The Gotland Artillery Regiment ( sv, Gotlands artilleriregemente, designation A 7) was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

regiment that was in active service between 1811 and 2000. The regiment was based in

Visby Visby () is an urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic city of Visby is arguably th ...

as part of the

Gotland Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...

Garrison.

History

The regiment origins from the Artillery Conscripts of the

Gotland National Conscription The Gotland National Conscription ( sv, Gotlands nationalbeväring) was a Swedish Army infantry unit that traced its origins back to the 19th century. It was split into two new regiments in 1887. The regiment's soldiers were recruited on the islan ...

(''Gotlands nationalbevärings artilleribeväring''), which were organized in 1811 as a result of the

Russian occupation of Gotland The Russian occupation of Gotland took place in April and May 1808, during the Finnish War between Sweden and Russia. History Russia had invaded Finland on 21 February 1808. An invasion force of nine Russian merchant ships left Liepāja and ...

in 1808 and by a convention adopted by the islanders in December 1810, which was ratified by King

Charles XIII Charles XIII, or Carl XIII ( sv, Karl XIII, 7 October 1748 – 5 February 1818), was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 to his death. He was the second son (and younger brother to King Gustav III) of King Adolf Frederick of Sw ...

on 5 February 1811. It consisted then of two

artillery batteries In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to facil ...

and a fortification company with a squad of 100 men, located in Visby. The unit was reorganized in 1861 into Gotland National Conscription Artillery Corps (''Gotlands nationalbevärings artillerikår'') and was given the designation No 4. In 1887 the corps changed its name to Gotland Artillery Corps (No 4). The Gotland Artillery Corps was redesignated No 7 in 1892 so that the planned

Norrland Artillery Regiment The Norrland Artillery Regiment ( sv, Norrlands artilleriregemente), designation A 4, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 19th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the provinces of ...

could become No 4. In 1914 the name was changed to A 7. In conjunction with the so called OLLI reform, which was carried out by the

Swedish Armed Forces The Swedish Armed Forces ( sv, Försvarsmakten, "the Defense Force") is the government agency that forms the armed forces of Sweden, tasked with the defense of the country as well as with promoting Sweden's wider interests, supporting internati ...

in 1973 and in 1975, A units and B units were created. The A units were regiments responsible for a

defence district A defence district ( sv, Försvarsområde, Fo) was a military subdivision of the Swedish Armed Forces created in 1914. It was a lower regional level subdivision, usually corresponding to a Swedish county. The commander of a defence district was ...

, 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 Gotland Military Command ( sv, Gotlands militärkommando, MKG) previously VII Military District ( sv, VII. militärområdet) was a military district, and later a command in the Swedish Armed Forces. It existed between the years 1942 and 2000. The ...

(MKG) in 1966. The military command constituted a special

command and control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization or en ...

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 within the military command was added, regardless of

military branch Military branch (also service branch or armed service) is according to common standard a subdivision of the national armed forces of a sovereign nation or state. Types of branches Unified armed forces The Canadian Armed Forces is the uni ...

. This meant that the Gotland Artillery Corps which was included in the Gotland Military Command (MKG) came to be a B unit (training regiment). By the reform, the corps adopted the new name Gotland Artillery Regiment on 1 July 1975. Prior to the Defence Act of 1977 and 1982, the Gotland Artillery Regiment was exempted from the investigation carried out by the National Institute of Defence Organization and Management (''Försvarets rationaliseringsinstitut''). In the Defence Act of 1977, the Gotland Artillery Regiment was exempted because of regional political conditions. Instead the National Institute of Defence Organization and Management believed that the

Småland Artillery Regiment The Småland Artillery Regiment ( sv, Smålands artilleriregemente), designation A 6, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment raised in 1895. It was disbanded in 1985. The regiment was based in Jönköping. Locations and training areas Barracks ...

(A 6) with the Artillery Cadet and Aspirant School (''Artilleriets kadett- och aspirantskola'', ArtKAS) as well as the ''Miloverkstaden'' in

Jönköping Jönköping (, ) is a city in southern Sweden with 112,766 inhabitants (2022). Jönköping is situated on the southern shore of Sweden's second largest lake, Vättern, in the province of Småland. The city is the seat of Jönköping Municipali ...

would be disbanded. The Supreme Commander and the Chief of the Army, however, believed that no artillery regiment would be disbanded. However, the National Institute of Defence Organization and Management suggested in their investigation to give the Supreme Commander the task of examining the further development of the OLLI organization. In a further development, it wanted to merge

Gotland Regiment The Gotland Regiment ( sv, Gotlands regemente, P 18) is a Swedish Army armoured regiment which has been active in various forms between 1963–1994 and 2000–2005, when it was disbanded. The regiment was re-raised on 1 January 2018. The regiment ...

(P 18), Gotland Artillery Regiment (A 7) and Gotland Anti-Aircraft Battalion (Lv 2) into an army regiment. Prior to the Defence Act of 1982, the Boden Artillery Regiment, Gotland Artillery Regiment, Norrland Artillery Regiment,

Wendes Artillery Regiment The Wendes Artillery Regiment ( sv, Wendes artilleriregemente), designation A 3, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 17th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from Scania, where it was ...

and the

Bergslagen Artillery Regiment The Bergslagen Artillery Regiment ( sv, Bergslagens artilleriregemente), designation A 9, is a Swedish Army artillery unit which has operated in various forms from 1943 to 2000 and again from 4 December 2022 after the Swedish government decided ...

were exempted from the review of finding a cost reduction within the artillery. The Gotland Artillery Regiment were exempted from the investigation of disbandment, partly because of regional policy considerations but also demands for the war organization's preparedness and mobilization. The merger proposed by the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

to the ''

Riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

'' in the previous act had not been implemented. This meant that the government once again proposed to the ''Riksdag'' to merge the staffs of the Gotland Regiment, Gotland Artillery Regiment and the Gotland Anti-Aircraft Battalion with the staff of the Gotland Military Command, and form an authority from 1 July 1982. Through the Defence Act of 1992, the Gotland Military Command was separated from the Gotland Regiment, Gotland Artillery Regiment and the

Gotland Anti-Aircraft Corps Gotland Anti-Aircraft Corps ( sv, Gotlands luftvärnskår), also Lv 2, was a Swedish Army anti-aircraft unit that was active in various forms between 1944–2000. The unit was based in Visby on Gotland. History Gotland's air defence has its origi ...

, and formed independent units from 1 July 1994. The military command came to only lead all operations on Gotland, which on the mainland were solved by the defense area staffs, division staffs and naval command staffs. Prior to the Defence Act of 2000, the government proposed in its Bill 1999/2000:30 that only one artillery regiment would remain in the basic organization. The regiments which the government wanted to disband included Gotland Artillery Regiment. This in the light that the government considered it unsuitable to centralize the artillery training to Gotland, not least due to the investment needs and the limited opportunities for long-term manpower. Remaining in the artillery of the new basic organization was the Bergslagen Artillery Regiment, this because the government considered that to be the regiment which had the best conditions for long-term training and practice of artillery units. On 30 June 2000, the Gotland Artillery Regiment was disbanded. On 1 July 2000, the Bergslagen Artillery Regiment took the new name, the Artillery Regiment.

Operations

In 1901 the corps was reorganized, and was increased so that it amounted to three batteries and a position company with a strength of 21 officers, 14 non-commissioned officers, four civilian servicemen and 156 male permanent workers. In the 1990s, the regiment was responsible for training of divisions artillery staff and battalions and brigade artillery battalions and armored artillery battalion included in the Gotland Military Command (MKG). When the Svea Artillery Regiment was disbanded, primary weapon systems of the regiment, Haubits 77B, were transferred to Gotland Artillery Regiment.

Units

Companies

*Wisborgs Company (21st) *Stålhatts Company (22nd) *Carlswärds Company (23rd)

Locations and training areas

Barracks

The units first barracks were located at S:t Hansgatan 19 in

, where it was located from 8 November 1839. On 8 June 1893 some parts of the unit were relocated to Grahams Mechanical Workshop at Hamnplan 1 In 1902, some parts of the unit were relocated to Strandgatan 12-14. On 13 April 1909, the unit moved into newly built barracks at Östra Hansegatan 28. The unit was located at Östra Hansegatan until 30 June 1986, when it was from 1 July 1986 colocalized with the

at Langs väg 4. On 24 May 1986 a closing ceremony was held at Östra Hansegatan. At the Gotland Regiment, the unit moved into the Barracks 1, which was highlighted by a ceremony on 7 October 1988. File:Kasernen på Strandvägen i Visby 2017.jpg, Barracks at Hamnplan 1 File:Gotlandsartilleriregemente.jpg, Chancery building and barracks I (from south) File:A 7 - Kanslihuset och Kasern I.jpg, Chancery building and barracks I (from north) File:A 7 - Ridhus Vård- och pjäshall.jpg, Riding/artillery piece hall File:Gamla filmgymnasiet.jpeg, Ordnance workshop File:A 7 - Gymnastikhuset.jpg, Gym File:AMA.0010210.jpg, 1970s aerial view

Training areas

The regiment's first training area was located 18 km northeast of Visby at

Martebo Martebo () is a populated area, a ''socken'' (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Martebo District, established on 1January 2016. Geography Martebo is the name of t ...

mire. From 1 August 1898 it used Tofta firing range, located about 6 km south of Visby.

Heraldry and traditions

Colours, standards and guidons

The regimental colour was presented by His Majesty the King

Gustaf V Gustaf V (Oscar Gustaf Adolf; 16 June 1858 – 29 October 1950) was King of Sweden from 8 December 1907 until his death in 1950. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxem ...

on his birthday on 16 June 1938. After the

Svea Artillery Regiment The Svea Artillery Regiment ( sv, Svea artilleriregemente), designation A 1, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 17th century. It was disbanded in 1997. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from S ...

was disbanded on 31 December 1997, its colours and traditions was transferred to the Gotland Artillery Regiment. Gotland Artillery Regiment carried the colours to the side of its own until it was disbanded on 30 June 2000. The colours of the Svea Artillery Regiment was taken over by the Artillery Regiment. File:AM.019983.jpg, The colour of the Gotland Artillery Regiment.

Coat of arms

The coat of the arms of the Gotland Artillery Regiment (A 7) 1977–2000.

Blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

: "Azure, the provincial badge of Gotland, a ram passant argent armed or, banner gules with crosstaff, edging and five flaps or. The shield surmounted two gunbarrels of older pattern in saltire or. The gunbarrels may be sable".

Medals

In 1947, the ''Gotlands artilleriregementes (A 7) förtjänstmedalj'' ("Gotland Artillery Regiment (A 7) Medal of Merit") in gold and silver (GotartregGM/SM) of the 8th size was established. The

medal ribbon A medal ribbon, service ribbon or ribbon bar is a small ribbon, mounted on a small metal bar equipped with an attaching device, which is generally issued for wear in place of a medal when it is not appropriate to wear the actual medal. Each cou ...

is divided in green, red and green moiré. In 2000, the ''Gotlands artilleriregementes (A 7) minnesmedalj'' ("Gotland Artillery Regiment (A 7) Commemorative Merit") in silver (GotlartregSMM) of the 8th size was established. The medal ribbon is divided in red, green and red moiré. File:AM.095957.jpg, Gotland Artillery Regiment (A 7) Medal of Merit in gold. File:AM.019730.jpg, Gotland Artillery Regiment (A 7) Commemorative Medal in silver.

Heritage

The traditions of the Gotland Artillery Regiment are preserved since 1 July 2000 by the Artillery Regiment. The traditions were preserved from 2000 to 2005 by the

(P 18). A special manifestation on the day of the disbandment took place and a march was conducted through Visby with visits to a number of "A 7 places". The closing ceremony took place in the Donnershage which included the handover of the A 7's colours to the Artillery Regiment. At

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of tatt ...

, the unveiling of the memorial stone placed in front of chancellery of the Gotland Regiment took place.

Commanding officers

Commanding officers of the artillery on Gotland from 1860 to 2000. The commanding officer was referred to as ''kårchef'' ("corps commander") between 1860 and 1975 and ''regementschef'' ("regimental commander") between 1975 and 1982 and 1994 to 2000. During the years 1982–1994, the commanding officer was subordinate to the commanding officer of the

(MKG).

1860–1887

* 1860–1868: LtCol Christer d'Albedyhll * 1868–1879: LtCol Carl Edvard E af Chapman * 1879–1884: LtCol Thiodolf Bernhard Borgh * 1884–1886: LtCol Frans Thomas Schartau

1887–2000

Commanding officers 1887–2000: * 1887-01-01 – 1894-02-15: LtCol Frans Thomas Schartau * 1894-02-16 – 1895-12-05: Maj/LtCol Claes Johan Viktor A. Meurling * 1895-12-06 – 1906-06-07: Maj/LtCol/ Col Alexander Johan Baltzar von Strussenfelt * 1906-06-08 – 1909-01-11: LtCol Gabriel Axel Torén * 1909-01-12 – 1911-04-03: LtCol

Karl Toll Lieutenant General Karl Osvald Toll (2 November 1862 – 13 October 1936) was a Swedish Army officer. Toll's senior commands include commanding officer of the 4th Army Division and the position of Commandant General in Stockholm. Toll laid down ...

* 1911-04-04 – 1913-04-03: LtCol Claes Axel Breitholtz * 1913-04-21 – 1915-12-02: LtCol John Gustaf Gerhard Améen * 1915-12-03 – 1919-03-19: LtCol Bo Arvid Tarras-Wahlberg * 1919-03-20 – 1926-10-15: LtCol Bertil Lilliehöök * 1926-10-16 – 1927-12-31: LtCol/Col Carl Georg Ohlson * 1928-01-01 – 1931-??-??: LtCol/Col Gunnar Ludvig Malkolm Salander * 1931-10-17 – 1934-04-30: LtCol Per Falk * 1934-05-31 – 1939-09-31: LtCol Carl-Gustaf David Hamilton * 1939-10-01 – 1941-06-30: LtCol/Col

Gustaf Dyrssen Lieutenant General Gustaf Peder Wilhelm Dyrssen (24 November 1891 – 13 May 1981) was a Swedish Army officer and Olympic modern pentathlete. Early life Dyrssen was born on 24 November 1891 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of admiral Wi ...

* 1941-07-01 – 1943-09-31: Col Curt Sixten Reinhold Kempff * 1943-10-01 – 1945-01-31: Col

Bert Carpelan Lieutenant General Ivar Bert Tyko Carpelan (2December 1895 – 16November 1981) was a Swedish Army officer. Carpelan's senior commands include Chief of the Army Staff and the General Staff Corps, commanding officer of the IV Military Di ...

* 1945-02-01 – 1947-03-31: Col Erik Thorsten Berggren * 1947-04-01 – 1949-03-31: Col Arvid Mauritz Eriksson * 1949-04-01 – 1953-09-31: Col Nils Oskar Söderberg * 1953-10-01 – 1959-09-31: Col Göran Schildt * 1959-10-01 – 1970-03-31: Col Tore Edvard Deutgen * 1970-04-01 – 1974-06-30: Col Stig Alrik Nihlén * 1974-07-01 – 1975-03-31: LtCol Karl-Erik Bellvar Kennerby * 1975-04-01 – 1978-09-31: Col Carl Arcadius Holger Areskoug * 1978-10-01 – 1980-03-31: Col Reinhold Lahti * 1980-04-01 – 1982-05-31: Col Erik Helge Gard * 1982-06-01 – 1990-04-31: LtCol/Col Curt-Christer Bertil Gustafsson * 1990-05-01 – 1991-02-28: Col Hans Gunnar Dellner * 1991-03-01 – 1992-09-30: Col Kjell Åke Plantin * 1992-10-01 – 1999-06-30: Col Bengt Olof (Olle) Allan Bjurström * 1999-07-01 – 2000-??-??: LtCol Sven-Åke Asklander * 2000-??-?? – 2000-06-30: LtCol Bo Hansson

Names, designations and locations

Footnotes

References

Notes

Print

* * * * * * * *

Web

External links

Website about Gotland Artillery Regiment

Association of Gotland Artillery Regiment
{{in lang, sv Artillery regiments of the Swedish Army Visby Garrison Military units and formations established in 1811 Military units and formations disestablished in 2000 Disbanded units and formations of Sweden 1811 establishments in Sweden 2000 disestablishments in Sweden