Boden Garrison

Boden Garrison (Swedish: Bodens garnison) is a major garrison in Sweden, located in and around Boden in Norrbotten County. The garrison has during the 20th century been, and still is, the largest garrison in Sweden,[1] consisting of several units of the Swedish Armed Forces as well as Boden Fortress.

Boden Garrison
Bodens garnison
Boden, Norrbotten in Sweden
Barracks housing conscripts of Norrbotten Regiment, part of Boden Garrison.
Boden Garrison
Coordinates65.83°N 21.69°E / 65.83; 21.69
TypeGarrison
Site information
OwnerSwedish Fortifications Agency
OperatorSwedish Armed Forces

History

Before the decision to construct Boden Fortress, there was no permanently stationed military unit in Boden. The main military presence were the four tenement soldiers of Bodens kompani (Boden Company)—part of Norrbotten Regiment (I 19)—that lived in the locality.[2] To provide men for the fortress, several units were either created in, or moved to the newly built garrison. The first unit garrisoned in Boden was Boden Engineer Corps, and engineering battalion, in 1905 (even though the official move was not made until in 1908).[3][4] Soon to follow were infantry and artillery units that had wartime stationing in and around the fortress, and other supporting units.

From 1910 and on, the garrison was developed from a pure fortress garrison to a training centre for troops serving in the whole of upper Norrland.[5] More than 60 percent of Norrbotten Regiment were to be used for the field army in case of mobilisation right before the First World War.[6] On 1 January 1914, 709 permanently employed soldiers and officers were stationed in Boden, and 4,710 conscripts were trained in the garrison during the year,[7] this in a locality with a population of 4,952.[8]

During the Second World War, the mission of Norrbotten Regiment changed from manning the fortress to guarding the northern borders, and the infantry unit supposed to protect the fortress was instead Värmland Regiment that would be transported from southwestern Sweden up to Boden in case of mobilisation. A further move from fortress garrison was taken in 1957 when the armoured unit Norrbotten Armoured Battalion was created.[9] The first air unit was stationed in Boden already in 1916, when a small detachment of three aircraft and 29 personnel was moved there from the army air force station in Malmslätt. During the years, further detachments were located in Boden garrison from time to time, but it was not until 1959 that Boden got its own flying unit, through the helicopter unit Arméns helikopterskola.[10]

The massive cutdowns of the Swedish Armed Forces in the 1990s and 2000s saw several old regiments disband, merge, or move, which affected Boden as well. Several independent regiments and battalions stationed in the garrison were reduced in size and merged into Norrbotten Regiment. Even after the cutdowns, Boden Garrison retained the position as the largest garrison in Sweden[11] and the main training centre for conscripts.[12] The garrison houses the only remaining artillery regiment of the armed forces and is the only remaining garrison housing more than one Swedish Army regiment.

Conscripts and personnel of Boden Garrison 1920–2007[13][12]
Year Personnel Conscripts
1920 931 5,047
1930 772 6,191
1939 — 5,669
1940 889 —
1950 981 1,810
1960 768 2,407
1970 899 3,250
1980 1,480 2,000
2006/07 — 1,800

Units
Name Designation Type From To Notes
Militärregion Nord MR N Command 2013-01-01
Artillery Regiment A 9 Artillery regiment 2006-01-01
Norrbottensgruppen G 63 Command 2000-07-01
Norrbotten Regiment I 19 Armoured regiment 2000-07-01
Norrbotten Armoured Battalion Pbat/I 19 Armoured battalion 2000-07-01
Norrland Engineer Company Ingkomp/I 19 Engineer company 2006-01-01 2011-06-21
Norrland Artillery Battalion Artbat/I 19 Artillery battalion 2000-07-01 2005-12-31
Norrland Engineer Battalion Ingbat/I 19 Engineer battalion 2000-07-01 2005-12-31
Norrland Signal Battalion Signbat/I 19 Communications regiment 2000-07-01 2005-12-31
Norrlands luftvärnsbataljon Lvbat/I 19 Air defence battalion 2000-07-01 2005-06-30
Norrlands helikopterskvadron 1. hkpskv Helicopter squadron 2000-07-01 2005-06-30
Norrbottens försvarsområde Fo 63 Command 1998-01-01 2000-06-30
Norrland Artillery Regiment A 8 Artillery regiment 1998-01-01 2000-06-30
Norrlands helikopterbataljon 1. hkpbat Helicopter battalion 1998-07-01 2000-06-30
Norrland Engineer Corps Ing 3 Engineer battalion 1994-07-01 2000-06-30
Norrlands luftvärnskår Lv 7 Air defence battalion 1994-07-01 2000-06-30
Norrbotten Regiment and Norrbotten Brigade MekB 19 Mechanised regiment/brigade 1994-10-01 2000-06-30
Norrland Signal Corps S 3 Communications regiment 1994-07-01 2000-06-30
Norrbottens arméflygbataljon AF 1 Helicopter battalion 1980-01-01 1998-06-30
Bodens försvarsområde Fo 63 Command 1994-07-01 1997-12-31
Boden Artillery Regiment A 8 Artillery regiment 1994-07-01 1997-12-31
Luleå luftvärnsregemente Lv 7 Air defence regiment 1992-05-01 1994-06-30
Norrland Signal Regiment S 3 Communications regiment 1987-07-01 1994-06-30
Norrbotten Regiment and Norrbotten Armoured Battalion I 19/P 5 Infantry/armoured battalion 1975-07-01 1994-06-30
Boden Artillery Regiment A 8/Fo 63 Artillery regiment 1975-07-01 1994-06-30
Boden Engineer Regiment Ing 3 Engineer regiment 1975-07-01 1994-06-30
Norrland Signal Battalion S 3 Communications battalion 1957-04-01 1987-06-30
Arméns helikopterskola HkpS Helicopter school 1959-11-01 1979-12-31
Norrbotten Armoured Battalion P 5 Armoured battalion 1957-04-01 1975-06-30
Bodens försvarsområde Fo 63 Command 1942-10-01 1975-06-30
Boden Engineer Corps Ing 3 Engineer battalion 1937-07-01 1975-06-30
Boden Artillery Regiment A 8 Artillery regiment 1919-09-10 1975-06-30
Norrbotten Regiment I 19 Infantry regiment 1907-10-01 1975-06-30
Signal Battalion in Boden S 3 Communications battalion 1955-12-07 1957-03-31
Signal Battalion in Boden S 1 B Communications battalion 1954-07-01 1955-12-06
Signal Regiment's Company in Boden S 1 B Communications company 1942-12-04 1954-06-30
Norrbotten Artillery Corps A 5 Artillery battalion 1928-01-01 1951-06-30
Tredje intendenturkompaniet Int 3 Support company 1928-01-01 1950-12-31
Boden Signal Company S 1 B Communications company 1937-07-01 1942-12-03
Boden Engineer Corps Ing 4 Engineer battalion 1905-04-01 1937-06-30
Intendenturkompaniet i Boden Int 3 Support company 1915-10-29 1927-12-31
III. division/Norrland Artillery Regiment A 4 B Artillery battalion 1910-04-01 1927-12-31
Field Telegraph Corps' Detachment in Boden Ing 4 det Communications detachment 1915-01-01 1925-10-31
Boden Artillery Battalion A 8 B Artillery battalion 1912-11-01 1919-09-09
2nd Battalion/Boden-Karlsborg Artillery Regiment A 8 B Artillery battalion 1906-10-24 1912-10-31

Commanders
See also: Boden Fortress § Commandants

As the garrison only became an actual organisation in the armed forces in 1975, there was no official garrison commander until then, however the commandants of Boden Fortress had extended powers over the military units stationed in the garrison.[14] The position Commander Boden Garrison (Chef Bodens garnison) has since been occupied by:[15][16]

Name From To
Sven Skeppstedt 1975-07-01 1980-03-31
Reinhold Lahti 1980-04-01 1983-03-31
Thure Wadenholt 1983-04-01 1992-12-31
Göran Honkamaa 1993-01-01 1999-09-30
Ulf Nordlander 1999-10-01 2000-06-30
Per Lodin 2000 2003
Ola Hansson 2003 2004
Frank Westman 2004 2006
Jan Mörtberg 2006 2010
Olof Granander 2010

Citations
  1. Högberg & Ohlson 2006, p. 222.
  2. Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 194.
  3. Holmberg 1993, p. 38.
  4. Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 197.
  5. Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 206.
  6. Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 199.
  7. Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 205–206.
  8. Folkmängden inom administrativa områden 1915, p. 35.
  9. Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 207.
  10. Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 210–211.
  11. Andersson 2004.
  12. Försvarsmuseum Boden.
  13. Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, pp. 223–224.
  14. Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 190.
  15. Nyström & Skeppstedt 1990, p. 14.
  16. Sköld 2001, pp. 45–48.
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References

All sources in (in Swedish) unless otherwise noted.

Books
  • Bergmark, Ragnar, ed. (1980). Bodens kommun: från forntid till nutid: utgiven med anledning av beslut rörande Bodens jubileumsfond 1969. Boden: Bodens kommun.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Forslund, Björn (1988). Fästningsstad i liv och utveckling. Boden: Kungl. Bodens artilleriregemente.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Holmberg, Björn (1993). Arméns förband, skolor och staber: en uppslagsbok. Arvidsjaur: Svenskt Militärhistoriskt Bibliotek. ISBN 91--972209-0-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Högberg, Leif; Ohlsson, Jan Erik (2006). Militär utflykt!: en vägvisare till militärhistoriska sevärdheter i Sverige. Skurup: Fort & Bunker. ISBN 91-973900-8-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Högberg, Leif; Ohlsson, Jan Erik (2008). Fortsättningen!: militär utflykt, en vägvisare till militärhistoriska sevärdheter. Skurup: Fort & Bunker. ISBN 978-91-976075-1-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "Supplement Boden". Nordisk familjebok. 19 (1st ed.). Stockholm: Expeditionen af Nordisk familjebok. 1896. pp. 955–956. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
  • "Boden". Nordisk familjebok. 3 (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Nordisk familjeboks förlag. 1905. pp. 857–858. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
  • Nyström, Bror Oscar; Skeppstedt, Sven, eds. (1990). Boden: fästningen, garnisonen, samhället. Boden: Kungl. Bodens artilleriregementes historiekommitté.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Sköld, Christer, ed. (2001). Fo 63: en minnesskrift för, om och av anställda. Boden: Försvarsmakten. ISBN 91-631-0587-X.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Folkmängden inom administrativa områden den 31 december 1914 (PDF). Stockholm: Kungl. Statistiska centralbyrån. 1915.
  • Strömholm, Fredrik (1933). Boden, fästningen och staden: några minnesblad. Boden.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Törnquist, Leif (2007). Svenska borgar och fästningar: en militärhistorisk reseguide. Stockholm: Medströms. ISBN 978-91-7329-008-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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