Crown Princess Mary and the Danish Home Guard: 2008 - 2023


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Summary of article in Billed Bladet #12, 2015.
Written by Ulrik Ulriksen.

As you may recall Mary attended an exhibition at Copenhagen townhall with painting depicting the various roles of the Home Guard.
Outside waited an honor guard and a flower girl in the shape of three year old Mathilde, dressed in her finest princess-outfit.
Presented with a bouquet almost the size of the girl, Mary went down and talked to the shy girl. Fortunately dad was right behind and could offer support.
Mary said: "Hi, how fine you are. - What a neat dress. My daughter Isabella has got one like that". And Mary touched the dress.

Outside a group of kindergarten children had stumbled across the event and they got a wave from Mary, so did a number of Chinese tourists who got an extra bonus
 
:previous:

Thanks Polyesco. Nice picture of Mary. She isn't the wife of a frogman Frederik for nothing :cool:

Kongehuset.dk informs that there will not be any press access during the field exercise tomorrow. But the Home Guard will later tomorrow publish press photos from the exercise.
 
Yes Im sure Frederik encouraged her and gave her some good pointers. :flowers:
Looking forward to the pictures. She also has another event tomorrow
 
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In connection with today's field exercise, Mary was appointed First Lieutenant in the Danish Home Guard.
 
H.K.H. Kronprinsessen på feltøvelse med Hjemmeværnet

Mary, who has indeed been promoted to first lieutenant, took part in various exercises today and watched a live fire exercise as well.
As I understand the text Mary took a direct part in an exercise in base security, a thing the Home Guard is doing a lot these days, freeing regular units for other tasks.

http://www.hjv.dk/oe/HJK/nyheder/Documents/180915-HJV-Svend-Goenge-151.jpg
Here Mary is getting her second diamond (star), showing that she is now first lieutenant.

There are so many camouflage variants today, but I'm pretty certain Mary is here greeting a member of the US National Guard. The Danish Home Guard and units of the US National Guard (Nevada IIRC) work close together and that includes taking part in each others exercises.
http://www.hjv.dk/oe/HJK/nyheder/Documents/180915-HJV-Svend-Goenge-378.jpg

This exercise is named after a Danish national her, Sven "Gønge" Poulsen, who was a captain of a band of what was basically irregulars during one of the Swedish-Danish wars in the 1600's. His reports are preserved and very cool and matter of fact. He killed and executed more than a hundred Swedes during one raid in then Swedish occupied Zealand. That was remarkable, even for a war that was unusually brutal and bloody - and we are talking about the 1600's!

Basically the same pics from the DRF site: Feltøvelse med Hjemmeværnet - Kongehuset
 
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Thanks Archduchess Zelia and Muhler :flowers:

And we have HQ pictures:

http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe...-hjemmevarnet/feltovelse-med-hjemmevarnet.img
http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe...jemmevarnet/feltovelse-med-hjemmevarnet-2.img
http://www.hjv.dk/oe/HJK/nyheder/Documents/180915-HJV-Svend-Goenge-127.jpg
http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe...jemmevarnet/feltovelse-med-hjemmevarnet-3.img
http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe...jemmevarnet/feltovelse-med-hjemmevarnet-4.img

Gallery from Kongehuset:
Feltøvelse med Hjemmeværnet - Kongehuset

Gallery and article from HJV:
H.K.H. Kronprinsessen på feltøvelse med Hjemmeværnet

*

Along with around 500 volunteers from The Home Guard HRH The Crown Princess was today on exercise and practiced in today's challenges in Vordingborg Barracks and Korselitse Mellemskov.

The Crown Princess began the day's exercises in the shooting area where the volunteers completed sharpshooting. Then The Crown Princess participated in a caretaking exercise on Vordingborg barracks and was part of the security cohort.

The Crown Princess unabashedly completed the challenges she was met with side by side with the other Home Guard soldiers.

"The Home Guard are pleased and proud of the Crown Princess' participation in the exercises. We greatly appreciate the recognition the Crown Princess again and again shows the Home Guard, the volunteers and the tasks that they contribute to the Defense and society." - Chief of the Home Guard, Major General Finn Winkler.

Crown Princess Mary has been a member of The Home Guard since 2008.
Queen Margrethe is a member too IIRC.

DR article:

Kronprinsesse Mary er udnævnt til premierløjtnant | Sjælland | DR
 
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Muhler said:
H.K.H. Kronprinsessen på feltøvelse med Hjemmeværnet

Mary, who has indeed been promoted to first lieutenant, took part in various exercises today and watched a live fire exercise as well.
As I understand the text Mary took a direct part in an exercise in base security, a thing the Home Guard is doing a lot these days, freeing regular units for other tasks.
Click to expand...

"Kronprinsessen indledte dagens øvelser i skydeterrænet ved Korselitse Mellemskov på Falster, hvor de frivillige hjemmeværnssoldater gennemførte skarpskydning."

Doesn't this mean, that she also took part in the fire exercise? Not just watched, I mean?
 
Nordic said:
"Kronprinsessen indledte dagens øvelser i skydeterrænet ved Korselitse Mellemskov på Falster, hvor de frivillige hjemmeværnssoldater gennemførte skarpskydning."

Doesn't this mean, that she also took part in the fire exercise? Not just watched, I mean?
Click to expand...

Could be, but I don't think so. Judging from a photo it looks more like she was observing.
Especially as I think this was a "handlebane" = where you move through the terrain and fire at objects that sometimes suddenly appear. I don't think Mary is that often on the firing range for her to be confident in taking part in this.
 
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Fantastic photos. And Im glad she takes part in the Home guard. Here is hoping that Isabella and Josephine do the same : )

Roskilde said:
DR article:

Kronprinsesse Mary er udnævnt til premierløjtnant | Sjælland | DR
Click to expand...

Maybe its my google translate but it sounds like Mary took part in the shooting exercise?

"Crown Princess Mary attended Friday's program, thereby achieving, among other things to assist in sharp shooting drills in the shooting area by Korselitse on Falster and in a guarding exercise at Vordingborg Barracks.

There is a tradition of royals take military training. The Crown Princess is the first among the royals who pulls the Home Guard shirt. Queen Margrethe is trained in the Air Force while Crown Prince Frederik has had his military training in the army."
Not sure about the last sentence, I think Frederik is mostly associated with the Navy ;)
 
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polyesco said:
Maybe its my google translate but it sounds like Mary took part in the shooting exercise?

"Crown Princess Mary attended Friday's program, thereby achieving, among other things to assist in sharp shooting drills in the shooting area by Korselitse on Falster and in a guarding exercise at Vordingborg Barracks.

There is a tradition of royals take military training. The Crown Princess is the first among the royals who pulls the Home Guard shirt. Queen Margrethe is trained in the Air Force while Crown Prince Frederik has had his military training in the army."
Not sure about the last sentence, I think Frederik is mostly associated with the Navy ;)
Click to expand...

It does, but the wording isn't absolutely clear, so for the time being I'll lean more towards Mary watching live fire drills.

Perhaps they refer to the basic training (boot camp)? Frederik was a recruit in the Royal Lifeguards before going to NCO school.

QMII was a "Lotte" a female auxiliary (WAC in English) attached to the air force back then. Even though they received some basic training, women were not supposed to be anywhere near a front line.
Later on the WAC's became a part of the Home Guard, still as a auxiliaries though. (*) During the 90's the WAC's ceased to exist and women were from then on a part of the various Home Guard companies, trained and issued the same weapons as men and with the same duties, which naturally includes combat. IIRC a woman serving in the Home Guard was killed in action in Afghanistan.

(*) In my time they were issued sub-machine guns that were hopeless weapons in combat. As we were expected to be overrun by East German divisions and Polish Marines in particular, they would inevitably have seen combat and been massacred. An antique sub-machine gun being no match against an assault rifle.
In fact the poor girls were not allowed to fire the weapons at full auto for fear of the weapons breaking down!
I qualified for sub-machine guns myself and they are basically only useful at close quarters and for making a lot of noise.
The female auxiliaries were not issued the M75 (HK 7.62/G3)like the men because it was deemed too heavy for the frail girls.
Fortunately the M95 (C5/Canadian version of the M16) was introduced in the mid 90's, also in the Home Guard, and there was no longer an excuse for women not to be full active members.
 
Mary rocks that uniform almost as well as Frederik! It's interesting that unit(s) from the USA were there, too. I wonder why Nevada? The western US terrain is very different than Denmark's. But maybe that has nothing to do with it. I have read that some US special forces go to Denmark for frogman training, because it's more demanding.
 
MidwestMom said:
Mary rocks that uniform almost as well as Frederik! It's interesting that unit(s) from the USA were there, too. I wonder why Nevada? The western US terrain is very different than Denmark's. But maybe that has nothing to do with it. I have read that some US special forces go to Denmark for frogman training, because it's more demanding.
Click to expand...

Correction.
The Home Guard is working with the National Guard in South Dakota, Kentucky and Virginia:
http://www.hjv.dk/oe/TRNM/nyheder/Arkiv%20nyheder/2014/2014-06-27%20Gode%20tilbagemeldinger%20fra%20National%20Guard.pdf

They started out by taking part in an exercise, most Danes being veterans from base security duty in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo. That worked out well, so National Guardsmen went to DK to take part in exercises here. And now they co-operate routinely.
Some Americans even being decorated as an appreciation for the good relations and mutually beneficial experiences:
Guardsmen Awarded Danish Homeguard Medal

You can read more about the co-operation here and learn more about the modernized and much more professional force the Danish Home Guard has evolved into:
The close partnership between US National Guard and Danish Home Guard has now been operationalized

Virginia Army Guard takes part in exchange program with Danish Home Guard > National Guard > Article View

Danish Home Guard
 
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:previous: Thank you for that post, Muhler. Interesting and informative. :flowers:
 
I saw these comments from Home Guards members on Facebook:

"Have seen her with mud on both boots, knees and elbows and blurring of the face"

"I have also met her in HJV (read: Home Guard) context, and she's just so natural. Respect for her and our entire royal family."
https://www.facebook.com/BevarKonge...otal_comments=33&comment_tracking={"tn":"R9"}

"I was together with a Home Guard man yesterday who said that Mary is even more beautiful in real life than in pictures ..... oh my boy"
 https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=049d81e390b535e2d6be94e5c368c14b&oe=5664844E
 
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:previous: always nice to read these comments thank you for including them and translating.
You guys definitely have a warm and genuine crown princess (and crown prince too)
 
Great photos and she sure makes a great pin up girl for encouraging women to join.
Many thanks for the info Mulher, and Roskilde and all who posted links.
I remember that photo of Mary & Caroline learning to shoot from some years back. Basic training kind of thing.
 
Roskilde said:
I saw these comments from Home Guards members on Facebook:

"Have seen her with mud on both boots, knees and elbows and blurring of the face"

"I have also met her in HJV (read: Home Guard) context, and she's just so natural. Respect for her and our entire royal family."
https://www.facebook.com/BevarKonge...otal_comments=33&comment_tracking={"tn":"R9"}

"I was together with a Home Guard man yesterday who said that Mary is even more beautiful in real life than in pictures ..... oh my boy"
https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=049d81e390b535e2d6be94e5c368c14b&oe=5664844E
Click to expand...

polyesco said:
:previous: always nice to read these comments thank you for including them and translating.
You guys definitely have a warm and genuine crown princess (and crown prince too)
Click to expand...


I agree, and would like to add my thanks also for the translation of the comments, as Tarlita said Mary makes a great pin up girl for encouraging women to join.
 
Once again good photos from the Daily Mail. Thanks for the link Muhler. I assume the story is fairly accurate??
 
:previous: You are welcome, Tarlita. :)

The story is consistent with the Home Guard press release.
 
this weekend, Mary will once again participate in the Home Guard exercises
H.K.H. Kronprinsessen deltager i Hjemmeværnets Landsøvelse 2016 | Kongehuset

"HRH Crown Princess participating in the Home Guard Country Practice 2016 4-5th June. Ryes Kaserne, Treldevej 110, Fredericia, kl. 8.00."

an article about it. The Queen will inspect the parade on Sunday
Kronprinsesse Mary klar til kamp i weekenden | BILLED-BLADET

"During the Land exercise will Crown Princess Mary have the opportunity to see exercise activities in Hærhjemmeværnet, Business Home Guard, Air Force Home and Marine Guard.
In addition, the Crown Princess, who is lieutenant in the Home Guard, participate in rural practice parade by Bülow's Barracks in Fredericia, where the queen receives and inspects the troops."
 
 
What a lovely event for Mary. This is more like an outdoors, fun activity than an official event. Must say, its nice for a change. Mary looks very relaxed and at ease.
 
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