Hans Majestet Kongens Guard
The Hans Majestet Kongens Garde (HMKG) ( German Guard of His Majesty the King ) is a six companies existing battalion of the Norwegian army , which as a bodyguard of the Norwegian royal family serves. In addition, she is responsible for guarding the royal castle , the Skaugum and the Akershus fortress , i.e. the royal residences . In the event of a defense, the association is responsible for defending the Norwegian capital, Oslo . Except for the training company, all units of the association in Huseby Leir are garrisoned .
history
The guard was set up in 1856 by King Oskar I of Sweden and Norway as part of the Livgarde Brigades in order to make his kingship over Sweden and Norway recognizable. The first 38 soldiers were former members of the Agerhusiske ridende Jægercorpses gevorbne Escadron , whose initial main task was to carry out messenger services between Stockholm and Kristiania (now Oslo).
In 1888 the company was finally relocated to Kristiania as a guard unit and strengthened to a battalion after Norwegian independence in 1905 .
During the occupation of Norway by the Wehrmacht in 1940 during World War II , the Guard enabled King Haakon and the Norwegian government to flee into exile at the Battle of Midtskogen (April 9-10 , 1940) . The battalion later fought in Lundehøgda near Lillehammer .
organization
The Hans Majestet Kongens Guard is structured as a light infantry battalion :
- 1st company : Rifle company that fought against the Wehrmacht near Midtskogen in 1940
- 2nd company : accompanying company
- 3rd Company : Music Corps
- 4th Company : trained for urban warfare
- 5th Company : Supply Company
- 6th Company : Training company, stationed in Terningmoen
The battalion has been reclassified since 2006 , with all units, except for the 3rd and 5th Company, being divided into two rifle platoons, an escort platoon and a reconnaissance platoon. Each company performs other tasks in addition to the guard duty.
Most soldiers are accepted into the battalion after their general basic training and then complete a five-week additional training course. Upon successful completion, the soldiers are admitted to guard duty at the royal residences.
The changing of the guard takes place in front of the Royal Palace between 1.30pm and 2.00pm and is a tourist attraction in Oslo. In addition to the protocol honorary service for foreign state guests, the Guard also takes part in numerous other public and state events such as B. at the annual opening of parliament by the Norwegian king.
uniform
The dark blue uniforms have remained unchanged since the association was set up to this day.
The eye-catching hats with the plume are of Italian origin, they were made after the model of the headgear of the Italian Bersaglieri after Queen Luise , the wife of King Charles IV , was so enthusiastic about the shape of the hat during a visit to Italy in 1860 she imposed a similar headgear for the Norwegian Guard.
Mascot Nils Olav
A special feature of the Norwegian Guard is the king penguin Nils Olav . The first penguin by that name was adopted by the Guard as a regimental mascot at Edinburgh Zoo in 1972 . Until his death in the late 1980s, he received several honorary ranks. His successor, another penguin of the same name, was made an honorary battalion sergeant in 1993 and an honorary colonel in 2005 . In 2008 he was raised to the knighthood in a solemn ceremony. In 2016 he was appointed Brigadier General.
