The Norrbotten Regiment ( sv, Norrbottens regemente), designation I 19, is 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 ...

arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

armoured Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

and

commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

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 traces its origins back to the 19th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province of

Norrbotten Norrbotten (), known in English as North Bothnia, is a Swedish province (''landskap'') in northernmost Sweden. It borders south to Västerbotten, west to Swedish Lapland, and east to Finland. Administration The traditional provinces of Swede ...

, and it is currently garrisoned in Boden, Norrbotten. The regiment has the responsibility for training two armoured and one special recon battalion, as well as number of Arctic light infantry battalions from the home guard as well as running the army's winter unit. As of 2018, the Norrbotten Regiment employs 489 professional officers, 402 full-time soldiers, 512 part-time soldiers, 116 civilians and 683 reserve officers.

History

The regiment was created in 1841 when Västerbotten Field Jäger Regiment was split into two corps units of

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

size, one of them being Norrbotten Field Jäger Corps. The unit was upgraded to regimental size and renamed Norrbotten Regiment in 1892. The regiment had its training grounds at various places in Norrbotten, but was eventually garrisoned in Boden in 1907. A

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...

battalion was created in 1910, and in 1943 this ski battalion was split off from the regiment, later becoming The Army Ranger School and in 1975 Lapland Ranger Regiment. The regiment merged with the

Norrbotten Armoured Battalion The Norrbotten Armoured Battalion ( sv, Norrbottens pansarbataljon), designation Pbat/I 19 or P 5, is a Swedish Army armoured battalion, one of the few new formations raised in the 20th century. It is still in active service, and is currently gar ...

(P 5) in 1975 to form Norrbotten Regiment with Norrbotten Armoured Battalion, designated I 19/P 5. For a short time in the 1990s, the unit was then merged with the wartime-organised

Norrbotten Brigade The Norrbotten Brigade ( sv, Norrbottensbrigaden), also NMekB 19, is a Swedish Army mechanized brigade located in the province of Norrbotten, active since 2022. It was previously active from 1949 to 2000. The brigade is located at Boden Garrison, ...

, and designated MekB 19. In 2000, the unit was reorganised once again, and was redesignated back to its old designation I 19 despite being an armoured regiment, the name was also changed back to Norrbotten Regiment.

Organisation

;1841 *

Life company A Life Company ( sv, Livkompani, but usually written in its definite form; ''Livkompaniet'') is a Swedish military term of several centuries' standing. It is the first company of a regiment in the Swedish Army. Before the 17th century, the term ref ...

*Piteå Company *Kalix Company *Råneå Company ;2000 *

* Norrland Artillery Battalion *

Norrland Engineer Battalion The Norrland Engineer Battalion ( sv, Norrlands ingenjörbataljon), designation Ingbat/I 19, originally Boden Engineer Regiment ( sv, Bodens ingenjörkår), designation Ing 3, was a Swedish Army engineer unit, one of the few new formations raised ...

* Norrland Air Defence Battalion *

Norrland Signal Battalion The Norrland Signal Battalion ( sv, Norrlands signalbataljon), designated Signbat/I 19, originally Norrland Signal Corps ( sv, Norrlands signalkår), designated S 3, was a Swedish Army signal unit, one of the few new formations raised in the 20th ...

;2007 *

* Army Ranger Battalion * Lappland Ranger Group * Norrbotten Group * Västerbotten Group * Field Ranger Group * West Norrland Group * Försvarsmaktens vinterenhet (Armed Forces Winter Unit) The current organisation of the regiment includes: * Regimental Headquarters, in Boden * 3rd Brigade Staff *

* Army Ranger Battalion, in

Arvidsjaur Arvidsjaur (; sju, Árviesjávrrie; ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Arvidsjaur Municipality in Norrbotten County, provinces of Sweden, province of Lapland, Sweden, Lapland, Sweden with 4,635 inhabitants in 2010. Arvidsjaur ...

* Swedish Armed Forces Winter Unit

Heraldry and traditions

Colours, standards and guidons

The Norrbotten Regiment presents one regimental colour, three battalion colours and two battalion standards:

Colour of Norrbotten Regiment

On 31 August 1974, the regiment was presented with a new colour 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 ...

in connection with the 350th anniversary of the regiment. When the

(P 5) was amalgamated with the regiment, its standard was carried to the side of the regimental colour. The standard is carried again by the Norrbotten Armoured Battalion since 1 July 2000. A new colour was presented to the regiment in Boden by His Majesty the King

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 ...

on 27 August 2001. The colour is drawn by Kristina Holmgård-Åkerberg and embroidered by machine and hand in insertion technique by Maj-Britt Salander/company Blå Kusten.

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 blue cloth powdered with yellow estoiles, the provincial badge of Västerbotten; a white reindeer at speed, armed and langued red. On a white border at the upper side of the colour, battle honours (

Landskrona Landskrona (old da, Landskrone) is a town in Scania, Sweden. Located on the shores of the Öresund, it occupies a natural port, which has lent the town at first military and subsequent commercial significance. Ferries operate from Landskrona t ...

1677, Düna 1701, Kliszow 1702, Fraustadt 1706, Malatitze 1708,

Strömstad Strömstad is a locality and the seat of Strömstad Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 6,288 inhabitants in 2010. For historical reasons, Strömstad is called a ''city'' despite its small population. Strömstad became part of S ...

1717) in blue and close to the staff the provincial badge of Lappland; a red savage with green garlands on head and around loins, clutching a yellow club on right shoulder (a legacy from the former Lappland Brigade, NB 20). A new colour was presented to the regiment in Boden by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf on 7 September 2019. The colour is drawn by Henrik Dahlström, heraldic artist and graphic designer at the State Herald at the

National Archives of Sweden , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , seal = Riksarkivet_myndighetsvapen_-_Riksarkivet_Sverige.png , seal_width = 150 , seal_caption = , logo = , logo_width = , logo_caption = , picture ...

. The colour was made by

Friends of Handicraft The Friends of Handicraft ( sv, Handarbetets vänner) is a Swedish association for the education, development, production and experimentation of advanced textiles and design. History The association was founded in 1874 by Sophie Adlersparre. From ...

in Stockholm, which is a subcontractor to the

Swedish Army Museum The Swedish Army Museum ( sv, Armémuseum) is a museum of military history located in the district of Östermalm in Stockholm. It reopened in 2002 after a long period of closure, and was awarded the title of the best museum of Stockholm in 2005. ...

. Pre- and post-work as well as embroidery work were done by Viola Edin and Anna Eriksson at company . The

wild man The wild man, wild man of the woods, or woodwose/wodewose is a mythical figure that appears in the art and literature of medieval Europe, comparable to the satyr or faun type in classical mythology and to '' Silvanus'', the Roman god of the woodl ...

in red ( I 20's coat of arms) that was to the left of the battle honours in the old colour has been removed, as the Västerbotten Group (), that carry those traditions, from 2020 belongs to Northern Military Region with the Västerbotten Group in

Umeå Umeå ( , , , locally ; South Westrobothnian: ;). fi, Uumaja; sju, Ubmeje; sma, Upmeje; se, Ubmi) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County. Situated on the Ume River, Ume� ...

Colour of Norrland Artillery Battalion

The colour is drawn by Kristina Holmgård-Åkerberg and embroidered by machine in insertion technique by Sofie Thorburn. The colour was presented to the battalion in

Kristinehamn Kristinehamn is a locality and the seat of Kristinehamn Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden, with 17,839 inhabitants in 2010. Geography Kristinehamn is situated by the shores of lake Vänern where the small rivers ''Varnan'' and ''Löt'' dr ...

by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf on 15 April 2002. The colour may be used according to the decisions of CO I 19. Blazon: "On blue cloth in the centre 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 yellow crowns placed two and one. In the first corner the town badge of Boden; a white wall with a gatetower embattled (the original name of the battalion was Boden Artillery Regiment, A 8), in the second corner two crossed yellow gunbarrels of older pattern, in the third corner the provincial badge of Västerbotten, a white reindeer at speed, armed red (a legacy from the former Norrbotten Artillery Corps, A 5) and in the fourth corner the provincial badge of

Jämtland Jämtland (; no, Jemtland or , ; Jamtish: ''Jamtlann''; la, Iemptia) is a historical province () in the centre of Sweden in northern Europe. It borders Härjedalen and Medelpad to the south, Ångermanland to the east, Lapland to the north a ...

, a white elk passant, attacked on its back by a rising falcon and in the front by a rampant dog, both yellow; all animals armed red (a legacy from the former Norrland Artillery Regiment, A 4)."

Colour of Norrland Engineer Battalion

The colour is drawn by Kristina Holmgård-Åkerberg and embroidered by machine and hand (the badge) in insertion technique by the company Libraria. The colour was presented to the then

in Boden by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf on 27 August 2001. The colour may be used according to the decisions of CO I 19. Blazon: "On blue cloth in the centre the lesser

, three yellow crowns placed two and one. In the first corner a mullet with a cluster of rays, all in yellow. In the lower part of this the coat of arms of the unit; argent, throughout a wall with a gatetower both embattled gules (the original name of the battalion was Royal Boden Engineers Regiment, Ing 3); on a chief azure three open crowns in fess or (a legacy from the former Svea Engineer Regiment, Ing 1). The shield ensigned with a royal crown proper.

Colour of Norrland Signal Battalion

The colour is drawn by Brita Grep and embroidered by hand in insertion technique by the company Libraria. The colour was presented to the then Royal Norrland Signal Battalion (S 3) in Boden by His Majesty King Gustaf VI Adolf on 7 July 1961. It was used as regimental colour by S 3 until 1 July 2000. The colour may be used according to the decisions of CO I 19. Blazon: "On blue cloth in the centre the lesser

, three yellow crowns placed two and one. In the first corner a mullet with a cluster of rays, all yellow. In the lower part of this placed upon a cluster of yellow bolts, the provincial coat of arms of Västerbotten; azure powdered with estoiles or, a reindeer at speed argent armed and langued gules. The shield ensigned with a royal crown proper."

Standard of Norrland Air Defence Battalion

The standard is drawn by Brita Grep and embroidered by hand in insertion technique by the Kedja studio, Heraldica. The standard was presented to the then Royal Luleå Anti-Aircraft Corps (Lv 7) in

Luleå Luleå ( , , locally ; smj, Luleju; fi, Luulaja) is a city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the capital of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå has 48,728 inhabitants in its urban core (2018) and is the seat of Lu ...

by the military commander of the VI Military District, major general Nils Rosenblad in 1943. It was used as regimental standard by Lv 7 until 1 July 2000. The standard may be used according to the decisions of CO I 19. Blazon: "On blue cloth in the centre the lesser

, three open yellow crowns placed two and one. In the first corner the town badge of Luleå ; two white keys, the left inverted (the original name of the battalion was Luleå Anti-Aircraft Corps). In the other corners two winged yellow gunbarrels of older pattern in saltire. Yellow fringe."

Standard of Norrbotten Armoured Battalion

The standard is drawn by Brita Grep and embroidered by hand in insertion technique by Libraria. The standard was presented to the former Royal Norrbotten Armoured Battalion (P 5) in Boden by His Majesty the King Gustaf VI Adolf on 28 July 1961. It was used as battalion standard until 1975 and then as a traditional standard at I 19 up to 1 July 2000. The standard may be used according to the decisions of CO I 19. Blazon: "On blue cloth powdered with yellow estoiles the provincial badge of

Västerbotten Västerbotten (), known in English as West Bothnia or Westrobothnia, is a province (''landskap'') in the north of Sweden, bordering Ångermanland, Lapland, North Bothnia, and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is known for the cheese named after the provi ...

; a white reindeer at speed, armed and langued red. Blue fringe." File:AM.010750.jpg, 1901 colour of the 2nd Battalion, Norrbotten Regiment. File:AM.010751.jpg, 1901 colour of the 3rd Battalion, Norrbotten Regiment. File:AM.089733.jpg, Copy of the 1947 colour of Norrbotten Regiment.

Coat of arms

The coat of the arms of the Norrbotten Regiment (I 19) 1977–1994.

: "Azure, powdered with estoiles or, the provincial badge of Västerbotten, a reindeer courant argent, armed and langued gules. The shield surmounted two muskets in saltire or." The coat of arms of the Norrbotten Armoured Battalion (P 5) 1957–1975 and the Norrbotten Regiment and Norrbotten Brigade (NMekB 19) 1994–2000. Blazon: "Azure, powdered with estoiles or, the provincial badge of Västerbotten, a reindeer courant argent, armed and langued gules. The shield surmounted two arms in fess, embowed and vambraced, the hands holding swords in saltire, or". The coat of the arms of the Norrbotten Regiment (I 19) since 2000. Blazon: "Azure, powdered with estoiles or, the provincial badge of Västerbotten, a reindeer courant argent, armed gules". File:Norrbottens regemente vapen, pre 1994.svg, Coat of arms of the Norrbotten Regiment (I 19) 1977–1994. File:Norrbottens pansarbataljon vapen.svg, Coat of the arms of the Norrbotten Armoured Battalion (P 5) 1957–1975 and the Norrbotten Regiment and Norrbotten Brigade (NMekB 19) 1994–2000. File:Norrbottens regemente vapen.svg, Coat of arms of the Norrbotten Regiment (I 19) 2000–present.

Medals

In 1967, the ("Norrbotten Regiment (I 19) Medal of Merit") in gold/silver/bronze (NorrbregGM/SM/BM) 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 of blue moiré with a yellow stripe on the middle followed on each side by a black line and a white stripe. File:AM.095961.jpg, Norrbotten Regiment (I 19) Medal of Merit in silver (miniature medal).

Other

When the Lapland Brigade (, NB 20) was disbanded on 31 December 1997, Norrbotten Regiment took over its traditions and colour, which should not be mixed with the colour and traditions of

Västerbotten Regiment The Västerbotten Regiment ( sv, Västerbottens regemente), designations I 19, I XIX, I 20 and I 20/Fo 61, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited fr ...

, which were transferred on 1 July 2000 to the Västerbotten Group (). In addition to the traditional heritage of the Lapland Brigade, the regiment also has primarily traditional heritage from Norrbotten Regiment with Norrbotten Armoured Battalion (I 19/P 5), Norrbotten Regiment and Norrbotten Brigade (MekB 19), Norrbotten Armoured Battalion (P 5) and

Norrland Dragoon Regiment The Norrland Dragoon Regiment ( sv, Norrlands dragonregemente), also K 4, is a Swedish Army unit specialized in arctic warfare and special operations. Located in the province of Lappland, it was historically a cavalry unit that traces its orig ...

(K 4).

Commanding officers

Regimental commanders active from 1900. For regimental commanders active from 1994 to 2000, see Norrbotten Regiment and Norrbotten Brigade

Commanders

*1899–1904: Axel Otto Fredrik von Arbin *1904–1907: Colonel

Lars Tingsten General Lars Herman Tingsten (13 July 1857 – 10 September 1937) was a Swedish Army officer. He was Minister for War from 1905 to 1907 and Chief of the General Staff from 1919 to 1922. Early life Tingsten was born on 13 July 1857 in Ingatorp, ...

*1907–1908: Constantin Fallenius *1908–1911: Carl Greger Leijonhufvud *1911–1916: Conrad August Falkenberg *1916–1921: Gabriel Hedenberg *1921–1924: Erik Nordenskjöld *1924–1927: Erik Grafström *1928–1934: Colonel Ivar Holmquist *1934–1937: Gustaf Adolf Miles Mauritz Hahr *1937–1942: Sven Ramström *1942–1946: Colonel

Nils Björk Lieutenant General Nils Axel Hjalmar Björk (25 February 1898 – 15 April 1989) was a senior Swedish Army officer. He served as Commanding General of the VI Military District from 1951 to 1963. Early life Björk was born on 25 February 1898 in ...

*1946–1947: Colonel

Nils Swedlund General Nils Per Robert Swedlund (16 May 1898 – 28 June 1965) was a Swedish Army officer who was Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces from 1951 to 1961. He was one of the strongest advocates for a Swedish nuclear weapons program. He w ...

*1947–1951: Lars Petrus Lande *1951–1958: Arne G:son Hallström *1958–1961: Colonel

Karl Gustaf Brandberg Lieutenant General Karl Gustaf Brandberg (13 September 1905 – 19 September 1997) was a senior Swedish Army officer. He served as Commanding General of the VII Military District (1963–1966) and Gotland Military Command (1966–1968) and as C ...

*1961–1963: Olof Rudqvist *1963–1965: Seth Kristian Andrae *1965–1966: Colonel

Karl Eric Holm Lieutenant General Karl Eric Holm (3 June 1919 – 27 July 2016) was a Swedish Army officer. His senior commands include Chief of the Army Staff and the General Staff Corps (1968–1972), military commander of the Southern Military District (197 ...

*1966–1971: Bror Bertil Matteus Jansson *1971–1973: Ingemar Grunditz *1973–1984: Jan Wickbom *1984–1986: Colonel Sven-Åke Jansson *1986–1988: Bo Pellnäs *1988–1993: Göran Honkamaa *1994–2000: ''See Norrbotten Regiment and Norrbotten Brigade'' *2000–2003: Per Lodin *2003–2004: Ola Hansson *2004–2006: Frank Westman *2006–2010: Jan Mörtberg *2010–2014: Olof Granander *2014–2017: Mikael Frisell *2018–2018: Ulf Siverstedt *2018–2021: Jonny Lindfors *2021–present: Nils Johansson

Deputy commanders

*1973–1976: Ulf Ling-Vannérus

Names, designations and locations

Footnotes

References

Notes

Print

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Norrbottens Regemente Infantry regiments of the Swedish Army Armored regiments of the Swedish Army Military units and formations established in 1841 Military units and formations disestablished in 1994 Military units and formations established in 2000 1841 establishments in Sweden 1994 disestablishments in Sweden 2000 establishments in Sweden Boden Garrison