The Swedish Engineer Troops (, I) is the engineer branch of the Swedish Army. The branch was 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. The Swedish Fortification Corps were established in 1635 as a special corps for construction of fortifications. The task of Fortification Corps was to build and maintain the country's land and coastal fortifications and other military buildings. In 1811, the Fortification Corps 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 Fortification Corps. From 1855, sapper companies, a pontoon battalion, a field-signaling company and engineer troops were added to the Fortification Corps. 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 Fortification Corps 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
Designation Years Unit Location Ing 1 1855–1864 Sapper Company Stockholm 1864–1866 Sapper Corps 1867–1892 Pontoon Battalion 1893–1902 Svea Engineer Battalion 1902–1957 Svea Engineer Corps Stockholm –1922Solna 1922– 1957–1994 Svea Engineer Regiment Solna –1970Södertälje 1970– 1994–1997 Svea Engineer Corps Södertälje Ing 2 1873–1876 Sapper Company Stockholm –1875Karlsborg 1875– 1876–1878 Sapper Troop Karlsborg 1878–1892 Sapper Battalion 1893–1902 Göta Engineer Battalion 1902–1963 Göta Engineer Corps;one company in Karlskrona, Ing 2K 1908–1937 Karlsborg –1928Eksjö 1928– 1963–1994 Göta Engineer Regiment Eksjö 1994–2000 Göta Engineer Corps 2000– Göta Engineer Regiment Ing 3 1902–1937 Field Telegraph Corps;one company in Boden 1915–one company in Malmen 1916–1926, see S 1 Stockholm/Solna 1957–1975 Boden Engineer Corpssee Ing 4 Boden 1975–1994 Boden Engineer Regiment 1994–2000 Norrland Engineer Corps 2000–2005 Norrland Engineer Battalion 2006–2011 Norrland Engineer Company Ing 4 1902–1937 Norrland Engineer Corpssee Ing 3 Ing 5 1914–1920 Norrland Engineer CorpsWas 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.
1937–1941: Sven Alin 1940–1941: Per (Pelle) Högstedt 1941–1946: Sigurd Rahmqvist 1946–1953: Inge Hellgren 1953–1963: Stig Berggren 1963–1967: Gunnar Smedmark 1967–1967: Harald Smith (acting) 1968–1969: Harald Smith 1969–1975: Åke Bernström 1975–1982: Kåre Svanfeldt 1982–1986: Owe Dahl 1986–1991: Bertil Lövdahl 1991–1993: Lars-Åke Persson 1993–1997: Christer Ljung 1997–1997: Björn Svensson
See also Swedish Armoured Troops Swedish Army Signal Troops Swedish Army Service Troops List of Swedish engineer regiments
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