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kaii
London, UK
Posts: 1809
 | | Norwegian Ski troops 1808 | | Posted on: 1/17/2013 3:42:40 PM | Ski troops have been in use in Scandinavia since the Viking ages, and during the war between Sweden and Norway in 1808 and 1814, the Norwegians deployed several companies of light infantry using skis.
These are from the "Elverumske Skiløbercompagnie". The uniforms are surprisingly "modern" compared to some of the other uniforms wore by troops in Europe at the time.
The ski troops used rifles and were generally expert marksmen, some of them reportedly being able to securely hit targets 250-300 metres away.
The equipment was generally manufactured locally (except weapons) and through a regional conscription system, 3-5 farms were responsible for outfitting 1 soldier. In general service in the ski troops was attractive, and this meant they had among the best soldiers (other regiments would often receive whatever local troublemakers the farmers wanted to get rid of...).
The uniforms worn by these two guys have been recreated from period drawings and patterns, and we see to the left a private light infantryman (jeger) and to the right an officer. The colour is designed to work as camoflague in the forested areas along the border towards Sweden, and they did also have cream/white overcoats for use in open areas. Other Norwegian troops, i.e. line infantry and dragoons, at the time wore bright red jackets, not particularly well suited for concealing them in snowy areas...
For those interested in the weapons, the ski troops used the M/1807 jeger rifle:
The rifle had a special firing system, designed by Christian W. Kyhl, which kept most moving parts protected internally, as well as having only about half the parts of other contemporary rifle firing mechanisms. This helped protect the rifle in rough conditions.
PS! if you are interested in the battles of this conflict, look up my article on MHO about the Swedish-Norwegian war of 1808-1814.
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I don't have a Twitter of Facebook account, so I just go around announcing out loudly what I am doing at random times. I've got 3 followers so far, but I think 2 of them are cops...
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| Michigan Dave
Muskegon, Michigan, MI, USA
Posts: 4983
| | Re: Norwegian Ski troops 1808 | | Posted on: 1/18/2013 6:26:19 AM | Hi Kai,
Seems like an intreging article, I know very little about your struggles with Sweden. looking forward to reading it in it's entirety. I have always admired your Ski Troops being a skier & hunter myself.
Regards,
Dave
PS Fascinating uniforms, they do seem a little Napoleonic Era however?
Also Congrats on your 1st MHOL article, I hope you do one, on your own modern day experiences, with Norway's Armed forces, in the Middle East, & Africa?
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"The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract."
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| scoucer
Berlin, Germany
Posts: 2233
| | Re: Norwegian Ski troops 1808 | | Posted on: 1/18/2013 4:53:11 PM | Hello Kai,
Fascinating stuff !
Trevor
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`Hey don´t the wars come easy and don´t the peace come hard`- Buffy Sainte-Marie
Some swim with the stream. Some swim against the stream. Me - I´m stuck somewhere in the woods and can´t even find the stupid stream.
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| kaii
London, UK
Posts: 1809
| | Re: Norwegian Ski troops 1808 | | Posted on: 1/18/2013 5:26:31 PM |
Quote:Hello Kai,
Fascinating stuff !
Trevor
--scoucer
Thought you might like it Trevor.
Many people seem to think that the Finns invented ski troops and snow camo in 1939, whereas they have been in regular use, and still are, in Scandinavia for over 1000 years.
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I don't have a Twitter of Facebook account, so I just go around announcing out loudly what I am doing at random times. I've got 3 followers so far, but I think 2 of them are cops...
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| kaii
London, UK
Posts: 1809
| | Re: Norwegian Ski troops 1808 | | Posted on: 1/20/2013 10:08:00 AM | Got a question about the skis they used:
They used one long (267cm) and one shorter (188cm) ski. The shorter one had a fur cover underneath, to increase manouverability and make it easier to go uphill;
The basic binding has not changed much since 1808, and similar systems are still used by modern army skis - which allow regular army boots to be used as ski boots;
Each company operated as a separate unit, and transported its own supplies of food, ammo, gunpowder etc, on sledges (called "pulk") pulled by a skier in front. Again, the design is remarably similar to what is used today, both by armed forces, as well as polar expeditions etc;
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I don't have a Twitter of Facebook account, so I just go around announcing out loudly what I am doing at random times. I've got 3 followers so far, but I think 2 of them are cops...
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| Michigan Dave
Muskegon, Michigan, MI, USA
Posts: 4983
| | Re: Norwegian Ski troops 1808 | | Posted on: 1/20/2013 10:21:51 AM | Hi Kai, are those Items at a museum some place in Norway? fascinating equipment. It would seem that alliances with other Europeon neighbors helped lead to this War? I have always been amazed at why certain countries formed military partnerships, and how they changed over the decades?
Great stuff,
MD
PS Are you going to a diplomatic "Super Bowl Party" again, this year?
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"The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract."
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| kaii
London, UK
Posts: 1809
| | Re: Norwegian Ski troops 1808 | | Posted on: 1/20/2013 10:38:47 AM |
Quote:Hi Kai, are those Items at a museum some place in Norway? fascinating equipment. It would seem that alliances with other Europeon neighbors helped lead to this War? I have always been amazed at why certain countries formed military partnerships, and how they changed over the decades?
Great stuff,
MD
PS Are you going to a diplomatic "Super Bowl Party" again, this year?
--Michigan Dave
Hi Dave,
yes the different items are spread out at different museums in Norway. There is a local re-enactment group that has done alot of work collecting equipment and restoring it, so we can today see in details what life as a soldier in 1808 was like. You are quite right, Norway was part of Denmark at the time, and was in 1814 fighting for complete independence, but in 1808 was drawn into the European conflict as a reslt of the Danish Alliance with France and Russia. All the fighting with Sweden was very small scale compared to the massive battles on mainland Europe of course.
Did not get an ivitation to the US Ambassador this year, unfortunately, so will watch the SB together with a bunch of American friends somewhere in Oslo probably. It is always good fun anyway, the American community here are good at throwing parties whene there are major events like the SB, Thanksgiving, elections etc.
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I don't have a Twitter of Facebook account, so I just go around announcing out loudly what I am doing at random times. I've got 3 followers so far, but I think 2 of them are cops...
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