Swedish Engineer Troops Explained

Unit Name:Swedish Engineer Troops
Native Name:Ingenjörtrupperna
Dates:1937–present
Country:Sweden
Allegiance:Swedish Armed Forces
Branch:Swedish Army
Type:Engineer corps
Command Structure:Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters
Colours:-->
Colours Label:-->
Identification Symbol Label:Cap badge

The Swedish Engineer Troops (Swedish: Ingenjörtrupperna, I) is the engineer branch of the Swedish Army. The brach were formed after the Defence Act of 1936. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the Swedish Armed Forces. Today, it consists of a single unit, the Göta Engineer Regiment (Ing 2) and two schools, the Swedish Army Field Work School (Fältarbetsskolan, FarbS) and the EOD School (Amröjskolan, AmröjS).

History

In the 1600s and 1700s, special engineer (or pioneer units) were organized. Fortifikationen ("Royal Engineers") were established in 1635 as a special corps for construction of fortifications. The task of Fortifikationen was to build and maintain the country's land and coastal fortifications and other military buildings. In 1811, the Fortifikationen was amalgamated with the Field Surveying Corps (Fältmätningskåren) to the Engineer Corps (Ingenjörskåren). This consisted, among other things, of a fortification brigade. In 1867 the Engineer Corps was renamed the Fortifikationen. From 1855, sapper companies, a pontoon battalion, a field-signaling company and engineer troops were added to the Fortifikationen. The service branch expanded greatly towards the late 1800s, and in 1901 there were four corps; the Svea Engineer Corps (Ing 1), Göta Engineer Corps (Ing 2), Field Telegraph Corps (Ing 3), and Boden Engineer Corps (Ing 4).

According to the Defence Act of 1925, the Swedish Engineer Troops now came to consist of two field engineering corps (Svea and Göta, located in Stockholm and Eksjö), the Field Telegraph Corps (Stockholm) and Boden Engineer Corps. Svea Engineer Corps was organized on a corps staff, two field engineering companies, two military bridge companies, a fortress engineering company (Vaxholm) and a ordnance (sapper) company. Göta Engineer Corps was organized on a corps staff, three field engineering companies, a military bridge company, a fortress engineering company (Karlskrona) and a ordnance (sapper) company. The Field Telegraph Corps was organized on corps staff, two field telegraph companies, two radio companies and an ordnance company. The Boden Engineer Corps was organized on a corps staff, a field engineering company, a fortress engineering company, a military bridge company, a telegraph company and a ordnance (sapper) company.

The Swedish Engineer Troops constituted after the Defence Act of 1936 a special service branch, including three engineer corps: Svea Engineer Corps (Ing 1) in Solna, Göta Engineer Corps (Ing 2) in Eksjö and Boden Engineer Corps (Ing 4, later Ing 3) in Boden. It was established when the Fortifikationen was split into the Swedish Engineer Troops, Swedish Army Signal Troops and the Swedish Fortification Corps. A school to train officers in the engineer troops and to train other officers in the field working service was established in 1943 under the name Engineer Troop School (Ingenjörtruppskolan, IngS). It changed its name in 1952 to the Swedish Army School of Field Works (Arméns fältarbetsskola, FältarbS). On 1 June 1981 the Swedish Engineers [Cadet and] Officer Candidate School (Ingenjörtruppernas kadett- och aspirantskola, IngKAS) was amalgamated with the Swedish Army School of Field Works. It ceased and was part of the Swedish Army Field Works Center (Arméns fältarbetscentrum, FarbC) from 1 July 1991.

The Swedish Army Field Works Center was disbanded in 1997 and the Swedish Army Field Work School (Fältarbetsskolan, FarbS) continued operations together with the EOD School (Amröjskolan, AmröjS), both sorting under Göta Engineer Regiment (Ing 2) which since 2005 is the only remaining active engineer unit in the Swedish Engineer Troops.

Units

See also: List of Swedish engineer regiments.

DesignationYearsUnitLocation
Ing 11855–1864Sapper CompanyStockholm
1864–1866Sapper Corps
1867–1892Pontoon Battalion
1893–1902Svea Engineer Battalion
1902–1957Svea Engineer CorpsStockholm –1922
Solna 1922–
1957–1994Svea Engineer RegimentSolna –1970
Södertälje 1970–
1994–1997Svea Engineer CorpsSödertälje
Ing 21873–1876Sapper CompanyStockholm –1875
Karlsborg 1875–
1876–1878Sapper TroopKarlsborg
1878–1892Sapper Battalion
1893–1902Göta Engineer Battalion
1902–1963Göta Engineer Corps

one company in Karlskrona, Ing 2K 1908–1937
Karlsborg –1928
Eksjö 1928–
1963–1994Göta Engineer RegimentEksjö
1994–2000Göta Engineer Corps
2000–Göta Engineer Regiment
Ing 31902–1937Field Telegraph Corps

one company in Boden 1915–
one company in Malmen 1916–1926, see S 1
Stockholm/Solna
1957–1975Boden Engineer Corps
see Ing 4
Boden
1975–1994Boden Engineer Regiment
1994–2000Norrland Engineer Corps
2000–2005Norrland Engineer Battalion
2006–2011Norrland Engineer Company
Ing 41902–1937Norrland Engineer Corps
see Ing 3
Ing 51914–1920Norrland Engineer Corps
Was never raised
Östersund

Inspector of the Swedish Engineer Troops

The chief of the engineer troops was referred to as the Inspector of the Swedish Engineer Troops (Ingenjörinspektören). From 1966 to 1991, the engineer troops and the signal troops had a joint branch inspector; the Inspector of the Swedish Army Engineer Corps and Signal Corps (Ingenjörinspektör- och Signalinspektören). From 1991, the two branches received an inspector each, and the title of the engineer troops was shortened to the Engineer Inspector. In connection with the decommissioning of Swedish Army Field Work Center (Arméns fältarbetscentrum), the position of Engineer Inspector disappeared.

See also

References

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