Coastal Artillery 1985
Coastal Artillery Organization and Tactics. The information and illustrations are taken from the Swedish Armed Forces brochure from 1985. This was intended for use by Combat Command/Support or equivalent units from other branches of service that were subordinated to or collaborated with Coastal Artillery units. It consists of 28 pages, and we have chosen to publish parts of the information.
Fodations
In the coastal artillery, just like in the army, different combat tasks are used to describe how the battle is to be conducted.
DETERRENCE aims to break the enemy’s attacking power or prevent him from landing, air-landing, advancing through certain areas, or over a specified line.
COMPLICATE aims to inflict such losses or damage on the enemy that he is forced to limit his activities/efforts or change his plans.
PREVENT aims to inflict such losses or damage on the enemy or otherwise affect him so that he is forced to interrupt ongoing or planned activities.
DELAY aims to gain time with limited effort and inflict losses on the enemy before he advances along a certain route (corresponding to a path).
The task of deterring advancing towards/through requires access to both artillery and/or missile units as well as mine-laying units.
Tasks to complicate advancing towards/through are given to artillery and missile units.
The task of delaying advancing requires access to both barrier units (amphibious units) and ground combat units.
The sea constitutes a broad and indestructible transportation route. Maritime transport vehicles, in the form of landing craft and cargo ships, have significant capacity compared to other means of transportation.
A ship carrying 3500 tons of cargo is equivalent to a train set of approximately 250 railway cars or about 140 trucks.
Sweden is predominantly surrounded by the sea. The Swedish coastline stretches for 270 miles, making Sweden the largest coastal owner in the Baltic Sea.
ome of the units stationed at Hemsön include
Below, we have selected the descriptions from the brochure regarding some of the units that were stationed at Hemsön in 1985.
Heavy Fixed Battery
The heavy fixed battery constitutes the battalion’s most powerful unit. Normally, three to four guns are included in the gun platoon. The guns have a caliber larger than 10 cm. They can be aimed horizontally around the horizon and have an effective range of over 20 km. The fire control platoon in the battery ensures that the guns receive the necessary data to engage targets at sea. For defense against air attacks, there are, among others, anti-aircraft units in the battery. The ground combat platoon is tasked with defending the batteries against ground troops. The battery includes a supply platoon with cooking supplies, repair resources, and a medical unit with qualified resources for emergency care. The personnel strength is approximately 300 men.
Light fixed battery
The light fixed batteries constitute powerful artillery units within the battalion. Light batteries are smaller in personnel compared to the heavy battery organization. Typically, the gun platoon of a light battery includes three guns with a caliber of 7.5 cm. These guns can be aimed horizontally around the horizon and have a range of over 10 km. The personnel strength of a light battery is approximately 100 individuals.
Sjömålselden från sjörfrontsartilleriförbanden kan kraftsamlas inom bataljonens område.
Fixed mine barrier troop
The fixed mine barrier troop consists of a mine station with personnel and a number of mines deployed in the sea. The mines are placed where the attacker is channeled into narrow passages such as fairways, straits, and inlets.
The mines are controllable from the mine station, allowing own ships to pass without risk. A single mine has enough effect to neutralize a ship.
The majority of the fixed mines are deployed in peacetime.