Gotlandia Regiment

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The Gotland Regiment, also P 18, was a Swedish Army armoured regiment that was active in various forms 1963–1994 and 2000–2005. The regiment was based in Visby as part of the Gotland Garrison.HistoryIn connection with the 1958 Defense Decision, the Riksdag decided that eight armored brigades with new combat vehicles would be organized in the army. A decision which was for economic reasons changed in August 1960, to include only seven armored brigades. The North Scania Regiment (I 6), South Scania Regiment (I 7), Södermanland Regiment (I 10) and Gotland Infantry Regiment (I 18) were the infantry regiments that were transferred from the infantry to the armored forces.On Gotland there was the detachment, the Göta pansarlivgardes kompani på Gotland, since 1944. The detachment was on 1 April 1963 merged in the new Gotland Regiment, forming the backbone of the new armored regiment. The Gotland Regiment was simultaneously given the designation P 18. It had previously been designated I 18 as an infantry regiment.In conjunction with the so called OLLI reform, which was carried out by the Swedish Armed Forces in 1973 and in 1975, A units and B units were created. The A units were regiments responsible for a defence area, and the B units were training regiments. In Gotland's case, it distinguished itself from the allotment on the mainland. This when the VII. Military Area was reorganized into Gotland Military Command (MKG) in 1966. The military command constituted a special command and control organization within the Eastern Military District, but did not have the overall responsibility for the administration of the island. Furthermore, the professional mobilization was led on a unit level. Through the reform, the full mobilization and material responsibility for the army units on Gotland. This meant that the Gotland Regiment, which was included in the Gotland Military Command (MKG), came to be a B unit (training regiment) as of 1 July 1974.