Norway - Coastal Artillery, 1914-2002

Norge, Noreg

Last modified: 2003-04-05 by sean mckinniss
Keywords: norway | rank flag | coastal artillery | pennant |
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• Coastal Artillery
• Inspector General
• Brigadier

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• Fortress Commanders
• Commodore
• Commander, Senior Grade
• Commander, Coastal Artillery Fortress
• Captain, Coastal Artillery Fortress
• Pennant of Mine Units

See also:

• Norway
• Historical Flags
• Historical rank flags
• Officer Rank Flags

Coastal Artillery

The Coastal Artillery was set up as a separate service under the Army in 1899. From 1933 it was linked to the Navy, which it has been since, except the 1953-57 period when it was again under the Army.

They are all now probably obsolete due to the fact that the Costal Artillery does not exist as a separate institution anymore. As of 1 January this year what remained of it was integrated into the new naval Kysteskadren.

Jan Oskar Engene, 20 July 2002

In the 1914 soldier's handbook the Inspector General of the Coastal Artillery is shown to have a white flag charged with red-white-blue-white-red diagonal stripes running from the bottom hoist to the top fly. There is a red star in the upper hoist corner. The flag is repeated in the handbooks for 1917, 1923 and 1928, but is not in the navy handbook of 1965. The German navy flag book of 1939 has a note saying that the red star appears if the Inspector General is a Major-General, but that it is without the star if he is a Brigadier or Colonel. This is not noted in my Norwegian sources. The flag was 3:4 in proportions (the coloured stripes in ratio 3:2:4:2:3). The flag is no longer in use.

White flag with diagonally set Norwegian national stripes (rising) and with a red five-pointed star in canton.

The flag is abandoned apparently in 1960s. Also, writing from memory, the Coastal Artillery was separate branch of Norwegian military apart from either Navy or Army, and that after the WWII (so maybe late 50's or 60's) it became service within the Navy. (Is this still so?) Therefore the position of the Inspector General of Coastal Artillery was obsolete, so as the flag.

Zeljko Heimer, 18 July 2002

The CA was transferred back and forth between the Navy and Army, and had a separate existence at times. Unfortunately I have not seen a full historical treatment of CA flags.

Jan Oskar Engene, 20 July 2002

As above but without the star. It is not used today.

Zeljko Heimer, 18 July 2002

Commanders of the fortresses Oscarsborg (controlling the approach to Oslo) and Vardohus (in the north, close to Russia) fly a special pennant that is white with horizontal stripes in the national colours. The pennant is 1:2 in proportions, and the relationship between the stripes at the hoist is 9:3:2:4:2:3:9 (according to the 1939 German navy flag book). Red stars indicate the rank of the commander.

Commodores have three stars, two set side by side on the top white panel and one set in the bottom white panel.

White triangular pennant with Norwegian national stripes allong the middle and with three (two above stripes, one below) red five-pointed stars.

Zeljko Heimer, 18 July 2002

A Commander Senior Grade has two stars set side by side in the upper white panel.

As above, but only two stars above the stripes.

Zeljko Heimer, 18 July 2002

Commanders a single star in the top white panel. These pennants are still in use.

Zeljko Heimer, 18 July 2002

When I was prepairing this notes to take them on hollyday I was not very clear in writing them, so I wrote to myself only: "Flaggenbuch only, JOE no word". However, I have forgotten to prepaire the image, or to write myself down what was this flag like. Of course, now I don't remember and have nowhere to check. I guess it might be the same pennant as above, but without the stars at all. Anyone?

Zeljko Heimer, 18 July 2002

Right: As 3-4-5 but no star.

Jan Oskar Engene, 20 July 2002

In the inter-war period there was also a pennant for lower officers commanding mine units of the Coastal Artillery. This was white with a short swallowtail and broad vertical bands in the national colours. It appears in the 1923 soldier's handbook (but not in the earlier editions I have access to). It is no longer in use.

Swallow-tailed white triangular pennnat with norwegian national stripes vertically. Shown in Flaggenbuch, but it seems that it is not used any more (mine units of CA were disbanded? givent to some other service?). IIRC (and I did not made note about it) the dimensions of the flag are not given in Flaggenbuch, and my image is done by measuring the image there.

Zeljko Heimer, 18 July 2002

SOURCES:

Handbok for menige. "Blaboka", Horten, 1965

Norsk soldatbok, Fredrikshald, 1923

Norsk soldatbok, Oslo, 1928

Soldatens bok, Kristiania, 1914

Flaggenbuch, Berlin, 1939

Munksgaard, Jan Henrik: "Militaere kommando- og rangflagg i Norden. Norge", Nordisk flagkontakt, No. 19, 1994