The Life Grenadier Regiment ( sv, Livgrenadjärregementet), designations I 4 and I 4/Fo 41, 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 ...

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was disbanded in 1997. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the provinces of

Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...

, and it was later garrisoned there.

History

The regiment has its origins in fänikor (companies) raised in the 16th century, these units formed Östergötland Infantry Regiment and Östergötland Cavalry Regiment which merged in 1791 and formed the Life Grenadier Regiment. It consisted of two semi-independent units, ''Livgrenadjärregementets rotehållsdivision'' and ''Livgrenadjärregementets rusthållsdivision'' originating from the two merged infantry and cavalry regiments. The regiment was split in two in 1816, forming 1st Life Grenadier Regiment and 2nd Life Grenadier Regiment. These two units were later merged and reformed the Life Grenadier Regiment in 1928, and the regiment was given the designation I 4 (4th Infantry Regiment). In 1973, the regiment gained the new designation I 4/Fo 41 as a consequence of a merge with the local defence district Fo 41. The Life Grenadier Regiment was garrisoned in Linköping and was disbanded in 1997.

Campaigns

Organisation

Heraldry and traditions

Colours, standards and guidons

Its last colour was presented to the regiment in Linköping by His Majesty the King

Gustaf VI Adolf Gustaf VI Adolf (Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf; 11 November 1882 – 15 September 1973) was King of Sweden from 29 October 1950 until his death in 1973. He was the eldest son of Gustaf V and his wife, Victoria of Baden. Before Gustaf Ado ...

on 25 September 1964. It was used as regimental colour by I 4/Fo 41 until 1 January 1998. The colour is drawn by Brita Grep and embroidered by hand in insertion technique by the company Libraria.

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 ...

: "On white cloth in the centre the Royal Swedish coat of arms as to the law without mantle. Below the cross of the

Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim ( sv, Kungliga Serafimerorden; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the P ...

, an erect white sword. In each corner a blazing grenade - white in the first and fourth corner (a legacy from the former Royal First Life Grenadier Regiment, I 4) and red in the second and third corner (a legacy from the former Royal Second Life Grenadier Regiment, I 5). Battle honours (

Varberg Varberg () is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 35,782 inhabitants in 2019. Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their "typical west coast" sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wi ...

1565, Breitenfeld 1631,

Lützen is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Geography Lützen is situated in the Leipzig Bay, approximately southwest of the Leipzig city limits and northeast of Weißenfels. The town has access to the Bundesstraße 8 ...

1632,

Wittstock Wittstock/Dosse is a town in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in north-western Brandenburg, Germany. Geography It is located in the eastern Prignitz region on the Dosse River near the confluence with its Glinze tributary, about east of Pritzwal ...

1636,

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

1642,

Warszawa Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

1656, Fredriksodde 1657, Tåget över Bält 1658,

Lund Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, across the Øresund, Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipali ...

1676,

Rügen Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, where ...

1678, Kliszow 1702,

1705, Holovczyn 1708, Malatitze 1708, Rajovka (1708,

Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , , ) is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and ninth-largest in Sweden, with a population of 113,816 (2020). Helsingborg is the cent ...

1710,

Gadebusch Gadebusch () is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the district of Nordwestmecklenburg. Halfway between Lübeck, Schwerin and Wismar, it is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. The town is known for two notable monuments: the ''Stad ...

1712,

Valkeala Valkeala is a former municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland, and is a neighborhood of city of Kouvola, and it was a part of the Kymenlaakso region. The municipality had a population of 11,238 (2003) and cove ...

1790, Svensksund 1790) in yellow horizontally placed around the coat of arms." File:AM.002227.jpg, 1932 regimental colour

Coat of arms

The coat of the arms of the Life Grenadier Regiment (I 4/Fo 41) 1977–1994, the Life Grenadier Brigade (''Livgrenadjärbrigaden'', IB 4) and the Life Grenadier Group (''Livgrenadjärgruppen'') since 1997.

: "Azure, the lesser

coat of arms of Sweden The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden ( sv, Sveriges riksvapen) has a greater and a lesser version. Regulated usage The usage of the coats of arms is regulated by Swedish Law, Actbr>1970:498 which states (in unofficial translation) that ...

, three open crowns or placed two and one. The shield surmounted two muskets in saltire argent followed on both sides by blazing grenades, dexter argent and sinister gules". The coat of the arms of the Life Grenadier Regiment (I 4/Fo 41) 1994–1997. Blazon: "Azure, the lesser coat of arms of Sweden, three open crowns or placed two and one. The shield surmounted two muskets in saltire argent followed on both sides by blazing grenades, dexter argent and sinister gules." File:Livgrenadjärregementet vapen.svg, Coat of arms of the Life Grenadier Regiment (I 4/Fo 41) 1977–1994, the Life Grenadier Brigade (''Livgrenadjärbrigaden'', IB 4) and the Life Grenadier Group (''Livgrenadjärgruppen'') 1997–present. File:Livgrenadjärregementet vapen, post 1994.svg, Coat of the arms of the Life Grenadier Regiment (I 4/Fo 41) 1994–1997.

Medals

In 1996, the ''Livgrenadjärregementets (I 4) minnesmedalj'' ("Life Grenadier Regiment (I 4) Commemorative Medal") in silver (LivgregSMM) 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 white and red moiré. File:AM.088352.jpg, Life Grenadier Regiment (I 4) Commemorative Medal File:AM.085239.jpg, Life Grenadier Regiment Medal of Merit in silver

Heritage

Since 1 January 1998, the Life Grenadier Group (''Livgrenadjärgruppen'') has inherited the colours and traditions of the regiment. From 1 July 2013, the traditions of the regiment are continued by the 30th Life Grenadier Battalion and the 31st Life Grenadier Battalion, included in the Life Grenadier Group.

Commanding officers

Executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

s (''Sekundchefer'') and regimental commanders from 1792 to 1816 and 1928 to 1997. ''Sekundchef'' was a title used until 31 December 1974 in the regiments that were included in the King's Life and Household Troops (''Kungl. Maj:ts Liv- och Hustrupper''). From 1791 to 1809 the Crown Prince was regimental commander. From 1818 to 1974 His Majesty the King was regimental commander. From 1975 to 1997, the monarch was honorary commander of the regiment. From 1975 the regimental commander was also Defence District Commander, and held the rank of Senior Colonel.

Executive officers

*1928–1933: Patrik Ludvig Teodor Falkman *1933–1937: Georg Alfred Edvard Ahlström *1937–1939: Carl Bennedich *1939–1943: Rutger R:son Gyllenram *1943–1952: Karl Einar Harald Appelbom *1951–1957: Per Axel Holger Stenholm *1957–1963: Pieter Fürst *1963–1971: Sven Widegren *1971–1974: Ingvar Selander *1974–1975: Lennart Tollerz

Regimental commanders

*1928–1950:

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 Luxe ...

*1950–1973:

*1973–1974:

Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Du ...

*1975–1979: Lennart Bredberg *1979–1982: Senior colonel Sven Torfgård *1982–1987: Per-Arne Ringh *1987–1991: Lars-Eric Widman *1991–1995: Torbjörn Tillman *1995–1997: Gunnar Ridderstad

History

Campaigns

Organisation

Heraldry and traditions

Colours, standards and guidons

Coat of arms

Medals

Heritage

Commanding officers

Executive officers

Regimental commanders

Deputy regimental commanders

Names, designations and locations

See also

Footnotes

References

Notes

Print

Further reading