Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment

The 5th Coastal Artillery Brigade (5. kustartilleribrigaden, KAB 5) was raised in the early 1950s when the navy abandoned point and inlet defence to organize a surface defence instead. During the 1970s, the 5th Coastal Artillery Brigade included three barrier battalions and one barrier company. In addition to the 5th Coastal Artillery Brigade, the 12th Coastal Artillery Group with Lysekil barrier battalion was also included in Gothenburg Coastal Artillery Defence. In connection with the Defence Act of 1996, the 5th Coastal Artillery Brigade was removed from the war organization on 31 December 1997.[2]

The 5th Amphibian Battalion (5. amfibiebataljonen) was raised during 1994/1995 and consisted of a missile company, a mining company, a grenade launcher company and two coastal ranger companies as well as a maintenance company. The battalion was transferred on 1 July 2000 to the 4th Marine Regiment (Amf 4).[2]

The Naval Warrant Officers’ School (Befälsskolan) was formed in 1956 and trained officers and reserve officer candidates and pluton leaders. In 1981, the school was disbanded when the officer training was transferred to the Coastal Artillery Officer's School (Kustartilleriets officersskola).[3]

The Instructor School (Instruktörsskolan) was formed in 1955, and was a joint school for all of the Swedish Coastal Artillery. It trained platoon leaders in general educational subjects and in leadership. Later, the school also came to train students in general educational subjects from other branches of Swedish Armed Forces. Through the Government Bill 1979/80:7, the school was decommissioned in 1982, this in part through the Ny befälsordning ("New Command System") reform, with the background that officers who needed further training had to apply to the general school system.[4][3]

The Swedish Navy Officer College in Gothenburg (Marinens officershögskola i Göteborg, MOHS G) operated at KA 4 from 1981 to 1984, after which the school was amalgamated into the Swedish Navy Officer College in Karlskrona (Marinens officershögskola i Karlskrona, MOHS K), which adopted the name Swedish Navy Officer College (Marinens officershögskola, MOHS).[3]

The Swedish Navy Medical School (Marinens sjukvårdsskola) was formed in 1961 with the task of training medical commanders and conscripts within the Swedish Navy's war organization. Initially, the school's training was located in Hjuvik, but was relocated to Säve in 1969, after Göta Air Force Wing (F 9) was disbanded the same year. In 1992, parts of the school, together with the Radar School, were amalgamated into a newly established school battalion.[3] The Swedish Navy Medical School was on 1 July 1994 amalgamated into the Medical Center of the Swedish Armed Forces (FSC).

The Radar School (Radarskolan) was formed in 1949 at the regiment's 9th Company, with training on reconnaissance and fire control radar. In 1992, the school was part of a newly established school battalion. Prior to the disbandment of KA 4, the school was part of Carlsten Company, which was a command and control company.[3]

The coat of arms of the Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment was used from 1942 to 1994 and by the Gothenburg Marine Brigade with Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment (Göteborgs marinbrigad med Älvsborgs kustartilleriregemente, GMB) from 1994 to 2000. After the regiment was disbanded in 2000, the coat of arms was inherited by the 4th Marine Regiment (Amf 4).[5] Blazon: "Azure, the regimental badge, three waves bendy-sinister argent, charged with a double-tailed crowned lion rampant or, armed and langued gules, in dexter forepaw a sword or and in sinister a shield azure charged with three open crowns or placed two and one. The shield surmounted two gunbarrels of older pattern in saltire above a flaming grenade and waves".[5]

Memorial stone of KA 4 and Amf 4

The units first regimental colour was presented to the Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment (KA 4) on 1 June 1945 by His Majesty the King Gustaf V at a ceremony at Stockholm Palace, to the then regimental commander Colonel Rudolf Kolmodin.[6] The colour was shown to the regiment at a ceremony on 6 June 1945, i.e. at that year's Swedish Flag Day.[7]

A new regimental colour was presented to the Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment (KA 4) at the Artillery Yard in Stockholm by the Chief of the Navy Staff, Vice Admiral Peter Nordbeck on 17 June 1995. The colour is drawn by Vladimir Sagerlund and embroidered by machine in appliqué technique by Engelbrektssons Flag factory.[8] Blazon: "On red cloth in the centre the badge of the Swedish Coastal Artillery; two gunbarrels of older pattern in saltire between a royal crown proper and a blazing grenade and waves, all in yellow. In the first corner the badge of the regiment; a crowned yellow lion rampant, in the right forepaw a yellow sword and in the left a blue shield with three yellow crowns placed two and one."[8] After the regiment was disbanded in 2000, the colour was inherited by the 4th Marine Regiment (Amf 4).[8]

At a simple ceremony on 5 September 2005 the commander of the 4th Marine Regiment, Colonel Stefan Gustafsson, handed the colour to the commander of the 1st Marine Regiment, Colonel Lars-Olof Corneliusson, who commanded the colour to be carried by the amphibious detachment in Gothenburg.[9]

• 
  The 1995 regimental colour.

The medal called Älvsborgs kustartilleriregementes (KA 4) förtjänstmedalj ("Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment (KA 4) Medal of Merit") in gold (ÄlvsbkaregGM) was in 2001 changed to the Älvsborgs amfibieregementes (Amf 4) förtjänstmedalj ("Älvsborg Amphibious regiment (Amf 4) Medal of Merit") in gold and silver (ÄlvsbamfregGM/SM). Its a cross bottony of gold and red enamel. The medal ribbon is divided in blue, red and blue moiré with a yellow line in the middle of the blue fields.[10]

• Björheden, Bo; Herrstedt, Lars, eds. (1982). En bok om KA 4: utgiven vid regementets 40-årsjubileum 1982 (PDF) (in Swedish). V. Frölunda: KA4. SELIBR 400430.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Braunstein, Christian (2004). Svenska försvarsmaktens fälttecken efter millennieskiftet [The flags and standards of the Swedish armed forces after the turn of the millennium] (PDF). Skrift / Statens försvarshistoriska museer, 1101-7023 ; 7 [dvs 8] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Statens försvarshistoriska museer. ISBN 91-971584-7-X. SELIBR 9815350.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Braunstein, Christian (2006). Heraldiska vapen inom det svenska försvaret [Heraldry of the Swedish Armed Forces] (PDF). Skrift / Statens försvarshistoriska museer, 1101-7023 ; 9 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Statens försvarshistoriska museer. ISBN 91-971584-9-6. SELIBR 10099224.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Braunstein, Christian (2007). Utmärkelsetecken på militära uniformer [Decorations on Swedish military uniforms] (PDF). Skrift / Statens försvarshistoriska museer, 1101-7023 ; 12 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Statens försvarshistoriska museer. ISBN 978-91-976220-2-8. SELIBR 10423295.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Birke, Sune; Braunstein, Christian (2011). Sveriges marina förband och skolor under 1900-talet. Skrift / Statens försvarshistoriska museer, 1101-7023 ; 13 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Statens försvarshistoriska museer. SELIBR 12638815.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Jansson, Nils-Ove; Johansson, Christer (2001). Marinkommando Väst: kronologi över marin verksamhet på västkusten (in Swedish). Partille: Warne. ISBN 9186425307. SELIBR 8402344.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Sandberg, Bo (2007). Försvarets marscher och signaler förr och nu: marscher antagna av svenska militära förband, skolor och staber samt igenkännings-, tjänstgörings- och exercissignaler (in Swedish) (New ed.). Stockholm: Militärmusiksamfundet med Svenskt marscharkiv. ISBN 978-91-631-8699-8. SELIBR 10413065.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

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