Gotland Coastal Artillery Regiment

The military presence in the areas around northern Gotland began in connection with the Crimean War. Fårösund became a strategically important place. English and French fleets used the sound as a base, stage station and observation point during the war against Russia.[2] In 1885 there was a new concern between Russia and England. New ships were expected. Both Russia and Germany demanded that Fårösund be fortified if the Swedish neutrality was to be recognized and respected.[2] It was the start of the Swedish Coastal Artillery, which was established in the early 1900s. The Swedish Armed Forces bought land and buildings and hired people.[2] In 1885 work began on fortifications in Slite and Fårösund where artillerymen from Gotland National Conscription and Göta Artillery Regiment were brought. The facility and its crew had varying names: Flottans batterier och minpositioner i Fårösund ("Navy's Batteries and Mine Positions in Fårösund") and Fårösunds kustartilleriposition och Fårösunds kustartilleridetachement ("Fårösund Coastal Position and Fårösund Coastal Artillery Detachment"). In 1919 the facility was disbanded.[3]

Through the Defence Act of 1936, the Riksdag decided that a new coastal artillery unit would be raised and based in Fårösund. The 1930 Defense Commission proposed that the unit be called Fårösund Coastal Artillery Corps. When the unit was raised on 1 July 1937, however, it was named Gotland Coastal Artillery Corps (KA 3).[3] Four companies under the command of a major were organized. The entire area was 110 hectares. On 6 June 1939, at 08:00 in the morning, the flag was raised in front of the chancellery for the first time. In December of the same year, the coastal artillery was mobilized and the force was about 1,000 men. In May 1938, the Riksdag decided that SEK 669,000 would be allocated to the construction of service housing at Gotland Coastal Artillery Corps in Fårösund.[4] Through the Defence Act of 1948, a new organization was established in 1949 for the Swedish Coastal Artillery. For Gotland Coastal Artillery Corps, the new organization meant that the training of air defense guns was transferred to the newly formed air defense forces within the Swedish Army.

On 1 April 1960 in a letters patent, it was decided that Gotland Coastal Artillery Defense and Gotland Coastal Artillery Corps from 1 July 1961 were to have a joint commanding officer and joint staff and administrative bodies during peace time.[5][6][3]

Prior to the Defence Act of 2000, the Swedish Government proposed that the future basic organization should contain two coastal artillery units where one of the two coastal artillery units would constitute a main unit, where the government considered that Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment and the 1st Coastal Artillery Brigade (KA 1) would constitute the main unit. The reason for the fact that the unit had a very good proximity to the Stockholm archipelago, with practice and training areas with designed terrain types. None of the other regiments were considered to have terrain conditions and infrastructure to constitute a main unit. Which regiment that would remain besides KA 1, stood between Karlskrona Coastal Artillery Regiment and the 2nd Coastal Artillery Brigade (KA 2), Gotland Coastal Artillery Regiment (KA 3) and Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment (KA 4). KA 3, however, quickly fell away in the process, as the operations was considered limited and that the unit lacked sufficient and appropriate training areas. Regarding KA 4, it was also considered to have limited exercise conditions. KA 2 was considered to have the best conditions for acting as a second unit alongside KA 1. However, the Government considered that it was of great importance that Gothenburg, as Sweden's second biggest city, also had a military presence. Furthermore, the Government considered retaining KA 4 as giving the Swedish Navy the opportunity to continue operations for the naval warfare units in Gothenburg. Hence, the government tried to keep KA 1 and KA 4 in the new basic organization.[7]

Through the Defence Act of 2000, it was decided at the same time that the Swedish Coastal Artillery would be disbanded and the remaining units would have a different focus. Hence, the Government considered that the units would be called amphibious regiments (or marine regiments), and that the service branch would be changed from the Swedish Coastal Artillery to the Swedish Amphibious Corps. Hence, Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment and the 1st Coastal Artillery Brigade (KA 1) and Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment (KA 4) came to be disbanded as coastal artillery units on 30 June 2000. On 1 July 2000, the amphibian unit Vaxholm Amphibian Regiment (Amf 1) and Älvsborg Amphibian Regiment (Amf 4) were formed in its place.[8]

The Gotland Coastal Artillery Regiment, together with Karlskrona Coastal Artillery Regiment, were the two units that were disbanded last of all the units that were disbanded through the Defence Act of 2000, when the others were disbanded on 30 June 2000. The fact that the two regiments were disbanded so late was due to the fact that they completed the basic education of the last round of conscripts. From 1 November 2000, the operations were transferred to a decommissioning organization, until the disbandment would be completed no later than 31 December 2001. The decommissioning organization was in turn dissolved on 30 June 2001, when the disbandment of the unit was considered completed.[9]

During 1994/1995, the Fårösund Marine Brigade (FMB) trained its first amphibious company (with green beret). In February, they were given the honorary assignment to be the honor guard at the launch of the submarine Gotland. The company's main armament was Robot 17 and naval mines were assigned, but, despite the name, had no sea transport. During 1996/1997, the first archipelago rifle company that were assigned the Bandvagn 206 (on trial) and 12.7 mm machine guns.[10] On 30 September 2000, the last conscripts in the regiment were discharged.

The Gotland Coastal Artillery Regiment was based in Fårösund, about 55 km north of Visby. Initially, in 1904, a warehouse was rebuilt into a barracks. During the years 1939-1944, the majority of the barracks area was built which constituted the Fårösund Garrison. During the 1980s, among other things, a school building was added. In 2000, the government decided that the garrison area with airfield (Bunge Airfield) should be listed. Four disbanded regiments in Sweden have received this legal protection. Thus, KA 3 became a national cultural heritage.[2] After the disbandment, the state administration company Vasallen took over the area, with the task of selling or renting the premises to entrepreneurs. Among other things, there is today a film studio, Kustateljén, where a number of well-known Swedish films have been recorded. On 15 January 2018, the Swedish Fortifications Agency entered into an acquisition agreement with Fastighets AB Bunge Kronhagen, with the purchase of the naval port in Fårösund for SEK 20 million. On 30 April 2018, the naval port of Fårösund was transferred to state property, which included the three properties Gotland Bunge Kronhagen 3:69, Bunge Kronhagen 3:70 and Bunge Kronhagen 3:71.[12]

• 
  Barracks Ankaret ("Anchor")
• 
  Barracks Kanonen ("Cannon")
• 
  Chancellery
• 
  Hospital
• 
  School building. Built in 1984.
• 
  Restaurant
• 
  Guardhouse

Commanding officers of Fårösund Coastal Position/Fortress, KA 3, GK/KA 3, FMB and KA 3:[16]

• List of Swedish coastal artillery regiments

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gotland Coastal Artillery Regiment.

• Hagström, Svante (2005). Bibliografi Gotlands försvar: från fornborgar, kastaler och vårdkasar till insatsförsvar (in Swedish). Visby: Gotlands regemente. ISBN 91-631-6571-6. SELIBR 9876895.
• GK/KA 3 50 år: 1938-1988: en minnesskrift med anledning av förbandets jubileum (in Swedish). Fårösund: Gotlands kustartilleriförsvar med Gotlands kustartilleriregemente. 1988. SELIBR 771217.
• KA-nytt från Gotlands kustartilleriregemente: information om och från GK/KA 3 (Gotlands kustartilleriförsvar med Gotlands kustartilleriregemente) (in Swedish). Fårösund: GK/KA 3. 1981–1984. SELIBR 346230.