OBAT 29 - Norway

[DRG]

OK, this is what the official Norwegian Armed forces website says.........Norwegian Special Forces

The Norwegian Defence has had a Special Forces capability since the 1960s, but it was not until 1999 that the armed forces decided to lift the veil and make information on these forces more available to the public.

The first of our Special Forces were established in the 1960s, by the Army and the Navy. The Army and Navy Special Commands are both built up by well-trained troops, with much better equipment and capabilities than regular army forces.

So you will be getting a "SF" formation starting in 1968 that will represent all of these troops.

I now need info on the Fallskjermjegere

Don

[Spike11]

A SF category seems sensible.

Fallskjermjegere are paratroopers ("fallskjerm" is Norwegian for "parachute"), better trained and equipped than the regular army, but still a part of the conscripted forces. A "normal" +10 (or thereabouts) bonus in terms of morale and experience would make sense, I think. For some reason, there does not seem to be a date for the formation of the Norwegian paras on the Army's website, although I would guess they came into being in the early 50s. BTW, "jeger" is the Norwegian equivalent of the German jäger - or jaeger as used in the game.

The Telemark Battalion should perhaps get a separate category. These aren't special forces as such, but more conventional mechanised troops with better equipment and training (they are equipped with the Bv 9030, among other things). They are also volunteers, not conscripted. They were operational in 2003.

To make matters even more complicated, you have the Border Guards. These are also specially selected and trained units (though part of the regular conscripted army) stationed at the Russian border. During the entire Cold War period, these were expected to fight delaying actions whilst withdrawing through the county of Finnmark - about 50.000 sq kms... They still exist, although their mission is somewhat different today.

The AAMG-equipped MB jeep I mentioned earlier was probably introduced in the late 90s, perhaps even later. It is based on the GD290 version, which wasn't available until the 90s.

[DRG]

Which is correct

Jegere or Jeger

and do Fallskjermjegere exist as companies

Don

[DRG]

........when did Norway buy c-130's and what did the Fallskjermjegere jump out of before that?

Don

[Spike11]

The C-130s are about 40 years old, I'll see if I can find the exact introduction date (should be doable, there is a heated debate about transport planes over here at the moment - should we buy "new" C-130s now or wait a couple of years for Airbus to get the A-400M ready...). As far as I know, the Norwegian Air Force used Dakotas before the introduction of the C-130. However, I'm anything but sure about this and even less sure about the existence of paratroopers jumping from them. I'll have a look around some Norwegian military sites and see what I can find. The same goes for the para company question.

"Jeger" is what we use (as in "jegertropp" meaning "jeger platoon"). "Jegere" isn't exactly wrong, it's simply the plural form of the same word.

[Spike11]

According to the Royal Norwegian Air Force and the Norwegian Aviation Museum, the RNAF sent transport aircraft to various international operations: Germany 47-53, Gaza 56-67 and the Congo 60-64. Unfortunately, these sources do not say anything about what kind of aircraft. Wikipedia, however, claims that the RNAF had some 7 C-56B/60As, 8 C-119Gs and 20 C-47s. These were gradually retired throughout the 60s, the final Dakotas in 1973.

[Spike11]

The para training facilities were set up in 1962, but the first regular "fallskjermjeger" units did not appear until 1968. I've not been able to determine 100% whether they appear as companies, but it seems probable that this has been the case since 1971. This is, however, my interpretation of a few more Norwegian army websites. I'll dig some more.

[DRG]

If the C-130's are 40 years old and the "fallskjermjeger" units did not appear until 1968 it's a safe bet the "fallskjermjeger" jump from c-130s, It simplifies things somewhat.

I will need platoon and company organization.

Thanks

Don

[Spike11]

I've done some more digging, and this is what I found:

1. The paratroopers are currently organised only as platoons, not as companies. Their equipment include the C8 rifle (my bad, thought I saw M16s on some pictures), M72s, Carl Gustavs, MP5s, various sniper rifles including the M82, and MG3s. They also use helicopters and the aforementioned AAMG MB jeep.
2. The assault divers (MJK - Marinejegerkommando) are organised much the same way with the same equipment plus assault boats. They are considered to be the toughest and best of the conscripted units in the Norwegian army.

So far, I haven't been able to identify the exact platoon layout. Sniper and scout teams exist, and even though these most likely operate as a part of the platoon, I haven't been able to confirm this. If the web doesn't take me any further, I think I'll send them a mail...

[JohnHale]

Don,

Norway's 6 C-130s were delivered in 1969.

http://www.spectrumwd.com/c130/int_07.htm#Norway