Hans Majestet Kongens Garde

Hans Majestet Kongens Garde
Insignia of Hans Majestet Kongens Garde
Active	1856–present
Country	Norway
Branch	Army
Type	Foot Guards
Role	Multi-Role Light Infantry Urban Warfare Public Duties
Size	Battalion
Part of	Norwegian Army
Garrison/HQ	Huseby leir, Oslo Terningmoen, Elverum
Nickname(s)	Garden, The Black Devils
Motto(s)	Alt for Kongen! (Everything for the King!)
March	Gammel jegermarsj (Old Hunter's March)
Mascot(s)	Sir Nils Olav (king penguin)
Anniversaries	10 April, 1 November
Engagements	Midtskogen, Lundehøgda
Commanders
Commander of the Guard (Gardesjef)	Lieutenant Colonel Jan Frederik Geiner
Ceremonial chief	HM The King

Hans Majestet Kongens Garde (HMKG) (lit., His Majesty The King's Guard; the Royal Guards) is a battalion of the Norwegian Army. The battalion has two main roles; it serves as the Norwegian King's bodyguards, guarding the royal residences (the Royal Palace in Oslo, Bygdøy Kongsgård and Skaugum) and Akershus Fortress in Oslo, and is also the main infantry unit responsible for the defence of Oslo. The HMKG is located in Huseby leir in Oslo. Huseby leir is located on the old Oslo farm Nordre Huseby gård (Northern Huseby farm), which was acquired by the Norwegian government in the late 19th century.

The first all-Norwegian unit of the royal guard of Sweden and Norway were a 38-man strong squadron of despatch riders from the Akerhusiske ridende Jægercorpses gevorbne Escadron, and its main function was to go as messengers between Stockholm and Christiania. By 1856 this service was obsolete, and the king decided to form a new Norwegian infantry company to be part of the guard. The Norwegian guards company was formally formed from members of the Norwegian Corps of Jäger, mainly from Stjørdal, on 8 November 1856 by King Oscar I, in order to underline his status as king of both Norway and Sweden. The company moved from to Kristiania in 1888, where, in addition to its guards duties, it served as a trials unit. On Norway's independence in 1905, the company became the new guards unit for the King of Norway, Haakon VII and was increased to battalion size. The battalion served with distinction during the Second World War, where it prevented the Wehrmacht from capturing the Royal Family and the Cabinet at the Midtskogen Gård on 10 April. This gave the Guards its first battle honour. Later in the campaign, the Guards fought with distinction on Dovrefjell and at Lundehøgda, near Lillehammer, winning their third battle honour. During the campaign in central Norway they were known among the German soldiers who fought them as "die schwarzen Teufel" or "the black devils", due to their ferocity and dark uniforms.