Swedish Regiments during

the days of the Allotment

System - Artillery

Artillery Regiments

From the 16th century, the artillery was called "arkliet" and later "artilleriet" (artillery). In 1655 all of the artillery in the piece organization was transferred into one regiment, The Artillery Regiment. This regiment formed 8 companies. At the end of the Swedish - Danish war of 1675 - 1679 the field artillery was reorganized by King Karl XI. Instead of two large companies, the field artillery now formed 4 very mobile companies of only 60 men each. The soldiers in the artillery were enlisted, not allotted. In 1689 the field artillery was reorganized into one regiment, The Artillery Regiment. In 1794 the Artillery Regiment was divided into four independent regiments: 1. The Svea Artillery Regiment 2. The Göta Artillery Regiment 3. The Wendes Artillery Regiment 4. The Finnish Artillery Regiment

The Svea Artillery Regiment, A1

Swedish name: Svea artilleriregemente. Names: 1689 Artillery Regiment, 1794 Svea Artillery Regiment, 1892 First Svea Artillery Regiment, 1904 Svea Artillery Regiment, 1946 motorized. Location of the primary Garrison of the Regiment: Stockholm, 1877 Valhallavägen 17, 1949 Rissne, 1963 Linköping. Training camp: Ladugårdsgärde, from 1882 Marma, 1915 Järva, 1963 Hästholmen. Image: Svea Artillery Regiment’s heraldic escutcheon.

The Göta Artillery Regiment, A2

Swedish name: Göta artilleriregemente. Names: 1689 Artillery Regiment, 1794 Göta Artillery Regiment, 1892 First Göta Artillery Regiment, 1904 Göta Artillery Regiment, 1951 motorized, 1962 disbanded. Location of the primary Garrison of the Regiment: Göteborg, 1866 Kaserntorget 11, 1895 Kvibergsvägen. Training camp: 1821 Dösebacken, Kungälv, 1862 Tångahed, Vårgårda, 1884 Tångehed-Remmene Image: Göta Artillery Regiment’s colors.

The Wendes Artillery Regiment, A3

Swedish name: Wendes artilleriregemente. Names: 1689 Artillery Regiment, 1794 Wendes Artillery Regiment. 1892 one company was mounted, 1830 all companies mounted, until 1927 one mounted division, 1943 motorized. Around 1914, the A3 was probably the largest artillery regiment in the world with 14 batteries of four pieces each. Location of the primary Garrison of the Regiment: 1794 Kristianstad, Kaserngatan 1-5, 1814 also Västra Storgatan 51, between 1750's and 1879 also Landskrona. Training camp: 1794 Beckhovet, 1795 Näsby fält, 1900 Rinkaby. Image: Wendes Artillery Regiment’s heraldic escutcheon..

The Norrland Artillery Regiment, A4

Swedish name: Norrlands artilleriregemente. The regiment was formed in 1893 when two batteries from the Svea Artillery Regiment and two from the Göta Artillery Regiment were merged creating the Norrland Artillery Regiment. In 1910, the 3rd Division of the A4 was moved to Boden, where it formed the Norrbotten Artillery Corps in 1928. Location of the primary Garrison of the Regiment: 1893 Östersund, Regementsgatan 25 - 27. Training camp: Image: Norrland Artillery Regiment’s heraldic escutcheon..

The Uppland Artillery Regiment, A5

Swedish name: Upplands artilleriregemente. The regiment was formed in 1894 by merging two batteries from the Svea Artillery Regiment and two from the Wendes Artillery Regiment, creating the Second Svea Artillery Regiment. In 1904, the regiment changed its name to Uppland Artillery Regiment. 1927 disbanded. Location of the primary Garrison of the Regiment: 1894 Stockholm, 1901 Uppsala, Dag Hammarskjöldsväg 10 - 18. Training camp: Image: Uppland Artillery Regiment’s heraldic escutcheon.

The Småland Artillery Regiment, A6

Swedish name: Smålands artilleriregemente. The regiment was formed in 1895 by merging two batteries from Göta Artillery Regiment and one from Wendes Artillery Regiment, creating the Second Göta Artillery Regiment. In 1901, the Karlsborg Artillery Corps was added to the regiment. In 1905, the regiment changed its name to Småland Artillery Regiment. During the years 1928 - 1942, the regiment was named Småland Army Artillery Regiment. From 1942, back to Smålands Artillery Regiment. In 1985, it was disbanded. Location of the primary Garrison of the Regiment: 1894 Stockholm, 1895 Göteborg, 1898 Jönköping, Kompanigatan 6. Training camp: 1896 Tångahed, 1898 Skillingaryd. Image: Småland Artillery Regiment’s heraldic escutcheon..

The Gotland Artillery Regiment, A7

Swedish name: Gotlands artilleriregemente. Established in 1811 as Gotland National Conscription Artillery, A4. In 1861, Gotland National Conscription Artillery Corps, in 1887 Gotland Artillery Corps, in 1892 new unit designation, A7. 1934 motorized, 1975 Gotland Artillery Regiment. Location of the primary Garrison of the Regiment: Visby. Training camp: 1888 Martebo myr, 1898 Tofta. Image: Gotland Artillery Regiment’s heraldic escutcheon..

The Vaxholm Artillery Corps, A8

Swedish name: Vaxholms artillerikår. Established in 1889 as Vaxholm Artillery Corps, A5. 1892 Vaxholm Artillery Corps, A8. In 1902, the corps was transferred to the Coast Artillery, with the unit designation KA1. Vaxholm Artillery Corps has its origins in the company from the First Svea Artillery Regiment that was stationed at Vaxholm Fortress from 1794. Together with a fortress company from the First Göta Artillery Regiment, they formed an independent corps in 1889, the Vaxholm Artillery Corps. (A5). Since 1892, they have had the unit designation A8. On December 12, 1901, the artillery corps was dissolved and removed from the army artillery to form the Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment (KA1) on January 1, 1902, within the Coastal Artillery branch of the Navy. (Swe: Marinen). The Navy (Marinen) is a branch of the armed forces consisting of the two services, the Coastal Artillery and the Naval Fleet. Under the Navy, the Coastal Artillery and the Naval Fleet are two independent branches. Location of the primary Garrison of the Regiment: Oscar Fredriksborg and Rindön, Stockholm Län.

The Finnish Artillery Regiment (Karlsborg

Artillery Corps, A9)

Swedish name: Finska artilleriregementet. Names: 1689 Artillery Regiment, 1794 Finnish Artillery Regiment, 1809 disbanded when Finland was lost, 1892 Karlsborg Artillery Corps. When Sweden had to surrender Finland to Russia in 1809, the remains of the Finnish Artillery Regiment were transferred to the Göta Artillery Regiment, where they formed a siege company, garrisoned at the Varberg Fortress on the Swedish west coast. In 1833 the company was transferred to the Karlsborg Fortress as an artillery crew. In 1874 the artillery crew, then called the First Fortress Company (Första fästningskompaniet), was reinforced with the regiment’s Fifth Artillery Battalion (two mounted batteries). In 1882 the Second Fortress Company (Andra fästningskompaniet), at the time an artillery crew at the Karlsten Fortress at Marstrand, was transferred to the Karlsborg Fortress. In 1893 the Fifth Artillery Battalion was transferred to the newly established Norrland Artillery Regiment, Östersund. The First and the Second Fortress Company formed the Karlsborg Artillery Corps, A9, in 1892. The Corps was transferred to the Småland Artillery Regiment in 1901.

The Position Artillery Regiment, A9

Swedish name: Positionsartilleriregementet. The Position Artillery Regiment was established in 1902 in Stockholm. The regiment was a heavy artillery unit. Experiences from previous foreign wars had shown the need for heavy artillery when defending or attacking fortified positions ("thereof the name position artillery"). Heavy guns had better effectiveness penetrating fortifications. The main intention with the Position Artillery Regiment was to strengthen the defense of Stockholm. In 1914 the unit received the unit designation A9. In 1928 the Position Artillery Regiment was merged with the Småland Artillery Regiment, and the new unit was named the Småland Army Artillery Regiment (Smålands arméartilleriregemente, A6) and garrisoned in Jönköping.

Related Links

• The Allotment System • Swedish Military Unit Designations • Swedish Military Branch and Unit Insignias • Uniforms of the Swedish Army • The History of the Swedish Artillery • Military Links

Source References

• Arméns förband, skolor och staber, Björn Holmberg, 1993. • Karoliner, Alf Åberg, Göte Göransson, 1976 • Svenska regementenas historia, J Mankell, andra upplagan 1866. Top of page