The 2nd Battalion ( no, 2. bataljon; abbreviated as 2BN) is an

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 ...

unit of the

Norwegian Army The Norwegian Army ( no, Hæren) is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway ...

, based at camp Skjold in

Troms Troms (; se, Romsa; fkv, Tromssa; fi, Tromssa) is a former county in northern Norway. On 1 January 2020 it was merged with the neighboring Finnmark county to create the new Troms og Finnmark county. This merger is expected to be reversed by t ...

county in

Northern Norway Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical Regions of Norway, region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainlan ...

. It serves in the

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 ...

role specialized in Arctic warfare as part of

Brigade Nord Brigade Nord (Brig. N.; Northern Brigade) is the major combat formation and only brigade of the Norwegian Army. The Brigade will raise 1 new Armoured Battalion in 2026-32. 2nd Battalion are converting to Armoured Battalion from 2020. It is mostly ba ...

; the battalion is one of three manoeuvre battalions within the brigade, along with

Telemark Battalion The Telemark Bataljon (Telemark Battalion, TMBN) is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Norwegian Army. It was established in 1993, and is a part of Brigade Nord and stationed at Rena, Norway, Rena, Hedmark. The battalion consists of five compa ...

and

Panserbataljonen The Armoured Battalion ( no, Panserbataljonen) is the first battalion and an infantry unit of the Norwegian Army. Although it is categorised as an armoured unit, the battalion (strictly a battlegroup) primarily serves in the mechanised infantry ...

. The 2nd Battalion serves two roles, primarily being organised for domestic defence; however, during Norway's contribution to the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

forces in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, the 2nd Battalion played a vital role. The 2nd Battalion also contributed consistently to the

ISAF ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , command ...

forces in northern Afghanistan, supporting an elite trained light infantry, organized as a Quick Reaction Force (QRF). The battalion is divided into four companies: Bravo company, Charlie company, the cavalry squadron and the support company. Bravo company and Charlie company serves as specialized light infantry, focusing on Arctic warfare and urban warfare. The cavalry squadron is the battalion's internal intelligence unit as well as consisting of one platoon of marksmen. The support company is the largest of the four, and primarily consists of medics, anti-tank personnel, combat, service and support. The battalion uses a khaki

beret A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret remains ...

, as opposed to the traditional black beret worn by cavalry units throughout the world, which symbolizes the battalion's history. In November 2007, during

Operation Harekate Yolo Operation Harekate Yolo (Persian for ''front straightening'') was a two-part military operation involving NATO ISAF and Afghanistan government forces against the Taliban as part of the War in Afghanistan. In late October 2007, Regional Command ...

, soldiers from the 2nd Battalion and the Coastal Ranger Command

Kystjegerkommandoen ''Kystjegerkommandoen'' (KJK: in English "Coastal Ranger Commando") is a Norwegian amphibious unit trained to operate in littoral combat theatres, filling the role of a marine corps and coastal artillery. History The unit was created when it b ...

stationed in

Mazar-e-Sharif , official_name = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , pushpin_map = Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_label = Mazar-i-Sharif , pushpin ...

were involved in what has been referred to as some of the heaviest combat operations involving

troops since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After an

Afghan National Army Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia * Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity **Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...

(ANA) unit was attacked by

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

forces in the

Ghowrmach Ghormach ( ps, غورماچ) or Ghowrmach is a town in Badghis Province in northwestern Afghanistan. It serves as the center of Ghormach District. Climate With a mild and generally warm and temperate climate, Ghormach features a hot-summer Medit ...

district in the province of Baghdis, soldiers from 2nd Battalion and Kystjegerkommandoen responded. Outnumbered and facing heavy Taliban resistance, machine guns, mortar teams, snipers and

CV9030 The Combat Vehicle 90 (CV90; Sw. ''Stridsfordon'' 90, Strf90) is a family of Sweden, Swedish tracked combat vehicles designed by Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (''Försvarets Materielverk'', FMV), BAE Systems AB, Hägglunds and Bofors dur ...

s were used to attack the enemy combatants. Air strikes were eventually called in to drive off the remaining Taliban fighters. While no NATO casualties were reported, the exact Taliban death toll had not yet been disclosed as of 9 November 2007. However, according to Norwegian news reports, "between 45 and 65 insurgents" were killed in action. This was the first known uses of the Swedish-made CV9030 in live combat. The motto of the battalion is ''

In hoc Signo Vinces "''In hoc signo vinces''" (, ) is a Latin phrase conventionally translated into English as "In this sign thou shalt conquer". The Latin phrase itself renders, rather loosely, the Greek phrase "", transliterated as "''en toútōi níka''" (, ...

'' (Latin for "In this sign, thou shalt conquer."). Translated in Norwegian to "Under dette tegnet, skal vi seire.", it refers to the

griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...

seen on the coat of arms.

Organization

References

Norwegian Army page on 2nd Battalion (in Norwegian)forsvaret.no/om-forsvaret/organisasjon/haren/avdelinger/brigadenord/Sider/2bataljon.aspx
Infantry battalions of Norway Military units and formations established in 2003 {{mil-unit-stub