Swedish coastal artillery
Encyclopedia
The Swedish coastal artillery
has its origin in the Archipelago Artillery that was raised in 1866. The Coastal Artillery was formed from the Archipelago Artillery, the Marine Regiment and parts of the Artillery in 1902. Kustartilleriet, abbreviated KA, was an independent branch within the Swedish Navy until July 1, 2000, when the Swedish Coastal Artillery was disbanded and reorganised as the Amfibiekåren (Swedish Amphibious Corps
). The changed name and new structure were to reflect the new tasks that the old Coastal Artillery had moved to after the end of the Cold War
and the demise of the Warsaw Pact
.
and Karlskrona
fortresses were merged with the Navy’s fixed mine companies and elements of the disbanded Marine Regiment. This resulted in the creation of the first two regiments, in Vaxholm (KA1) and in Karlskrona (KA2).
Detachments from these two regiments were also responsible for keeping units at Fårösund
coastal fortress on the northern tip of Gotland
and at Älvsborg costal fortresses
, located near the main shipping channel into Gothenburg
. During the First World War, it was also decided that the area of responsibility should also include the stationing of units at Hemsö and at Luleå (until 1953 a detachment from Älvsborg which, finally, in 1975, was made into a separate regiment, the Härnösand Coastal Artillery Regiment).
. The detachment in Göteborg was reorganised and expanded into the Älvsborg Coastal Artillery regiment in 1942.
The Swedish Coastal Artillery was up to the mid 1990s mostly a collection of fixed and mobile units located in the different Swedish archipelagos. The main purpose of the Swedish Coastal Artillery was to defend and maintain a visible presence in the Swedish archipelago, and even in peacetime maintain a high level of readiness. Units that where stationed around the more important shipping lanes and other naval installations around Sweden were fully manned, even in peacetime.
During the 1980s there was a general move towards modernization in the Swedish defense forces and the Coastal Artillery received several new weapon systems in the 1980s and 1990s, like the new 12/70 TAP fixed artillery system, the mobile artillery system 12/80 KARIN, the Stridsbåt 90 combat craft and missile systems like the RBS-15 and RBS-17 (anti-shipping version of AGM-114 Hellfire
). The Coastal Artillery also modernized its ASW or anti-submarine capabilities in a response to the submarine incursions that plagued Sweden during the 1980s and early 1990s. Also, this was a step towards an increased ability to monitor and maintain high level of surveillance of Sweden’s harbours and shipping lanes against any foreign undersea aggression or incursion into Swedish territorial waters.
The Swedish Coastal Artillery was in a constant level of development during the last century as the threat levels changed around the world, the main threat to Sweden after the Second World War was the threat of a war in Europe. Even if Sweden had not been directly involved, there was always a risk of an incursion into Sweden of a foreign power during a major war in Europe.
.
Coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications....
has its origin in the Archipelago Artillery that was raised in 1866. The Coastal Artillery was formed from the Archipelago Artillery, the Marine Regiment and parts of the Artillery in 1902. Kustartilleriet, abbreviated KA, was an independent branch within the Swedish Navy until July 1, 2000, when the Swedish Coastal Artillery was disbanded and reorganised as the Amfibiekåren (Swedish Amphibious Corps
Swedish Amphibious Corps
Amfibiekåren is the coastal defence arm of the Swedish Navy. Until 2000 it was known as Kustartilleriet , but the name was changed to reflect its different role in a post-Cold War world, where its amphibious special operations arm, "Kustjägarna", has grown in significance while its coastal...
). The changed name and new structure were to reflect the new tasks that the old Coastal Artillery had moved to after the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and the demise of the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
.
The early years
KA or Kustartilleriet can trace its traditions as far back as the old coastal fortresses that were in use around Sweden since the 15th century. In the old days these would have been under the command structure of the fortress artillery department. The real first move to an independent branch was the creation of the Vaxholms Artillerikår in 1889. Before this all artillery units that were stationed on coastal defence fortresses or city fortresses were under the command of the fortress artillery department which in turn was a branch of the Artillery. Since the establishment of the fixed mine defence units during the 19th century, the question of an independent branch of the Swedish armed forces was again raised, This resulted in the creation of the modern Coastal Artillery in 1902 as an independent branch within the Royal Swedish Navy.The modern Swedish coastal artillery is born
The units created out of the Fortress artillery corps from the army at VaxholmVaxholm
Vaxholm is a locality and the seat of Vaxholm Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It is located in the Stockholm archipelago. The name Vaxholm comes from Vaxholm Castle, which was constructed in 1549 on an islet with this name on the inlet to Stockholm, for defense purposes, by King Gustav...
and Karlskrona
Karlskrona
Karlskrona is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 35,212 inhabitants in 2010. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Sweden's only remaining naval base and the headquarters of the...
fortresses were merged with the Navy’s fixed mine companies and elements of the disbanded Marine Regiment. This resulted in the creation of the first two regiments, in Vaxholm (KA1) and in Karlskrona (KA2).
Detachments from these two regiments were also responsible for keeping units at Fårösund
Fårösund
Fårösund is a locality situated in Gotland Municipality, Gotland County, Sweden with 862 inhabitants in 2005. The village can be reached by car from Visby. The little island of Fårö can be reached by ferry from Fårösund....
coastal fortress on the northern tip of Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
and at Älvsborg costal fortresses
Älvsborg Fortress
Älvsborg, also Elfsborg Fortress, is a sea fortress located in today's Gothenburg , Sweden. Situated on the mouth of the Göta Älv river, it served to protect Sweden's access to the Atlantic Ocean and the nearby settlement of today's Gothenburg and its four predecessors. The fortress was relocated...
, located near the main shipping channel into Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
. During the First World War, it was also decided that the area of responsibility should also include the stationing of units at Hemsö and at Luleå (until 1953 a detachment from Älvsborg which, finally, in 1975, was made into a separate regiment, the Härnösand Coastal Artillery Regiment).
Interwar years
The detachment at Fårösund was reorganised as a separate unit in 1937 and renamed Gotland Coastal Artillery Regiment in 1937.World War II
After a reduction in units after the 1925 defence proposition there was a significant expansion of all the branches of the Swedish armed forces. In particular, the artillery in the Coastal Artillery was modernised and new materiel made in Sweden and imported from e.g. Czechoslovakia were introduced. The defense line built on the coast of Skåne during the 2:nd WW is called the Per Albin LinePer Albin Line
The Skåne Line , popularly known as the Per Albin Line after then-Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson, was a 500 kilometer long line of light fortifications erected during World War II around the coast of southern Sweden to protect the country from a possible German or Soviet invasion...
. The detachment in Göteborg was reorganised and expanded into the Älvsborg Coastal Artillery regiment in 1942.
Cold War
With the advent of Marinplan 60 there was a move towards standardization of equipment and an increase in mobile units, one of the most significant additions to the Swedish Coastal Artillery during the 1950s was the creation of the Coastal Ranger companies (Kustjägare) as a mobile reconnaissance and attack component.The Swedish Coastal Artillery was up to the mid 1990s mostly a collection of fixed and mobile units located in the different Swedish archipelagos. The main purpose of the Swedish Coastal Artillery was to defend and maintain a visible presence in the Swedish archipelago, and even in peacetime maintain a high level of readiness. Units that where stationed around the more important shipping lanes and other naval installations around Sweden were fully manned, even in peacetime.
During the 1980s there was a general move towards modernization in the Swedish defense forces and the Coastal Artillery received several new weapon systems in the 1980s and 1990s, like the new 12/70 TAP fixed artillery system, the mobile artillery system 12/80 KARIN, the Stridsbåt 90 combat craft and missile systems like the RBS-15 and RBS-17 (anti-shipping version of AGM-114 Hellfire
AGM-114 Hellfire
The AGM-114 Hellfire is an air-to-surface missile developed primarily for anti-armor use. It has multi-mission, multi-target precision-strike capability, and can be launched from multiple air, sea, and ground platforms. The Hellfire missile is the primary 100 lb-class air-to-ground precision...
). The Coastal Artillery also modernized its ASW or anti-submarine capabilities in a response to the submarine incursions that plagued Sweden during the 1980s and early 1990s. Also, this was a step towards an increased ability to monitor and maintain high level of surveillance of Sweden’s harbours and shipping lanes against any foreign undersea aggression or incursion into Swedish territorial waters.
The Swedish Coastal Artillery was in a constant level of development during the last century as the threat levels changed around the world, the main threat to Sweden after the Second World War was the threat of a war in Europe. Even if Sweden had not been directly involved, there was always a risk of an incursion into Sweden of a foreign power during a major war in Europe.
Swedish Amphibious Corps
In 2000, following the decision to decommission the artillery units, the name was changed to the Amphibious CorpsSwedish Amphibious Corps
Amfibiekåren is the coastal defence arm of the Swedish Navy. Until 2000 it was known as Kustartilleriet , but the name was changed to reflect its different role in a post-Cold War world, where its amphibious special operations arm, "Kustjägarna", has grown in significance while its coastal...
.
Swedish coastal artillery Regiments 1902-2000
- KA1, Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment based at Rindö in the Stockholm archipelago, still active as Amf1, First Amphibious Regiment, based at Berga naval base, Stockholm
- KA2, Karlskrona Coastal Artillery Regiment, based in Karlskrona, disbanded in 2000
- KA3, Fårösund Coastal Artillery Regiment, based at Fårösund, GotlandGotlandGotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
, disbanded in 2000 - KA4, Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment, based at Kärringberget, Gothenburg, renamed Amf4 Älvsborg Amphibious Regiment in 2000 and finally disbanded in 2005
- KA5, Härnösands Coastal Artillery Regiment, based at Härnösand, disbanded in 1997