A defence district ( sv, Försvarsområde, Fo) was a military subdivision of the

Swedish Armed Forces The Swedish Armed Forces ( sv, Försvarsmakten, "the Defense Force") is the government agency that forms the armed forces of Sweden, tasked with the defense of the country as well as with promoting Sweden's wider interests, supporting internat ...

created in 1914. It was a lower regional level subdivision, usually corresponding to a Swedish county. The commander of a defence district was the Defence District Commander, who usually commanded local defence units, including

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...

air defence Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

and light

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieg ...

, as well as any

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or military reserve force, reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the America ...

units in the district. The commander answered to the larger

military district Military districts (also called military regions) are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army) which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and ...

that the defence district was part of.

History

A defence district was the lowest regional unit in the

. Such were found in particularly important coastal areas during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and from 1939 on at a time of mobilization. From 1943 they were included as part of the ordinary peace organization. The district was responsible for defence planning, home defence, supervision of fixed facilities, certain territorial units and the

equipment and equipment. In 1973-76, the defence districts were amalgamated with regiments into defence district regiments (''försvarsområdesregementen'') (except Fo 67, which remained independent), but in the early 1990s some independent defence districts again were formed. These latter districts were disbanded as a result of the Defence Act of 1996. The locations of the defence districts are often indicated by their names. A defence district has usually been matched by a Swedish county except in

Norrbotten Norrbotten (), known in English as North Bothnia, is a Swedish province (''landskap'') in northernmost Sweden. It borders south to Västerbotten, west to Swedish Lapland, and east to Finland. Administration The traditional provinces of Swe ...

where there were three defence districts.

List

1914–1918

*Gävleborg Defence District *Northern Uppland Defence District (''Norra Upplands försvarsområde'') *Norrbotten Defence District *Norrköping Defence District

1939–1942

*Ystad Defence District *Malmö Defence District *Kristianstad Defence District *Helsingborg Defence District *Hässleholm Defence District (1939–1942), amalgamated into Kristianstad Defence District *Karlshamn Defence District *Kronoberg Defence District (1939–1940), succeeded by Älmhult Defence District *Älmhult Defence District (1940–1942), succeeded by Växjö Defence District *Eksjö Defence District (1939–1940), succeeded by Nässjö Defence District *Nässjö Defence District (1940–1942), succeeded by Jönköping Defence District *Jönköping Defence District (1942–) *Kalmar Defence District *Gävle Defence District *Härnösand Defence District *Västernorrland Defence District (1939–1940), succeeded by Sollefteå Defence District *Sollefteå Defence District (1940–1942), amalgamated into Härnösand Defence District *Sundsvall Defence District (1940–1942), amalgamated into Härnösand Defence District *Örnsköldsvik Defence District (1940–1942), amalgamated into Härnösand Defence District *Östersund Defence District *Borås Defence District (1939–1942), split between Uddevalla and Gothenburg Defence Districts * Gothenburg Defence District *Halmstad Defence District *Skövde Defence District *Uddevalla Defence District *Vänersborg Defence District (1939–1942), amalgamated into Uddevalla Defence District *Linköping Defence District *Northern Mälardalen Defence District (''Mälardalens norra försvarsområde'') (1939–1940), succeeded by Sala Defence District *Sala Defence District (1940–1942), amalgamated into Uppsala Defence District *Southern Mälardalen Defence District (''Mälardalens södra försvarsområde'') (1939–1940), succeeded by Nyköping Defence District *Nyköping Defence District (1940–1942), succeeded by Strängnäs Defence District *Northern Uppland Defence District (''Norra Upplands försvarsområde'') (1939–1940), succeeded by Norrtälje Defence District *Norrtälje Defence District (1940–) *Norrköping Defence District * Stockholm Defence District *Stockholm Archipelago Defence District (''Stockholms skärgårds försvarsområde'') *Södertörn Defence District (1939–1940), amalgamated into Stockholm Archipelago Defence District (''Stockholms skärgårds försvarsområde'') *Östhammar Defence District, amalgamated in 1943 into Norrtälje Defence District *Karlstad Defence District *Örebro Defence District *Västerbotten Defence District (1939–1940), split into Vännäs and Skellefteå Defence Districts *Northern Lappland Defence District (''Lapplands norra försvarsområde'') (1939–1940), succeeded by Gällivare Defence District *Gällivare Defence District (1940–) *Lappland Southern Defence District (''Lapplands södra försvarsområde'') (1939–1940), succeeded by Storuman Defence District *Storuman Defence District (1940), amalgamated with Skellefteå and Vännäs Defence Districts into Storumans‑Vännäs‑Skellefteå Defence District *Skellefteå Defence District (1940), see Storuman Defence District above *Vännäs Defence District (1940), see Storuman Defence District above *Storuman‑Vännäs‑Skellefteå Defence District (1940–1941), then again split into three parts *Skellefteå Defence District (1941–1942), then amalgamated with Vännäs Defence District into Umeå Defence District *Storuman Defence District (1941–) *Vännäs Defence District (1941–1942), then amalgamated with Skellefteå Defence District into Umeå Defence District *Luleå Defence District (1940–) *Jokkmokk Defence District (1940–)

1943–

The 1942 organization, which came into force in 1943: *Fo 11: Malmö Defence District *Fo 12: Ystad Defence District *Fo 13: Helsingborg Defence District *Fo 14: Kristianstad Defence District *Fo 15: Blekinge Defence District (naval defence district) *Fo 16: Växjö Defence District *Fo 17: Jönköping Defence District *Fo 18: Kalmar Defence District *Fo 21: Gävle Defence District *Fo 22: Östersund Defence District *Fo 23: Härnösand Defence District *Fo 24: Hemsö Defence District (naval defence district) *Fo 31: Halmstad Defence District *Fo 32: Gothenburg Defence District *Fo 33: Gothenburg Archipelago Defence District (''Göteborgs skärgårds försvarsområde'') (naval defence district) *Fo 34: Uddevalla Defence District *Fo 35: Skövde Defence District *Fo 41: Linköping Defence District *Fo 42: Norrtälje Defence District *Fo 43: Strängnäs Defence District *Fo 44: Stockholm Defence District *Fo 45: Norrtälje Defence District *Fo 46: Stockholm Archipelago Defence District (''Stockholms skärgårds försvarsområde'') (naval defence district) *Fo 47: Uppsala Defence District *Fo 51: Örebro Defence District *Fo 52: Karlstad Defence District *Fo 53: Falu Defence District *Fo 54: Mora Defence District *Fo 61: Umeå Defence District *Fo 62: Storuman Defence District *Fo 63: Boden Defence District *Fo 64: Luleå Defence District *Fo 65: Jokkmokk Defence District *Fo 66: Kiruna Defence District *Fo 67: Morjärv Defence District

1973/76–

Since a number of reorganizations took place after 1945, the situation is reported here when the new organization with the defence district regiments (''försvarsområdesregementen'') has been implemented. The brackets indicate to which regiment the defence district was linked. Situation after 1973-76's creation of the defence district regiments: *Fo 11: Malmö Defence District (

P 7 P7, P.7, or P-7 may refer to: Aircraft * Boeing XP-7, a prototype United States biplane fighter of the 1920s * HAT-P-7b, an extrasolar planet discovered in 2008 * Lockheed P-7, a proposed patrol aircraft ordered by the U.S. Navy * Piaggio P.7, an ...

) *Fo 14: Kristianstad Defence District ( P 6) *Fo 15: Karlskrona Defence District ( BK) *Fo 16: Kronoberg Defence District ( I 11) *Fo 17: Jönköping Defence District ( I 12) *Fo 18: Kalmar Defence District ( I 11) *Fo 21: Gävleborg Defence District ( I 14), designated as Fo 49 from 1966 to 1982 *Fo 22: Jämtland Defence District ( I 5) *Fo 23: Västernorrland Defence District ( I 21) *Fo 31: Halland Defence District ( I 16) *Fo 32: Gothenburg and Bohus Defence District ( MKV) *Fo 34: Älvsborg Defence District ( I 15) *Fo 35: Skaraborg Defence District ( P 4) *Fo 41: Östergötland Defence District (

I 4 I4, i4, I 4 or I-4 may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * '' I-4: Loafing and Camouflage'', a Greek film Military * 1st Life Grenadier Regiment (Sweden) (1816–1927), a Swedish infantry regiment * , a World War II Type J1 submarine of ...

) *Fo 43: Södermanland Defence District (

P 10 P10 or P-10 may refer to: Aircraft * Boulton Paul P.10, a British experimental aircraft * Curtiss XP-10, an American experimental fighter aircraft * Piaggio P.10, an Italian reconnaissance aircraft Military * Grendel P10, a .380 pistol * Hec ...

) *Fo 44: Stockholm Defence District (

K 1 K1, K.I, K01, K 1 or K-1 can mean: Geography * K1, another name for Masherbrum, a mountain in the Karakoram range in Pakistan * K1, a small town to north of Kirkuk city, Iraq * K1 (building), a high-rise building in Kraków, Poland Mathematics ...

) *Fo 47: Uppsala Defence District (

S 1 S1, S01, S.I, S-1, S.1, Š-1 or S 1 may refer to: Biology and chemistry * S1 nuclease, an enzyme that digests singled-stranded DNA and RNA * S1: Keep locked up, a safety phrase in chemistry * Primary somatosensory cortex, also known as S1 * Te ...

) *Fo 48: Västmanland Defence District (

) *Fo 51: Örebro Defence District ( I 3) *Fo 52: Värmland Defence District ( I 2) *Fo 53: Kopparberg Defence District ( I 13) *Fo 61: Västerbotten Defence District ( I 20) *Fo 63: Boden Defence District ( A 8) *Fo 66: Kiruna Defence District ( I 22) *Fo 67: Kalix Defence District (independent)

1997

The organisation in 1997: *P 7/Fo 11: South Scanian Regiment *P 2/Fo 14: North Scanian Dragoon Regiment *I 11/Fo 16: Kronoberg Regiment *I 12/Fo 17: Northern Småland Regiment *Fo 18:

Kalmar Regiment The Kalmar Regiment ( sv, Kalmar regemente), designations I 20, I 21 and Fo 18, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was merged with another unit to form a new regiment in 1928. It was later rer ...

*I 14/Fo 21:

Hälsinge Regiment The Hälsinge Regiment ( sv, Hälsinge regemente), designations I 14, I 14/Fo 49 and I 14/Fo 21, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was disbanded in 1997. The regiment's soldiers were origin ...

*I 5/Fo 22: Jämtland Ranger Regiment *I 21/Fo 23: Västernorrland Regiment *I 16/Fo 31:

Halland Regiment The Halland Regiment ( sv, Hallands regemente), designations I 16 and I 16/Fo 31, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the provinces of Väste ...

*Fo 32: West Coast Naval Command *I 15/Fo 34:

Älvsborg Regiment The Älvsborg Regiment ( sv, Älvsborgs regemente), designation I 15 and I 15/Fo 34, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traces its origins back 1624. It was disbanded in 1998. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the prov ...

*P 4/Fo 35: Skaraborg Regiment *I 4/Fo 41: Life Grenadier Regiment *P 10/Fo 43: Södermanland Regiment *I 1/Fo 44:

Svea Life Guards The Svea Life Guards ( sv, Svea livgarde), also I 1, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that was active in various forms 1521–2000. The unit was based in the Stockholm Garrison in Stockholm and belonged to the King's Life and Household Tr ...

*S 1/Fo 47:

Uppland Regiment The Uppland Regiment ( sv, Upplands regemente), designation I 8, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was disbanded in 1957. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province ...

*Fo 48: Västmanland Regiment *I 3/Fo 51: Life Regiment Grenadiers *I 2/Fo 52:

Värmland Regiment The Värmland Regiment ( sv, Värmlands regemente), designations I 22, I 2 and I 2/Fo 52, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traces its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province o ...

*I 13/Fo 53:

Dalarna Regiment The Dalarna Regiment ( sv, Dalregementet), designation I 13, is a Swedish Army infantry unit that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province of Dalarna, where it was later gar ...

*I 20/Fo 61:

Västerbotten Regiment The Västerbotten Regiment ( sv, Västerbottens regemente), designations I 19, I XIX, I 20 and I 20/Fo 61, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited fr ...

*Fo 63: Boden Defence District (''Bodens försvarsområde'') *I 22/Fo 66: Lapland Ranger Regiment *Fo 67: Norrbotten Border Rangers (''Norrbottens gränsjägare'')

References

Notes

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* *{{cite web , url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a347565.pdf , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220132613/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a347565.pdf , publisher=

Foreign Broadcast Information Service The Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) was an open source intelligence component of the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Science and Technology. It monitored, translated, and disseminated within the U.S. government openly av ...

, work=

Joint Publications Research Service The Joint Publications Research Service (JPRS) was a United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 5 ...

, title=Reference Aid Swedish–English Glossary of Military and Technical Acronyms and Abbreviations , first=Thomas W. Jr., last=Appich , date=22 July 1988 , archive-date=20 February 2017 , url-status=live , access-date=10 June 2020