established on 1 July 1953. However, between
1937 and 1943 was detachments from both KA1 and
KA2 in Härnösand. This unit was named the
Härnösand Coast Artillery Detachment in 1943. The
unit was organized into a corps in 1953, the
Härnösand Coast Artillery Corps, KA5. On 1 July
1975 the unit became a regiment, the Härnösand
Coast Artillery Regiment, KA5.
This unit wasn’t the first coastal defense in
Härnösand. The Hemsö coastal
fortress was constructed in the end of
the 1910s but wasn’t completed until
WWII.
The image to the right shows the
Härnösand Coast Artillery Regiment’s
coat of arms. Wikipedia.
A garrison with barracks was ready in
1922 for the Hemsö fortress crew.
The coast artillery unit moved later to Norra
Kyrkogatan, Härnösand, where they resided until
1945 when they moved into new barracks at
Kusthöjden.
The image to the
left shows a
barrack at the
garrison of the
Härnösand Coast
Artillery
Regiment.
Kusthöjden, Härnösand.
The Härnösand Coast Artillery Regiment was
disestablished in 1998.
Amphibious Corps (Swe:
Amfibiekåren)
The Disestablishment of the Coast Artillery -
The Establishment of the Amphibious Corps
An Defense Act was passed in the Swedish Parliment
in 2000 regarding the closure of the Coast Artillery
defense branch in its current form. The Härnösand
Coast Artillery Regiment had been disestablished
already in 1998. The Act implied a closure of all
stationary coastal artillery fortresses. All coast
artillery regiments was to be disestablished except
the Vaxholm and the Älvsborg coast artillery
regiments. However, these two regiments was to be
transformed into amphibious units within the new
defense branch of the services, the Amphibious
Corps (AMF).
Both the Vaxholm Coast Artillery Regiment (KA1) and
the Älvsborg Coast Artillery Regiment (KA4) was
disestablished on 30 June 2000 and the Vaxholm
Amphibious Regiment (Amf1) as well as the Älvsborg
Amphibious Regiment (Amf4) was established on 1
July 2000.
The Gotland Coast Artillery Regiment (KA3) and the
Karlskrona Coast Artillery Regiment (KA2) was
discontinued on 31 October 2000.
However, according to the 2004 Defense Act
Amphibious Corps the Älvsborg Amphibious
Regiment (Amf4) was to be disestablished. In 2006
the Vaxholm Amphibious Regiment was relocated
from Vaxholm to Berga naval base and then
renamed to the Amphibious Regiment (Amf1).
The Amphibious Corps (AMF) is responsible for the
coastal defense while the navy is the ocean-going
defense.
The image to the
right shows
amphibious troops
landing on a beach.
Wikipedia.
Amphibious Regiment, Amf1
Swedish name: Amfibieregementet, Amf1
The Defense Act of 2000 confirmed the closure of
the Coast Artillery defense branch in its current
form. The two coast artillery units kept was to be
transformed into amphibious units within the new
defense branch of the services, the Amphibious
Corps (AMF). The term for these units became
amphibious regiments.
The former Vaxholm Coast Artillery Regiment (KA1)
was disestablished on 30 June 2000 and the
Vaxholm Amphibious Regiment (Amf1) was
established on 1 July 2000. The new regiment took
over the garrison of the former regiment in Rindö
near Vaxholm north of Stockholm. However, in 2005
the Vaxholm Amphibious Regiment was relocated to
the Berga naval base south of Stockholm. The unit
was in 2006 renamed to the Amphibious Regiment
(Amf1).
The image to the right shows
the coat of arms of the
Amphibious Regiment (see the
former Vaxholm Coast Artillery
Regiment’s coat of arms above). Wikipedia.
The regiment has several detachments; two in
Gothenburg, 17. amfibiebevakningsbåtskompaniet
and132. säkerhetskompani sjö, and one in Gotland,
the Gotlandsgruppen.
Älvsborg Amphibious Regiment, Amf4
Swedish name: Älvsborgs Amfibieregemente, Amf4
The Defense Act of 2000 confirmed the closure of
the Coast Artillery defense branch in its current
form. The two coast artillery units kept was to be
transformed into amphibious units within the new
defense branch of the services, the Amphibious
Corps (AMF). The term for these units became
amphibious regiments.
The former Älvsborg Coast Artillery Regiment (KA4)
was disestablished on 30 June 2000 and the
Älvsborg Amphibious Regiment (Amf4) was
established on 1 July 2000.
The new regiment took over the
garrison of the former regiment in
Kärringberget, Gothenburg.
The image to the right shows the coat
of arms of the Älvsborg Amphibious
Regiment (see the former Älvsborg
Coast Artillery Regiment’s coat of arms
above). Wikipedia.
According to the 2004 Defense Act Amphibious
Corps the Älvsborg Amphibious Regiment (Amf4)
was to be disestablished. The Älvsborg Amphibious
Regiment (Amf4) was officially disestablished on 31
December 2004.
However, amphibious units was kept in Gothenburg.
Two detachments from the Amphibious Regiment
(Amf1) was based in Gothenburg, 17.
amfibiebevakningsbåtskompaniet and132.
säkerhetskompani sjö.
About the Amphibious Units
The Swedish Armed Forces has the following
information at their website about amphibious units:
Amphibious units operates where water meats land and
are the link between army and naval forces. The units
have the capability to operate in four dimensions with
different types of weapons; submerged, on the surface,
on land and in the air. With that we control the coastal
areas.
The amphibious units use sea mines, missile systems,
grenade launchers and other weapons to achieve
control. With fast assault crafts and hovercraft the units
attains very high mobility.
The above text was in Swedish and translated into
English by me.
Combat boat CB90H (Swedish: Stridsbåt 90H) is a
fast assault craft used by the Amphibious Corps for
transfer of troops and equipment as well as for
combat operations in coastal regions such as the
archipelago. It can carry and deploy a half platoon of
amphibious infantry (18 men) fully equipped. The
CB90 is an exceptionally fast and agile boat that can
execute extremely sharp turns at high speed. The
CB90 has been adopted by the navies of several
countries. Armament: three 12.7 mm machine guns
(2 at the bow and one at the mid-deck (or a grenade
launcher)). Further, naval mines or depth charges.
Propulsion: 2 FF-Jet 450 water jets.
Length: 15.9 m (52 ft), beam: 3.80 m (13 ft), speed: 40
knots.
The image shows combat boat CB90H. Wikipedia.
The History of the Swedish Coast
Artillery
Introduction
The sea and the fortress artillery was
being rapidly developed in the end of
the 1800s and became much more
powerful.
The Vaxholm fortress, just north of
Stockholm, had since 1794 been
manned by a detachment, a fortress
company, from the Svea Artillery
Regiment. In 1889, the artillery crew at the fortress
was reinforced by a company from the First Göta
Artillery Regiment and together these two
companies now formed an independent unit, the
Vaxholm Artillery Corps (A5).
The Vaxholm Artillery Corps was garrisoned at the
Oskar-Fredriksborg fortress at Rindö near Vaxholm.
The Artillery wore the atilla jacket at the time, as did
the Vaxholm Artillery Corps. The color of the collar
was different for respective artillery regiment. The
Vaxholm Artillery Corps (A5) wore red color of their
collars.
In 1892 their unit designation changed from A5 to
A8. Their color of the collar then changed from red
to white.
The sea artillery in the Karlskrona archipelago was
manned by the Marine Regiment (1845-1886).
Earlier this sea artillery was manned by the Sea
Artillery Corps (1824-1832) and the Sea Artillery
Regiment (1832-1845). These units were, unlike in
Vaxholm, organized by the Navy. This crew was
called cannoneers.
The Archipelago Artillery was established in 1866.
The mission was to defend the archipelago and
coastal waters. The Archipelago Artillery was based
in Stockholm and Karlskrona but also had a depot in
Gothenburg.
The Karlskrona Artillery Corps was established by
the Navy in 1894.
The prime mover behind the establishment of the
new branch of the services, the Coast Artillery, was
an artillery officer at the Vaxholm Artillery Corps,
Major Anders Fredrik Centervall (1845-1906).
Centervall took a position by the Vaxholm Artillery
Corps when this unit was established in 1889. In
January 1893 he was promoted to Lieutenant
Colonel and the regimental commander of the then
newly established Karlskrona Artillery Corps.
In the end of the 1800s there was a proposal to
make a new branch of the services consisting of the
Vaxholm Artillery Corps (then Army) and the
Karlskrona Artillery Corps (then Navy) by the name
the Coast Artillery, to be organized within the Navy.
It wasn’t obvious that the Coast Artillery was to
become an independent branch of the services. To
Centervall this was the only way to go.
The Establishment of the Coast Artillery
(Swe: Kustartilleriet)
On 1 November 1901 an Act was
passed in the Parliament regarding
the establishment of an independent
branch of the services, the Coast
Artillery. The new service branch was
commenced as of 1 January 1902.
The first two units of the new Coast Artillery was the
Vaxholm Artillery Corps and the Karlskrona Artillery
Corps. They were reorganized into coast artillery and
renamed to the Vaxholm Coast Artillery Regiment
(KA1) respectively Karlskrona Coast Artillery
Regiment (KA2).
The Vaxholm Coast Artillery Regiment manned the
Vaxholm fortress and the Oskar-Fredriksborg
fortress and had an detachment in Fårusund,
Gotland. The Karlskrona Coast Artillery Regiment
manned the Karlskrona fortress and had an
detachment in Gothenburg (KA2Ä) at the Älvsborg
fortress.
Anders Fredrik Centervall was promoted to Major
General in November 1901 and was on 1 January
1902 appointed as the first head of the Coast
Artillery.
The Coast Artillery was organized within the naval
defense but they wasn’t subordinated the Navy.
Instead a new armed service, the Marine (Swedish:
Marinen), was established in 1902 consisting of two
branches of the services:
•
The Navy
•
The Coast Artillery
In the beginning the Coast Artillery only consisted of
a number of fortresses around Stockholm,
Karlskrona, Gothenburg and Fårösund on the island
of Gotland.
These fortress needed heavy infantry support to be
defended form attacks from inland. To meet this
demand of marine infantry support, two new
infantry regiments were established in 1902; the
Vaxholm Grenadier Regiment (I26) and
Karlskrona Grenadier Regiment (I7).
There were also a great need of army engineers at
the coastal fortresses. This was solved with
detachments from both the Svea and Göta Engineer
Regiments.
The main mission of the Coast Artillery was invasion
defense and defense of important naval coastal
areas. This was achieved with sea artillery and mines
with the purpose of stopping or sinking enemy ships.
The Coast Artillery operated both stationary as well
as mobile artillery batteries.
See also: Uniforms of the Coast Artillery
Coast Artillery Fortresses
Before and during WWII a large number of stationary
coast artillery batteries were constructed armed with
light artillery pieces dismantled from former
warships.
During the 1950s and forward about 60 new modern
fortress were build in coastal rocks along the
Swedish shoreline. These fortresses were built deep
inside coastal rocks and constructed to withstand
even nuclear attacks of the time as well as biological
and chemical attacks. The fortresses were
hermetically sealed with its own power supplies. The
fortresses had a 90 days endurance when cut off
from the outside world. The fortresses were
equipped with galleys and canteens, storage &
supply rooms, sleeping quarters, toilets and
showers, facilities for air and water purification,
diesel power plants, ammunition depots, field
hospitals, staff rooms,
command rooms etc.
The crews of the larger
fortress were more than
300 people.
The image to the right
shows an operating theater
in the field hospital at
Hemsö Fortress. Wikipedia.
The stationary batteries consisted of both light and
heavy artillery pieces. The light pieces were guns
with 7.5 cm ( 3 in.) caliber. The heavy guns were 15.2
cm (6 in.) pieces. The batteries built in the 1950s and
later consisted of pieces equipped with turrets. The
only visible part of the fortresses were the turrets
with the gun barrels. The batteries were also armed
with anti-aircraft guns, mortars and equipped with
concrete troop shelters.
These fortresses were top
secret and the surrounding
areas off-limits for aliens.
Hemsö Coast Artillery
Fortress
Hemsö fortress is located on Hemsö island in the
Gulf of Bothnia, just north of Härnösand city,
Västernorrland County. Hemsö is also close to the
mouth of the Ångermanälven River. The Hemsö
fortress were actually several fortresses, among
them the heavy artillery fortress at Storråberget and
the light artillery fortress at Havstoudd. Storråberget
and Havstoudd are two rocky hills.
There were defenses on Hemsön island during WWII
operated by the Coast Artillery. An Act was passed in
the Parliament as early as in 1914 about the
establishment of a fortress on Hemsön and the work
commenced in 1917. However, the construction was
never finished and was later shelved. The
construction of the fortress was
completed during WWII. One
battery was established on
Havstoudd between 1933 and
1936. This was an open
emplacement armed with two 57
mm guns m/1892.
The image to the right shows the
interior of Hemsö fortress.
Wikipedia.
The heavy artillery fortress at Storråberget was
built between 1953 and 1957 and consisted of three
15.2 cm double turret guns (m/51). The fortress were
also equipped with three anti-aircraft guns, mortars
and troop shelters. This fortress had a crew of 320
men and was when it was built supposed to
withstand a nuclear attack. The fortress was built 40
meters down in the i bedrock and its base area was
5,000 square-meters (about 54,000 sq. ft.).
The light artillery fortress at Havstoudd was built
in the early 1960s and consisted of three 7.5 cm
turret guns (m/57). This fortress had a crew of 112
men and also this fortress was built to withstand a
nuclear attack. This battery then replaced the former
light battery at Havstoudd.
In total Hemsö fortress had a crew of 1,100 men.
The fortress was closed down and disestablished in
1998 and was then listed as a historic
building/structure. It has been open as a museum
from 2009.
I, the author of this article, was drafted for military
training in the Coast Artillery in the 1970s and has
for some time served at the Hemsö fortress. I was a
conscript NCO and served with radar sea
surveillance.
Some of the Stationary Coast Artillery
Pieces
Heavy artillery:
•
15.2 cm turret gun m/51 (model 1951). Made
by Bofors Defense. In 1956 three was
implemented at the Bungenäs battery on
Gotland island and three at the Storråberget
battery at Hemsö fortress. They were double
pieces with turrets. Each piece had a crew of 25
soldiers.
Rate of fire; 4 - 5 rounds per minute. Firing
range; 12 km or 22 km depending of charge.
Caliber: 152 mm (5.98 in). Crew: 25.
•
10.5 cm automatic turret gun m/50 (model
1950). Made by Bofors Defense.
Rate of fire; 15 or 36 rounds per minute. Firing
range; 20 km. Caliber: 105 mm (4.13 in).
•
12.0 cm automatic turret gun m/70 (model
1950). Made by Bofors Defense. It was known as
the "System ERSTA" and was at the time (1970s)
one of the most advanced artillery system. The
12/70 gun was a fully automatic, water-cooled
vertical sliding wedge design mounted in an
armored turret which is electrically traversed
under computer control while the elevation
motor is controlled manually. It is fed from a
magazine several meters below ground where
the crew uses special air-cushion carts to feed
cartridges onto a loading table. The ERSTA
system was intended to replace older heavy
coast artillery systems.
Rate of fire; 25 rounds per minute. Firing range;
27 km. Caliber: 120 mm (4.72 in). Crew: 12.
Light Artillery:
•
7.5 cm automatic turret gun m/57 (model
1957). Made by Bofors Defense. It was intended
to replace older light coast artillery systems.
Each piece is mounted in an armored turret with
the magazine and installation 5 m below in the
bedrock. The ammunition is fed from the
magazine up to the gun by a hoist system. The
crew was 7 men; the turret was manned by
three men (gun commander/traverse operator,
elevation operator and loader) with the rest of
the gun crew working in the magazine or the
installation below (ammunition commander,
magazine loader and 2 ammunition handlers.
In the 1970s both the turrets and the gun
barrels were equipped with a camouflage cover
of fiberglass which made it difficult to discover
the guns. See images below.
Rate of fire; 25 rounds per minute. Firing range;
12km. Caliber: 75 mm (2.95 in). Crew: 7.
Images of Stationary Coast Artillery Guns
