Armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark. Local defense troops The Danish army has only 120 military personnel

Composition of the armed forces

Ground troops

The Royal Danish Army is the land branch of the Danish Defense Forces, along with the Danish Home Guard.

Over the past decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone significant changes in structure, construction and training methods, abandoning the traditional defense strategy against invasion and instead concentrating on overseas operations. Among other initiatives was the reduction of reserves and the increase in the strength of the regular army, during this reform the ratio between reserve units, support units and regular army units changed from 60% - 40% to the inverse ratio: 40% reserves and support, 60% regular units. When the program is completed, the Danish Army will be able to deploy 1,500 troops permanently and an additional 5,000 troops for a short period of time. This deployment during international operations will take place without the need for such an emergency measure as parliamentary approval of the military budget.

Naval forces

The Royal Danish Navy (officially Kongelige Danske Marine, unofficially Søværnet) is the maritime branch of the Danish Defense Forces. The KDVMS is responsible for maritime defense and the maintenance of sovereignty in the territorial waters of Denmark, Greenland and Faroe Islands. Other assignments include surveillance, search and rescue, icebreaking, oil spill prevention and response, and participation in international enforcement teams.

Between 1509 and 1814, when Denmark was in union with Norway, the Danish fleet was part of the Royal Danish-Norwegian fleet. Before the "Copenhagenization" of the navy in 1807, the fleet was one of the most powerful forces in the European region, but it has since declined. Despite this, the fleet is equipped with a number of large modern ships that entered service after the end of Cold War. This can be explained by its strategic position as a NATO member controlling access to the Baltic Sea.

Danish Navy ships carry the prefix Kongelige Danske Marine) in Danish, which can be translated into Russian as “Ship of Her/His Danish Majesty” ( English transcription– HDMS). Denmark is one of several NATO members whose fleets do not have submarines.

Air Force

The Royal Danish Air Force (Flyvevåbnet; RDAF) is the Danish air force responsible for maintaining internal security and ensuring national security objectives in international operations abroad. Currently in Danish air force It consists of 3,400 permanent employees and another 100 conscripts. The flight fleet is represented by 119 aircraft and helicopters, respectively, American and European production.

Links

Armed forces of countries

By the time German troops invaded Denmark on April 9, 1940, the Danish Armed Forces had not participated in hostilities since the 1864 war with Prussia and Austria. At the same time, a certain number of Danish citizens (from several hundred to several thousand people) as volunteers (residents of the land of Schleswig - German subjects) 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. At the initial stage of the Second World War, 800 Danish volunteers joined the Finnish army during its armed conflict with the USSR in 1939 - 1940.

The Danish general talks with the officers. 1939

Many of these Danish citizens were officers and trained members of the Danish army and navy, guided by their combat experience.


Danish standard bearer. 1934

Like most armies 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, Social Democratic Defense Minister Alsing Andersen ( Alsing EmanuelAndersen) united the country's land and naval forces under his general leadership. The immediate leaders of the ground forces and navy, respectively, were Lieutenant General William Prior ( William Wain Prior) and Vice Admiral Hjalmar Rechnitser ( Hjalmar Rechnitzer). There was a modernization of air defense, engineering troops, transport and the air force.

The ground forces consisted of two infantry divisions, which included seven infantry regiments, two cavalry regiments, and 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 strength of the Danish army was increased from 6,600 to 15,000.


Danish infantrymen. April 1940

The infantrymen were armed with rifles Gevær M. 1889, submachine guns 9mmMP-32, heavy machine guns 20mm Madsen maskinkanon, light machine guns Madsen M.1929 And Madsen M.1924, mortars 81-mm M.29 S. Field artillery was represented by guns 75mm M.1902, 10½ cm M.1930, howitzers 15 cmM.1917, 15 cmM.1923 And 15 cmM.1929, anti-tank guns 37 mmBofors, air defense - anti-aircraft guns 75-mm L/49 M.1932.


Howitzers 15 cmM.1929 during a Danish army exercise. 1939

Reorganized in 1937, four infantry battalions received motorcycles and bicycles.


Danish motorcyclists. April 1940

Since 1932, a tank unit was allocated from the engineering troops, consisting of three British-made tankettes Carden-Lloyd Mk.VI.


Danish tank crews. 1937

Danish pilot at the plane Fokker. 1930

Danish Air Force ( Kongelige Danske Flyvevåben) included two fighter squadrons - 13 Gloster Gauntlet and 7 Fokker D.XXI, 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 hydrographic vessel). 1,500 people served in the navy.


Armored artillery ship Peder Skram.

Naval aviation included 13 seaplanes Heinkel H.E.8 and eight fighters Hawker Nimrod Mk. II.

In general, the Danish Armed Forces were able to provide units of the German army (170th and 198th infantry divisions, 11th motorized brigade of the Wehrmacht, 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 fighting 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 country's Armed Forces.

Danish and German soldiers after the declaration of an armistice. April 1940

Until August 1943, the Danish Armed Forces, under German occupation, fully 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.

By the time German troops invaded Denmark on April 9, 1940, the Danish Armed Forces had not participated in hostilities since the 1864 war with Prussia and Austria. At the same time, a certain number of Danish citizens (from several hundred to several thousand people) as volunteers (residents of the land of Schleswig - German subjects) took part in the First World War of 1914 - 1918, as well as in the civil wars in Finland - 1918 ., in Estonia and Latvia - 1918 - 1919, in Spain - 1936 - 1939. At the initial stage of World War II, 800 Danish volunteers joined the Finnish army during its armed conflict with the USSR in 1939 - 1940.

The Danish general talks with the officers. 1939

Many of these Danish citizens were officers and trained members of the Danish army and navy, guided by their combat experience.


Danish standard bearer. 1934

Like most European armies, the Danish Armed Forces were reorganized and modernized on the eve of the new world conflict.

Soldiers and officers of engineering units. 1935

In 1937, Social Democratic Defense Minister Alsing Andersen ( Alsing EmanuelAndersen) united the country's land and naval forces under his general leadership. The immediate leaders of the ground forces and navy, respectively, were Lieutenant General William Prior ( William Wain Prior) and Vice Admiral Hjalmar Rechnitser ( Hjalmar Rechnitzer). There was a modernization of air defense, engineering troops, transport and the air force.

The ground forces consisted of two infantry divisions, which included seven infantry regiments, two cavalry regiments, and 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 strength of the Danish army was increased from 6,600 to 15,000.


Danish infantrymen. April 1940

The infantrymen were armed with rifles Gevær M. 1889, submachine guns 9mmMP-32, heavy machine guns 20mm Madsen maskinkanon, light machine guns Madsen M.1929 And Madsen M.1924, mortars 81-mm M.29 S. Field artillery was represented by guns 75mm M.1902, 10½ cm M.1930, howitzers 15 cmM.1917, 15 cmM.1923 And 15 cmM.1929, anti-tank guns 37 mmBofors, air defense - anti-aircraft guns 75-mm L/49 M.1932.


Howitzers 15 cmM.1929 during a Danish army exercise. 1939

Reorganized in 1937, four infantry battalions received motorcycles and bicycles.


Danish motorcyclists. April 1940

Since 1932, a tank unit was allocated from the engineering troops, consisting of three British-made tankettes Carden-Lloyd Mk.VI.


Danish tank crews. 1937

Danish pilot at the plane Fokker. 1930

Danish Air Force ( Kongelige Danske Flyvevåben) included two fighter squadrons - 13 Gloster Gauntlet and 7 Fokker D.XXI, 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 hydrographic vessel). 1,500 people served in the navy.


Armored artillery ship Peder Skram.

Naval aviation included 13 seaplanes Heinkel H.E.8 and eight fighters Hawker Nimrod Mk. II.

In general, the Danish Armed Forces were able to provide units of the German army (170th and 198th infantry divisions, 11th motorized brigade of the Wehrmacht, 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 fighting 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 country's Armed Forces.

Danish and German soldiers after the declaration of an armistice. April 1940

Until August 1943, the Danish Armed Forces, under German occupation, fully 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.

The headquarters of the joint forces are located on Danish territory. armed forces NATO in the Baltic Straits area has built large air and naval bases, ammunition depots, pipelines and other military facilities, and its island. Greenland has been turned into a springboard for the deployment of American aviation and radio equipment. During the post-war years, the main imperialist powers, and above all, supplied Denmark with a significant amount of weapons and military equipment.

The article published below in an abbreviated translation gives a general idea of ​​the structure of the command bodies of the joint NATO armed forces in the Baltic Straits area, as well as the composition and features of the construction of the Danish armed forces.

Denmark acts as a bridge connecting Central Europe with Scandinavia. In fact she is island state, since, in addition to the Jutland Peninsula, it consists of 493 islands, of which 100 are inhabited. Only a few European countries have such a dismembered territory. The length of the Danish coastline is 7,400 km, and total area The country's territory is 43,000 square meters. km.

Due to its small size and the absence of natural barriers, Denmark's territory is open to action from land, air and sea. The defense of the country is possible only with the use of very mobile, constantly combat-ready forces of the army, navy and air force. Mining of territorial waters can also complicate the actions of amphibious forces of a potential enemy.

However, it must be taken into account that Denmark, having signed the North Atlantic Treaty on April 4, 1949, like Norway, refused to deploy on its territory (with the exception of Greenland) in Peaceful time nuclear weapons and foreign troops.

In the strait zone, the Danish armed forces have the task: under the leadership of the command of the joint armed forces of NATO, together with part of the forces, to defend the Danish islands, the Jutland Peninsula and Schleswig-Holstein, and also to prevent a breakthrough of the potential enemy’s naval forces from Baltic Sea. The organization of command and control of armed forces in the system of joint NATO armed forces in the Baltic Straits area is shown in Fig. 1.

Rice. 1. Organization of control of the Danish armed forces in the command system of the joint armed forces of NATO in the Baltic Straits area.

The structure of the Danish armed forces is determined by military laws that were adopted in 1950, 1960 and 1969. In justification of the law adopted on March 24, 1960, it was noted that due to geographical location It is especially important for Denmark to have armed forces ready to repel sudden enemy actions and able to hold out until the arrival of troops from other NATO countries to provide assistance.

The royal decree of March 6, 1952 (as partially amended on April 26, 1961) states that the outbreak of hostilities against Denmark should be considered as a signal for the mobilization of the armed forces and the occupation of relevant areas and objects by Hevern forces.

The capabilities of the Danish armed forces are limited. Their total number in peacetime is approximately 45,000 people. In addition, there are about 70,000 people in the hemvern, 140,000 in civil defense. The service life of enlisted personnel in the ground forces, air force and navy since 1970 is 12 months.

In mid-April 1970, the Social Democrats, who have 62 of 175 seats in parliament, introduced a draft of a new military law, providing for a slight reduction in the mandatory period of service for ordinary personnel, reducing the number of combat units of the ground forces to 7,000 people and increasing the number of professional soldiers.

The military equipment of the armed forces is only partially modern. The situation is best in the Air Force, where there are F-104 aircraft and the recently purchased F-35 (two squadrons). However, the ground forces and navy have samples of weapons, as well as ships that have been in service for more than 15 years. The level of combat training of personnel corresponds to the average level of combat training of military personnel of other NATO countries. In the future, it appears that there will be no need to expect an increase in the level of training due to a possible reduction in the current 12-month service life, which, however, will have an impact not only on the combat training of troops.

After Denmark joined NATO, significant changes occurred in the organization of its armed forces. Previously, they consisted of the ground forces and the navy, headed by the military and naval ministries, respectively. Both of these types of armed forces had their own aviation. In accordance with the military law adopted in 1950, a unified Ministry of Defense was formed, and the Air Force became an independent branch of the armed forces. The position of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces was introduced, and a military council was established, which included the Commander-in-Chief, the commanders of the ground forces, the air force and the navy, as well as the chief of the defense staff.

As in other countries, Denmark does not have a single Ministry of General Defense, the main components of which are the armed forces, civil, economic and psychological defense.

At the head of the armed forces is the king (queen) as the supreme commander. The Minister of Defense is responsible to Parliament for the state of national defense and the armed forces. Subordinate to him is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, who, with the help of the Defense Headquarters, exercises operational control of the ground forces, air force and navy. At the head of the ground forces, the air force and the navy are commanders who report to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces on issues of combat training, and directly to the minister of defense on issues of personnel (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Organization of management of the Danish armed forces in peacetime.

Ground troops

The number of ground forces in peacetime is 28,000 people (of which 12,000 are in field troops, 16,000 are in educational units and military educational institutions). In addition, there are 56,000 people in the hemvern of the ground forces. IN war time the number of ground forces (without hemvern) will reach 102,000 people.

The basis of territorial defense is made up of eight military districts into which the territory of Denmark is divided. The I-IV military districts, covering the Jutland Peninsula and the island, are subordinate to the Western Military Command. Fyn.

V-VIII military districts (islands of Zealand, Lolland, Falster, Mön, Bornholm) are subordinate to the Eastern Military Command. The Bornholm Military District (VII) is independent in peacetime.

In case of war, units of local defense troops are deployed on the basis of personnel units available in peacetime. As the check showed, battalions of local defense troops can be mobilized in 10 - 12 hours.

The ground forces are armed with tanks, M113 armored personnel carriers, 105-, 155- and 203.2-mm mechanized howitzers, 155-mm self-propelled howitzers, NUR, 60-mm and 81-mm mortars, MG42 machine guns, Cobra ATGMs, 106 mm recoilless rifles, 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine guns, 20 mm and 40 mm anti-aircraft guns.

Initial training of personnel is carried out in training regiments, further training and coordination of units is carried out in combat units of field troops. At both stages, combat training is organized taking into account modern requirements.

Air Force

In peacetime they number 10,500 people; in wartime their number will increase to 12,000. There are 10,500 people in the Air Force hevern.

The Air Force is armed with 33 F-100 fighter-bombers, 23 F-35 Dragon fighter-bombers and reconnaissance fighters. 27 F-104G all-weather fighters, 14 RF-84F reconnaissance aircraft and 21 . A total of 118 combat aircraft. In addition, the Air Force includes a transport squadron and a squadron of S-61 helicopters.

To solve air defense problems, four batteries of Nike Hercules missile defense systems and four batteries of missile defense systems are intended.

Air Force flight technical personnel are trained in the USA and Canada. In connection with the acquisition of Dragon aircraft for two squadrons, training has also been organized in Sweden since 1971. As flight crew competitions held in NATO have shown, the level of training of Danish pilots is good.

Naval forces

The Navy has 7,000 personnel, including 3,800 permanent and 3,200 variable personnel. In addition, there are 3,000 people in the naval hemvern.

The naval composition of the Navy is 8 patrol ships, 18 torpedo boats, 9 patrol boats, 6 submarines, 8 minelayers, 12 minesweepers. There are also 8 helicopters, auxiliary vessels - icebreakers, tankers, transports, hydrographic vessels, patrol boats (for fishing protection). The warships are subject to transfer to the joint NATO naval forces simultaneously with the transfer of the functions of their operational management to the command of the joint NATO armed forces in the strait zone.

According to the shipbuilding program, which has expired, the United States paid half of the amount required for its implementation. All ships are built in Danish shipyards. Modernization of ships, in particular replacement of anti-aircraft weapons with which they are equipped capital ships, constrained by shortage Money. The new shipbuilding program provides, in particular, for the construction of 8 missile boats.

Like other types of armed forces, they are important mainly in the NATO system. The level of their combat training is quite high.

Hemvern

The number of hemvern reaches approximately 70,000 people, of which: the hemvern of the ground forces is 56,000 people (including 7,500 women), the hemvern of the Air Force is 10,500 people (1,300 women) and the hemvern of the Navy is 3,000 people (1,000 women).

The main type of formation in a hevern is a company. Hevern forces are used under the direction of military district commanders. They are intended to provide security and defense of various objects, thereby facilitating the actions of regular troops. The mobilization deployment time of the hevern is approximately 6 hours.

2.2. Danish Armed Forces

The armed forces of Norway's southern neighbor, the Kingdom of Denmark, consisted of an army (H?r), a navy (Flaade) and an air force (Luftvaaben). In peacetime, the affairs of the armed forces were in charge of the Ministry of War; in the event of a declaration of war, the king became commander-in-chief.

The State Defense Council included: King Christian X, Prime Minister T. Stauning, Foreign Minister P. Munch, Minister of War General Goertz, Army Commander Major General Prior and Navy Commander Vice Admiral Rechnitzer.

The Danish army was built on approximately the same principle as the Norwegian one. Ground troops consisted of two divisions - Zealand and Jutland - located in the respective territories. In wartime, the headquarters of these formations were responsible for carrying out mobilization in the areas entrusted to them, and in peacetime they organized military service for recruits and retrained reservists. Divisions consisted of regiments, separate battalions, artillery and anti-aircraft divisions, whose headquarters were constantly functioning, but the units themselves were mostly cadres. In particular, the Jutland Division included the 2nd and 7th infantry regiments, the 14th three-battery anti-aircraft artillery division, and the 12th and 13th separate infantry battalions.

In the first days of the war, conscripts of 1940 and five older ages were mobilized ahead of schedule, four of whom were sent home with uniforms before the new year.

According to the work of P.M. Norup “An army that did not have to fight”, at the time of the German invasion the ground forces included 4 infantry battalions (fully equipped in peacetime), 15 recruit (squad) companies, 23 artillery and 4 anti-aircraft batteries, 4 cavalry squadrons, 11 motorized squadrons, 2 mortar companies, 3 radio communications companies, 2 engineering companies. The peacetime army numbered about 15.5 thousand people.

The air force consisted of army and naval aviation, as well as anti-aircraft artillery units. Army aviation was divided into two air squadrons, which included five squadrons: two fighter, two reconnaissance and one bomber. In total, they had 43 combat aircraft. There were about 20 training aircraft summer school, located on the outskirts of Copenhagen. The fleet of winged aircraft consisted of the same outdated Fokker C-V biplanes, adopted for service in the late 20s, as well as low-speed Gloster Gauntlet fighters and their slightly more modern brothers Fokker D-XXI. The most modern were seven light bombers Fairey R.4/34 - prototypes of the famous Fulmar. Naval aviation consisted of three squadrons (42 combat aircraft) - fighter, reconnaissance and bomber. All of them were equipped with outdated vehicles and were based on the island of Zealand. The Air Force flight crew numbered about 800 people. In addition, the air force included one anti-aircraft regiment and 16 separate anti-aircraft batteries.

The Danish Navy consisted of more than 40 warships:

2 coastal defense battleships (“Nils Juel” and “Peder Skrum”);

14 destroyers (“Dragen”, “Valen”, “Laxen”, “Glenten”, “Högen”, “Jornen”, “Havkatten”, “Springeren”; “Haien”, “Narvalen”, “Havernen”, “Walrossen” , "Makrelen", "Nordkaperen" - some of them by that time had been reclassified as patrol ships and minesweepers);

9 submarines (“Bellona”, “Flora”, “Rota”, “Dafne”, “Dryaden”, “Havmanden”, “Havhesten”, “Havkalen”; “Havfruen”);

4 minelayers (“Quintus”, “Sixtus”, “Lossen”, “Lindorman”);

6 minesweepers (“Söbjörnen”, “Söhasten”, “Sölöven”, “Söulven”, “Söhunden”, “Söridderen” - some are under construction);

5 minesweeper boats (“MS 1–5”);

5 fishery protection vessels (“Beskutteren”, “Ingolf”, “Vidbjornen”, “Maagen”, “Ternen”);

several auxiliary vessels and patrol boats.

It should be noted that Denmark has traditionally focused on Germany in its foreign policy. Danish leadership circles took an openly defeatist position and did not prepare for a full-scale armed struggle, even to the best of their country’s capabilities. As Academician Kahn writes, “Members of the government openly stated that the Danish armed forces were intended to suppress occasional violations of neutrality by the belligerents, and not to defend against aggression - obviously irresistible if the attacker is a great power.” Soberly assessing the real capabilities of his country, Prime Minister Stauning stated: “Our country is ready to protect neutrality, but waging war in the proper sense of the word is excluded geographical conditions; the small population also precludes the existence of an army capable of fighting.”

 

It might be useful to read: