Befalsskolen for Infanteriet i Sør-Norge (BSIS) () was a Norwegian infantry officer training school, in operation between 1945 and 1994.

History

BSIS was established by royal resolution in the autumn of 1945 to serve as the new infantry officer training school in the south of Norway. The new government formed by Einar Gerhardsen on 25 June 1945 had immediately initiated a comprehensive review of Norway's military capability after the end of hostilities with Germany on 8 May 1945. BSIS was established in order to complement Befalsskolen for Infanteriet i Trøndelag (BSIT), established 1804, and Befalsskolen for Infanteriet i Nord-Norge (BSIN), established in 1899, and would form the new backbone of army officer training in southern Norway. The school was located at

Heistadmoen Heistadmoen is a Norwegian military encampment in Kongsberg, in Viken county, Norway. Heistadmoen currently provides able quarters for the Telemark and Buskerud Home Guard District (''Telemark og Buskerud Heimevernsdistrikt''). The camp is large a ...

infantry base outside Kongsberg, which had been the home of Telemark Infantry Regiment since 1909 and had been expanded by the German occupation forces during the war years between 1940 and 1945. The landscape around Heistadmoen was ideal for infantry training with large surrounding forests and hilly terrain. The inland climate at Heistadmoen, ranging from -30 °C in winter to 30 °C in summer, was also ideal for infantry training in harsh weather conditions. During the 1950s and 1960s BSIS grew to become the largest officer training facility in Norway. A large weapons testing and training area was built in the Hengsvatn region near the base which was also used by other branches of the armed forces. The school educated approximately 12,700 sergeants for service in the army between establishment in 1945 and disbandment in 1994.

Heistadmoen after BSIS

BSIS was disbanded in June 1994 in connection with Heistadmoen infantry base becoming the training base of Norway's contingent in NATO's

Immediate Reaction Force An initial reaction force (IRF), also known as an internal reaction force, or extreme reaction force (ERF) to inmates, is a type of small-scale riot squad in U.S. military prisons such as the Camp Delta detention center of Guantanamo Bay. A squa ...

(IRF). In August 2001, Telemark Infantry Battalion was moved to Rena base in Hedmark, which was also home of the

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

and

airborne Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...

forces in the south of Norway. In January 2003, Telemark Infantry Regiment was disbanded having existed at various locations since the formation of the Norwegian army in 1628 and at Heistadmoen since 1909. Heistadmoen is today under administration by the Norwegian Home Guard and activity is much reduced from the 1990s with part of the base area redeveloped for civilian use.

Literature

*Sigurd Friis og Magnar Saltnes: ''Befalsskolen for Infanteriet'', 2003

References

*Nasjonale Festningsver

*Riksarkivet og Statsarkiven

{{DEFAULTSORT:Befalsskolen For Infanteriet I Sor-Norge Military training facilities Military of Norway Educational institutions established in 1945 1945 establishments in Norway 1994 disestablishments in Norway Buildings and structures in Buskerud Military education and training in Norway