Laponia Ranger Regiment

Story

The Lapland Ranger Regiment, designations I 22, I 22/Fo 66 and I 22/GJ 66, was a Swedish Army light infantry regiment, one of the few new formations raised in the 20th century. It was disbanded in 2000. The regiment was garrisoned in Lapland.HistoryThe regiment traced its origins from the elite "Skidlöparbataljonen", of Norrbotten Regiment, the battalion was raised in 1910 as the first modern ranger unit of the Swedish Army and the first unit specializing in Arctic warfare. The battalion was garrisoned in northern Lapland Kiruna in 1940 and was renamed in 1943 as Jägarbataljon K, K for Kiruna, which became Sweden's first special operation unit. In 1945 the battalion became an independent training unit under the army high command as the Army Ranger School for setting up and training three army corps ranger battalions and long range recon companies and special operation units. The unit received independent regimental status with a regimental standard from the hands of the King in 1975, and was renamed Lapplands jägarregemente I 22, I 22 stood for infantry regiment no 22. The Lapland Ranger Regiment was finally disbanded in 2000. Its tasks and personnel were largely transferred to the heavier equipped Norrland Dragoon Regiment, a former mounted ranger cavalry unit that had a de facto light infantry role, later in turn reorganized and downsized as "Armens jägarbataljon" as part of the Norrbotten Regiment, the original mother regiment of Lapland Rangers.