Frømandskorpset

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Danish special forces deployed in the Gulf of Aden

The Frømandskorps (German Froschmannkorps ) is a combat swimmer unit of the Danish Navy . The unit is considered to be one of the most capable and professional combat swimming units in NATO .

assignment

The Frømandskorpset carries out reconnaissance in the run-up to amphibious operations , ambushes and sabotage as well as demolitions and evacuations under water . The soldiers are trained in hand-to-hand combat , boarding ships and for maritime anti-terrorism operations such as hostage rescue on ships or drilling platforms . In peacetime, the soldiers support the Danish police in their search for castaways.

education

After passing the entrance exam, more than 15 months of training follows. This includes advanced combat techniques, scuba diving, combat swimming, blasting, reconnaissance, hand-to-hand combat, precision shooting and parachuting, with combat swimming being the most important component, unlike the closely related elite hunter corpset which focuses on parachuting. The techniques of boarding and capturing ships are trained on the Danish corvettes and frigates. In addition, the Froemandskorpset maintains close contacts with the British SBS , the US Navy SEALs , the German combat swimmers , the Norwegian naval fighters and the Swedish special forces.

history

This highly respected elite unit came into being during the Cold War due to the country's strategic location at the narrow Baltic Sea gate . Since Denmark was also vulnerable to sea-based attacks, the formation of an aggressive military special unit was obvious.

From the establishment to 1970

In 1957 four officers were the Danish navy in the United States for training with the Underwater Demolition Team of the US Navy sent. After further training with the British Special Boat Service and the Norwegian Marinejegerkommandoen (Marinejägerkommando), the Froemandskorpset was finally founded on June 16, 1957.

Initially the Frømandskorpset was part of the diving school of the Royal Danish Navy . In 1970 the unit was then independently and directly subordinated to the Soevaernets Operative Kommando (German: Marine High Command). The 5th submarine flotilla is responsible for administrative control.

The unity today

The Frømandskorpset is now based at the Kongsøre naval station. The unit consists of 200 men who are distributed over 3 platoons. The combat swimmers are grouped on the 1st platoon , the boats and other technical equipment of the unit are on the 2nd platoon. The third platoon is Denmark's maritime anti-terrorist force.

Calls

The Danish Frogman Corps was 1990 / 91 during the Second Gulf War used to find contraband to help so that the imposed embargo could be enforced. Since 2001 the soldiers of the Froemandskorpset have also been deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq .

equipment

The weapons used by the Frømandskorpset are:

In addition, the combat swimmers use various inflatable boats , canoes and closed-circuit breathing apparatus.

Trivia

In 1995 , the Danish Crown Prince Frederik served in the elite unit under the code name Pingo .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Website of the dan. Royal family (kongehuset.dk): Frømandskorpsets 60-års jubilæum, Danish , accessed July 10, 2017
  2. ^ Website of the dan. Royal family (kongehuset.dk): Frømandskorpsets 60-års jubilæum, Danish , accessed July 10, 2017

Web links