By the time the German troops invaded Denmark on April 9, 1940, the Danish Armed forces did not participate in hostilities since 1864 - wars with Prussia and Austria. At the same time, a certain number of Danish citizens (from several hundred to several thousand people) as volunteers (inhabitants of the land of Schleswig - subjects of Germany) took part in the First World War of 1914 - 1918, as well as in civil wars in Finland - 1918, in Estonia and Latvia - 1918 - 1919, in Spain - 1936 - 1939. On initial stage World War II, 800 Danish volunteers joined the Finnish Army during its armed conflict with the USSR in 1939 - 1940.
The Danish general is talking to the officers. 1939
Many of these Danish citizens were officers and trained the Danish army and navy, guided by their combat experience.
Danish flag bearer. 1934
Like most armies in European countries, the Danish Armed Forces were reorganized and modernized on the eve of a new world conflict.
Soldiers and officers of engineering units. 1935
In 1937 the Social Democrat Defense Minister Alsing Andersen ( Alsing EmanuelAndersen) united under his general leadership the land and sea forces of the country. immediate supervisors ground forces And navy respectively were Lieutenant General William Prior ( William Wain Prior) and Vice Admiral Hjalmar Rechnitzer ( Hjalmar Rechnitzer). There was a modernization of air defense, engineering troops, transport and air force.
The ground forces consisted of two infantry divisions, which included seven infantry regiments, two cavalry regiments, three artillery regiments. One division was located in Zealand, and the second - in Jutland and on the island of Bornholm. A regiment of the Royal Guard was stationed in Copenhagen. During the winter of 1939 - 1940. The size of the Danish army was increased from 6,600 to 15,000 men.
Danish infantry. April 1940
The infantrymen were armed with rifles Gevær M. 1889, submachine guns 9-mmMP-32, heavy machine guns 20mm Madsen maskinkanon, light machine guns Madsen M.1929 And Madsen M.1924, mortars 81mm M.29S. Field artillery was represented by guns 75mm M.1902, 10½ cm M.1930, howitzers 15cmM.1917, 15cmM.1923 And 15cmM.1929, anti-tank guns 37 mmBofors, air defense - anti-aircraft guns 75mm L/49 M.1932.
Howitzers 15cmM.1929 during the exercises of the Danish army. 1939
Reorganized in 1937, four infantry battalions received motorcycles and bicycles.
Danish motorcyclists. April 1940
Since 1932, a tank unit, consisting of three British-made tankettes, stood out from the engineering troops Carden-Lloyd Mk.VI.
Danish tankers. 1937
Danish pilot at the plane fokker. 1930
Danish Air Force ( Kongelige Danske Flyveveben) included two fighter squadrons - 13 Gloster Gauntlet and 7 Fokker D.XX, as well as 28 reconnaissance aircraft and 19 bombers.
Danish Navy ( Kongelige Danske Marine) consisted of 58 warships (two armored artillery ships - Peder Skram And Niels Juel, three minelayers, nine minesweepers, four patrol vessels, six torpedo boats, seven submarines, as well as one training vessel and one survey vessel). There were 1,500 men in the Navy.
Armored artillery ship Peder Skram.
Naval aviation included 13 hydroplanes Heinkel H.E.8 and eight fighters Hawker Nimrod Mk. II.
In general, the Danish Armed Forces were able to provide parts of the German army (170th and 198th infantry divisions, 11th Wehrmacht motorized brigade, 70 light tanks of the Pzkw I And Pzkw II, 240 aircraft) serious resistance. This can be confirmed by the fact that in an hour and a half of hostilities on April 9, 1940, Danish artillery destroyed 12 armored cars, knocked out three tanks and shot down several German aircraft, including one bomber. Heinkel He 111. The cessation of hostilities was a political decision of the Danish government, and not the result of a military defeat of the Danish Armed Forces.
Danish and German soldiers after the armistice. April 1940
Until August 1943, the Danish Armed Forces, under the conditions of German occupation, completely retained their personnel and weapons.
Klint Helge. Den danske Hær IV, 9. April 1940. Copenhagen, 1978.
Niemann P.E. Feltartilleriet i Aarhus 1881 - 1969. Copenhagen, 1981.
In the years cold war The Danish Armed Forces had a very responsible task - to defend against a possible Soviet landing of the Danish Straits and to prevent a breakthrough of the Baltic Fleet into the Atlantic. Of course, this task was to be solved jointly with the Bundeswehr, the US Armed Forces, Great Britain and other NATO countries. However, the Danish army itself had significant combat power for the size of this very small country. By the beginning of the 90s, she had more than 400 tanks, over 550 artillery pieces and more than 100 combat aircraft.
After the end of the Cold War, in full accordance with the general European trends, the combat power of the Danish Armed Forces began to steadily and steadily decline. The results of this policy were very well manifested in 2011. Denmark made the maximum possible contribution to NATO's Libyan operation by providing 4 F-16 fighter-bombers for it. However, less than 3 months after the start of hostilities, with the complete absence of resistance from the air defense forces of Gaddafi, the Danes completely used up the stock of aviation ammunition that the country's air force had, after which they were forced to stop participating in the operation.
Denmark is formally considered one of the participants in a possible future division of the Arctic. This country itself, located on the Jutland Peninsula and adjacent islands, has nothing to do with the Arctic (its northernmost point is approximately at the latitude of Novgorod). But Denmark owns (at least for now) the largest island in the world, Greenland, which is what makes it a polar country. However, Denmark has only a Sirius ski patrol of 30 people in this region, occasionally 1-2 ships of the Danish Navy come here to protect the economic zone from NATO allies (Canadians and British). It is very symptomatic that all 3 of their Danish Navy icebreakers were put up for sale back in 2011.
Ground troops The structure of Denmark is extremely simple: they consist of one motorized infantry division, which includes two (1st and 2nd) motorized infantry brigades. However, in peacetime, the brigades are directly subordinate to the command of the ground forces, and the division exists only as a headquarters. In addition, there are three auxiliary regiments - engineering, communications, transport.
In service there are 56 German tanks Leopard-2, 126 Swiss Eagle BRMs, 44 Swedish CV9035 infantry fighting vehicles, 204 armored personnel carriers (153 M113 (including 107 M113G3, 1 M113G3L, 44 M113G4; up to 90 M113 are in storage as a source of spare parts) , 51 "Pirana-3" (another 47 armored personnel carriers "Pirana-3" were withdrawn from the armed forces and intended for export)), 6 self-propelled guns M109 (another 18 are in storage as a source of spare parts), 6 guns M101, 20 mortars M10 ( K6V1) (120 mm) and 75 LMT M / 06 (60 mm), 62 ATGM "Tou". Several Stinger MANPADS are in storage.
air force countries have 44 F-16s (33 A, 11 B; another 11 A and 2 B are in storage), 8 transport aircraft (4 C-130J-30, 4 CL-604), 27 training T-17 ( 1 more in storage), 26 helicopters (14 EH-101, 12 AS550).
Navy traditionally considered in Denmark the main type of aircraft and had significant combat power. In particular, back in 1909, a submarine fleet was created in the country. In the late 80s, unique modular corvettes of the Fluvefisken type were created here, which, depending on the installed weapons, could be missile, or patrol ships, or minesweepers. And already in the XXI century. the Danish fleet included at least unique ships of the Absalon type, which have the firepower of a frigate (the Harpoon anti-ship missile system, a 127-mm gun) and at the same time are landing ships (can carry 4 landing craft and up to 7 Leopard-2 tanks).
However, recent budget cuts inflicted more losses on the Danish fleet than any enemy. In particular, all 3 remaining submarines were withdrawn from its composition and turned into museums. Although organizationally the Danish Navy includes two squadrons of heterogeneous forces (1st and 2nd), less than 30 combat units remain in them.
In fact, only 5 units have real combat potential: 2 of the above-mentioned Absalon-class ships and 3 Iver Hutfeldt-class frigates. 4 frigates of the Tethys type do not have missile weapons and, in fact, are patrol ships. There are also 3 Knud Rasmussen-class patrol ships; 3 Fluvefisken-class patrol ships are laid up, another 1 has been converted into a diving vessel. There are 6 Diana-type patrol boats and 10 small minesweepers.
Naval aviation includes 7 American MH-60R helicopters (up to 11 British Lynx helicopters in storage), as well as 2 British BN-2 patrol aircraft.
In general, Denmark in military terms today is a typical NATO country: it has practically nothing to fight with, but also no one with.
The rise in tensions between the North Atlantic Alliance and Russia continues to gain momentum. There is an active militarization of the Baltic countries and of Eastern Europe; everything is happening against the background of the beginning of the continuation of the military operation by Kiev against Novorossia in the Donbass. The military-strategic situation is also complicated by the fact that NATO is working to constantly improve its "northern backbone", trying to "pull" the Scandinavian states into the bloc's structure, which greatly affects the military balance of the entire European theater of operations.
Under such conditions, the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense have to literally quarterly modernize the entire structure of defensive and offensive weapons in the Western Military District.
We have already written about the consequences and threats after the possible entry of Sweden into NATO, but since so far this process is taking place only at the negotiation level, it is worth trying to consider the short and long-range plans of Denmark, which is already a permanent member of NATO, which is going to increase its combat potential.
In its actions to strategically strengthen the NATO Allied Forces in Europe, the alliance adopted a very wise scheme, which, first of all, takes into account the geographical value of a particular state in the formation of an outpost that should withstand the Russian Armed Forces. If we take into account Northern Europe, then the largest stakes were usually placed on Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The states are located on the most important North-Western ON for Russia. But the situation that has developed with the "Arctic race" made it necessary to sharply expand the circle of such states.
The fact is that Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are inland Baltic states, and the navies of these states have highest value only in plans to counter the Russian Baltic Fleet, and in the light of the creation of the “Arctic Forces” grouping in the Russian Federation, NATO needs a new outpost that could operate most quickly both in the Baltic States and the Arctic theater of operations, while the priority is the state that considers the Russian Federation as the main competitor in the Arctic race.
The Kingdom of Denmark in this matter is considered the most attractive candidate for creating the second strategic frontier of NATO, and no less important than the countries of the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is Denmark that owns and possesses the largest autonomous territory among European countries - Greenland, which is closest to North Pole, and is the largest Atlantic island, which hosts the American AN / FPS-132 EWR missile warning system radar, as well as other auxiliary military installations.
On August 8, Danish Defense Minister Karl Holst announced plans for a 67% increase in the state's military budget. He also noted that NATO wants even more investment in the Danish army, which will be a difficult and lengthy procedure. The military policy of Denmark, unlike, for example, the German one, is quite aggressive. So, during the air operation in Libya, the Danish Air Force became one of the main participants: the combat aviation of the kingdom carried out about 600 sorties and dropped 923 UABs on Jamahiriya military facilities. Holst emphasized the military ambitions of the Scandinavian kingdom both in the Baltics and in the Arctic, which is not so easy for the current state of the army.
The news about plans to increase the military budget of Denmark appeared immediately after information that the Danish side was not going to change its claim to own 900 km 2 of the Arctic continental shelf, which "captures" the territory indicated in a similar application by the Russian side. That is, Denmark intends to strictly dictate its position in the Arctic, because more than 5 billion tons of conditional energy deposits are at stake, which are now practically unexplored.
Denmark is located on the most important imaginary line of demarcation between the territory of control Baltic Fleet Russian Navy, as well as the sea and ocean zones assigned to the NATO Joint Forces in the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. This greatly increases the importance of Denmark in the eyes of both the US and NATO as a whole.
The increase in the military budget of the kingdom is now the main stage in the future development of the Armed Forces, the doctrine of which provides for the conduct of hostilities both in the Arctic zone and in the Baltic Sea. The military doctrine of Denmark is a very malleable and driven document that can be modified literally at any request of the alliance command or even a slight change in the military-strategic situation in the North European theater of operations.
So, in early 1996, the Danish parliament allowed the deployment of tactical aviation of the NATO Allied Forces and warships of the Allied Forces of the block on the runway of the airfield and in the seaport of the city of Rennes, which is located on the easternmost Danish island of Bronholm. Bronholm Island itself is one of the most important NATO strategic naval facilities in the Baltics. It is located just 308 km from the city of Baltiysk (Kaliningrad region) in the southwestern part of the sea, between the coasts of Sweden and Poland, and allows good control of the sea lines of approach to Denmark for another 140 km to the island of Zeeland.
The NATO air force base in Rennes is the main base in the Baltic states, where anti-submarine aviation can be used, and sea and ground air defense systems based on shipborne Aegis and Patriot PAC-2/3 ground-based air defense systems with the support of the Polish Air Force can also be deployed and Sweden, capable of greatly complicating the tasks of naval and tactical aviation of the Russian Navy and Air Force in the event of a crisis.
The Danish Navy has a fairly extensive zone of control of the North Atlantic zone, located between Great Britain and Greenland, which is based on the Faroe and Greenland operational commands, and the current composition of the Danish Navy is absolutely not enough to control such spaces, and the Faroe Islands are the main airborne detection radar systems. -space defense of the North American continent "NORAD", which, logically, should be well covered both from the air and from the ocean. Denmark is a very weak link in this regard, because the combat effectiveness of its armed forces does not at all correspond to the geographical importance of the territory.
The Danish Armed Forces are not represented big amount modern weapons, most of which are exclusively in the Navy. The fleet is armed with: 4 Tethys-class ocean-going SCs, 3 Iver Huitfeld-class air defense frigates, 3 Absalon-class command and staff ships, 3 Nils Yuel corvettes and 10 Fluvefisken-class patrol missile boats.
All ships are equipped with the Sea Sparrow medium-range self-defense missile defense system, or its modified version, the ESSM, due to which good defensive capabilities from anti-ship missiles are noticeable. The ESSM KZRK is installed on the most advanced ships of the Absalon fleet, capable of controlling the actions of the fleet in a difficult jamming and tactical environment. These capabilities are realized thanks to advanced electronic equipment, in particular, the Thales surveillance radar SMART-S Mk. 2 3D, which is capable of detecting approaching anti-radar missiles and various VTOs within a radius of 40-50 km, and fighters - 120-130 km.
The main function of air defense and missile defense is assigned to 3 frigates of the Ivar Huitfeldt class, whose armament is unified with the German frigates Saxony and the Dutch De Zeven Prvinsien. In particular, the “APAR” radar was installed - a multi-channel four-way radar with AFAR, capable of simultaneously firing at 16 air targets of the RIM-162 “ESSM” or RIM-67D (SM-2ER Block IIIA) missiles and supporting another 30 such missiles in the air, ships equipped with UVPU types Mk41 and Mk56.
The strike capabilities of the fleet are limited to the installation of Harpoon anti-ship missiles on all warships of the Danish Navy. The fleet is capable of conducting limited anti-ship operations, carrying out positional air defense and missile defense of a certain section of the island archipelagos of Denmark, and performing local anti-submarine operations, but it is absolutely not prepared to maintain dominance in the sea theater, and even more so in the Arctic.
Frigate F362 "Peter Willemoes" of the Danish Navy The Danish Navy does not have a submarine component of the fleet. Apparently, at this point they are relying on the significant potential of the British, German and Swedish nuclear, diesel and diesel-stirling-electric multi-purpose submarines of the Astut, Type 212 and Gotland types. However, the mere fact of their absence from the maritime power of Denmark speaks of the impossibility of any Arctic race.
The Royal Danish Air Force is generally known for its extremely low combat potential, because only 45 F-16AM (Block 15) multi-role fighters of early versions are in service. These machines in terms of performance characteristics and avionics are not even close to such fighters as the MiG-29SMT or Su-27SM. In military transport aviation, 4 C-130-J30 Hercules, several combat training and training aircraft are used.
The ground forces are represented by American and European weapons standard for NATO countries in Europe: MRLS MLRS, M-109 Palladin self-propelled guns, Leopard-1/2 MBT, a large number of MANPADS and anti-tank missile systems. The military concept of the Danish Armed Forces does not provide for the use of ground forces as the main strike or defensive force, and relies here on its allies in Northern and Western Europe.
One of the programs for the modernization of the Danish Air Force is the purchase of modern tactical fighters of the “4+” or “5” generation, where the F-35A and F / A-18E / F Super Hornet became the main contenders. It is not yet known which version the command of the Scandinavian Air Force will choose, but everything tends to favor the more functional F / A-18E / F, since it is more maneuverable, the two-seat modification is more suitable for long patrols over the Arctic expanses, the F-35A is more suitable for short-term subtle strike operations or territorial gains in air supremacy, and only in long-range combat. It is no secret that the Hornets are more often used by maritime states, the only exception is Switzerland.
A noticeable rearmament of the Danish Armed Forces is expected no earlier than 2020; therefore, until this moment, only Russia, the USA, Canada, Germany, Great Britain and Norway, whose fleets and air forces have sufficient technical range, will continue to participate in the "Arctic" race. Denmark, on the other hand, will still serve as a military foothold for the key "players" of the NATO Allied Forces.
The military-political leadership of Denmark, in accordance with the "flexible response" strategy adopted by NATO and the concept of "forward lines", pays great attention to the development of ground forces, which are designed to provide conditions for the transfer and reception of reinforcement troops from the United States and Great Britain in a crisis, as well as to conduct together with allies fighting at the junction of the North European and Central European theater of operations.As noted in the foreign press, the ground forces are the most numerous type of armed forces and in peacetime number over 17,000 people, of which more than 8,500 people are in combat-ready units, about 4,000 training and mobilization regiments, 4,300 military educational institutions and governments, UN troops more than 300. In addition, almost 3,500 civilian employees are employed in the headquarters, formations and units of the ground forces. According to the foreign press, when mobilized, the number of ground forces can be increased to 72,000 people at the expense of reserve components (about 51,000 people) and local defense troops (21,000 people).
The organization of the ground forces is given in fig. 1.
The administrative leadership of the ground forces is carried out army inspector, which is responsible for the recruitment of formations and units, the organization of combat training, the development of charters and manuals. He is an adviser to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces on the construction and use of ground forces.
In his work, the inspector relies on ground forces headquarters, which functions on the rights of management and is part of the defense headquarters. It is entrusted with the task of developing plans for the development of the ground forces, programs for combat training and monitoring its progress, methods for the combat use of formations and units, manning, as well as developing charters, instructions and instructions.
The headquarters consists of four inspections: combat training, fire support, engineering troops, signal troops, headed by the respective inspectors. In addition, it includes four departments: personnel, logistics, military prosecutor's office and military priests. The inspectors are responsible for manning the units and subunits of their military branches, organizing their combat training, and also resolve other issues. Military educational institutions, schools and combat training centers of the ground forces are directly subordinate to the inspector of the ground forces.
The operational command of the ground forces is carried out commander in chief of the armed forces countries. In the event of a military threat or the outbreak of hostilities, the most combat-ready part of the ground forces can be placed at the disposal of the commander of the operational forces of Denmark, who is also the commander of the NATO Allied Forces in the Baltic Straits. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces directs the ground forces through the defense headquarters and the headquarters of the Western and Eastern commands. The headquarters of the latter is also the headquarters of the combined ground forces of NATO in the Danish Islands. Geographically, the Western Command includes the Jutland Peninsula and the islands of Funen and Langeland, and the Eastern Command includes the islands of Zealand, Myon, Falster, Lolland, Bornholm. The border between them runs along the Great Belt and Langelans Belt. Their commanders are responsible for organizing combat training, logistics, mobilization and operational deployment, as well as for directing the combat operations of subordinate troops in their area of responsibility.
Administratively, the territory of Denmark is divided into seven military regions: four in the Western Command and three in the Eastern. In peacetime, the military district on the island of Bornholm is directly subordinate to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The commander of a military district (as a rule, the commander of one of the training and mobilization infantry regiments) is responsible for organizing the combat training of regular troops and reserves, mobilizing reserve units and subunits, as well as territorial defense. In his operational subordination are mainly units of local defense and "hemvern", and in some cases, parts of the regular troops may be allocated to his disposal.
As reported in the foreign press, the ground forces include the following types of troops: infantry, armored troops, artillery, signal troops, engineering troops, logistics troops, as well as services: artillery and technical, quartermaster, medical, veterinary. According to their operational mission, ground troops are divided into field troops and local defense troops. It is reported that in the ground forces there are also units and subdivisions of the "hemvern".
Field Troops include the most combat-ready formations and units, manned by personnel under the age of 35 and equipped with modern weapons. In peacetime, they include the so-called "cover troops" and training and mobilization regiments.
IN "cover troops" includes combat-ready formations, units and subunits designed to ensure the mobilization and operational deployment of the main forces of the ground forces. According to the Western press, they include the headquarters of the Jutland motorized infantry division, five motorized infantry brigades (1st, 2nd and 3rd Jutland and 1st and 2nd Zeeland), the Bornholm battle group (infantry brigade), as well as other units.
They are armed with more than 200 tanks, about 400 field artillery guns and mortars, about 400 anti-tank weapons, more than 500 armored personnel carriers, over 20 army aircraft and helicopters. For the deployment of these formations and units to wartime states, there is a reserve of "cover troops", numbering about 16,500 people.
Training and mobilization regiments(eight infantry, two armored, three artillery, two engineering, two communications, two transport) are training centers for the training and retraining of military personnel of various specialties for regular and reserve formations and units, as well as local defense units. The Western Command includes five infantry and two artillery regiments, the Eastern Command consists of three infantry and one artillery regiment, the remaining regiments are divided equally between the commands.
In order to save material and financial resources, the headquarters and units of motorized infantry brigades are territorially located in military camps of the corresponding training and mobilization regiments (by type of troops) and use them training base for combat training. Thus, the regiment has several units of regular troops, training units, on the basis of which retraining courses are organized for reservists.
Each regiment, being the base for the deployment of wartime formations and units, during mobilization carries out the formation and training of the reserve units and subunits assigned to them and theirs. handover to the respective brigade commanders. So, on the basis of the Jutland Armored Regiment (headquarters in Holstebro), the Jutland Battle Group (reduced infantry brigade) is deployed, the Guards Infantry Regiment (Copenhagen region) forms the 1st Zeeland Battle Group, the Zeeland Armored Regiment (Nestved) - the 2nd Zeeland Combat group, the Danish Infantry Regiment (Vordinborg) - the 3rd Zeeland Battle Group, the Zeeland Infantry Regiment (Slagelse) - the 4th Zeeland Battle Group, etc.
According to the views of the command of the ground forces, the division is the highest tactical unit. In the event of a war in the combat strength of this type of armed forces, combat operations will be conducted by one motorized infantry division (Jutland), consisting of three Jutland motorized infantry brigades and other units of combat and logistics support. The possibility of deploying another division on the basis of the Zeeland motorized infantry brigades is also not ruled out.
According to Western press reports, each of the divisions, in addition, may include armored, anti-tank and reconnaissance battalions, two or three artillery and one or two anti-aircraft artillery battalions, an army aviation squadron and support units. The number of personnel can reach 19,000 people. The division is armed with up to 150 tanks, about 230 guns and mortars, up to 280 anti-tank weapons, other weapons and military equipment.
The main tactical formation of the ground forces is a motorized infantry brigade. As reported in the foreign press, it (Fig. 4) includes a headquarters and a headquarters company, two motorized infantry, one infantry and one armored battalion, an artillery battalion, reconnaissance, anti-tank and engineering companies, an anti-aircraft battery, a logistics battalion. The number of personnel of the brigade is about 5000 people. It is armed with 47 tanks, about 150 armored personnel carriers, 18 field artillery guns, 40 mortars, 14 ATGM launchers, 64 recoilless and 9 anti-aircraft guns, modern small arms and other military equipment. The Jutland motorized infantry brigades, unlike the Zeeland ones, have more modern weapons and military equipment. In particular, the former are armed with West German Leopard tanks, the latter with English Centurion tanks.
Combat groups formed during an emergency, judging by the reports of the foreign press, can have a strength of up to 3,000 people. They are supposed to include two or three infantry battalions, an artillery battalion, an anti-aircraft battery and companies: reconnaissance, anti-tank, communications, engineering, supply and transport. A total of 18 field artillery guns, about 50 mortars, up to 80 units of anti-tank weapons, nine anti-aircraft guns.
In addition to combat groups, in wartime, separate infantry, armored and anti-tank battalions, artillery and anti-aircraft artillery battalions, as well as support units that can be used as a reserve for ground forces and reinforcing formations, will be deployed in the field forces.
Local defense troops are intended for conducting combat operations on the territory of the military district where they are deployed, as well as for the protection and defense of military facilities, individual settlements and important areas. They are completed with older ages (more than 35 years old) liable for military service. Their deployment is planned to be carried out during mobilization within 1-2 days. Organizationally, they are consolidated into infantry battalions, artillery battalions and other units (anti-tank, engineering, communications, medical, logistics). The bulk of the battalions (seven out of nine) are subordinate to the Western Command. The divisions are formed according to the territorial principle. They are equipped with military equipment and weapons, mostly obsolete models, and may have a different organization. In peacetime, they are assigned mainly to training and mobilization regiments, on the basis of which combat training of reservists is organized. Due to the quick mobilization time and good knowledge of local conditions in the event of a sudden enemy attack, they can cover the mobilization and operational deployment of field troops, and conduct combat operations together with their subunits.
Hemvern of the ground forces is a paramilitary organization recruited on a voluntary basis to solve auxiliary tasks in the interests of the ground forces. It is designed to protect military and government facilities, combat landings and reconnaissance and sabotage groups of the enemy, conduct reconnaissance, and organize sabotage operations behind enemy lines. The "hemvern" of the ground forces, along with the "chemvern" of the Air Force and the Navy, in peacetime, is part of the "hemvern" of the armed forces, headed by an inspector. The Hemvern units of the ground forces are under the operational control of the commanders of the military districts. Their recruitment is carried out according to the territorial principle on a voluntary basis by politically reliable persons who have reached military age, and in some cases from the age of 16. Persons who have served in the armed forces, retired from the reserve due to age, and also exempted from military service for any reason can be enrolled in the “hemvern”. age limit stay in the "hemvern" is not established by laws. They keep personal weapons and ammunition at home or at work, and collective weapons in places of collection on alarm. In this regard, the deployment time of the Hemvern units is estimated at several hours.
Organizationally, the "hemvern" consists of companies and separate platoons, there are about 550 of them in total. By designation, these units can be infantry, anti-tank, reconnaissance, sabotage, engineering, and also perform the tasks of the military police, to protect military facilities and others. Their organization and armament depend on the tasks assigned to them. In total, the "hemvern" of the ground forces, numbering about 60,000 people, of which 8,000 are women. Hemvern units can perform independent tasks or act jointly with field troops and units of local defense troops. In the absence of the enemy, the personnel of the Hemvern unit continue labor activity at the place of work.
Ground Forces Recruitment is carried out on the basis of universal military service and voluntary service under contracts. The draft age is 19 years old. Volunteers can be recruited from the age of 17. The maximum duration of military service for enlisted personnel is up to 12 months, junior commanders 24. So, for ordinary motorized infantry and armored combat units, it is 12 months, anti-aircraft artillery - 11, artillery - 10, signal troops and certain specialties of engineering troops - 9. For volunteers serving under contracts, two types of contracts are established: short-term (for two years) and long-term with the possibility of its repeated extension. The first is used for military personnel of combat units and subunits, the second - for headquarters, support and special units.
Initial training of privates is carried out in training and mobilization regiments, and junior commanders - in schools and training centers types of troops. Education officers is carried out at the officers' school in Copenhagen, the schools for reserve officers and the correspondence school. Retraining of reservists is organized on the basis of training and mobilization regiments. During their stay in the reserve, persons liable for military service may be called up several times for retraining with a total duration of 48 days.
The personnel of the "hemvern" are trained, as a rule, in their free time. However, he can also be involved in exercises and training during working hours, for which compensation is paid from the military budget. The Hemvern is staffed with commanding personnel by retired officers of the ground forces, as well as persons who have undergone special training at the Hemvern school or courses. The duration of training of the Hemvern personnel is from 24 to 100 hours per year, depending on the available military training. The foreign press notes that due to the emerging Lately lack of a trained reserve for the field troops, the personnel of the "hemvern" and local defense troops in some cases can be used to recruit formations and units.
As the Western press testifies, the command of the armed forces in the construction of the ground forces intends to continue to focus on modernizing the main weapons, improving the control system, improving the field training and combat readiness of the troops.
Lieutenant Colonel A. Kovrov
