Norrbottens Regemente - History

History

The regiment was created in 1841 when Västerbottens fältjägarregemente was split into two corps units of battalion size, one of them being Norrbottens fältjägarkår. The unit was upgraded to regimental size and renamed to Norrbottens regemente in 1892. The regiment had its training grounds at various places in Norrbotten, but was eventually garrisoned in Boden in 1907. A skiing battalion was created in 1917, and in 1943 this battalion was split off from the regiment and was eventually reorganised in 1975 into Lapplands jägarregemente.

Norrbottens regemente was given the old designation of Västerbottens regemente, I 19 (19th Infantry Regiment), when it was split off. The regiment merged with Norrbottens pansarbataljon (P 5) in 1975 to form Norrbottens regemente with Norrbottens pansarbataljon, and the unit gained the designation I 19/P 5. For a short time in the 1990s, the unit was then merged with the wartime organised Norrbottensbrigaden, designation MekB 19. In 2000, the unit was reorganised once again, and was redesignated back to its old designation I 19 despite being an armoured regiment, the name was also changed back to Norrbottens regemente.