| Sirius Dog Sled Patrol | |
|---|---|
| Slædepatruljen Sirius | |
 Badge of the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol | |
| Founded | 1941; 85 years ago (1941) |
| Country |  Kingdom of Denmark |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of Denmark |
| Branch | Joint Arctic Command |
| Role | Reconnaissance Enforcing national sovereignty Information operations |
| Size | 14[1] |
| Garrison/HQ | Daneborg (74° 18'N 20° 14'W) |
| Nickname | Siriuspatruljen |
| Mascot | Asled dog |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Chief of Defence | GeneralFlemming Lentfer |
| Chief of Joint Arctic Command | Maj. Gen. Kim Jesper Jørgensen |
TheSirius Dog Sled Patrol (Danish:Slædepatruljen Sirius), known informally asSiriuspatruljen (the Sirius Patrol) and formerly known asNorth-East Greenland Sledge Patrol andResolute Dog Sled Patrol,[1] is aneliteDanish naval unit. It conductslong-range reconnaissance patrolling, and enforces Danish sovereignty in the Arctic wilderness of northern and easternGreenland, an area that includes theNortheast Greenland National Park, which is the largest national park in the world.[2] Patrolling is usually done in pairs and usingdog sleds with about a dozendogs, sometimes for four months and often without additional human contact.
The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol has the ability to engage militarily, and has done so historically. Its purpose is to maintain Danish sovereignty and police its area of responsibility.[3] The physical and psychological demands for acceptance into the unit are exceptional.
In 1933 theinternational court of theLeague of Nations ruled in the Danish-Norwegian dispute overErik the Red's Land that for it to remain Danish, Denmark had to assert its sovereignty there.[4] Initially, this presence was in the form of two fixed police stations.[5]
The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, first known as the North-East Greenland Sledge Patrol, was activated in the summer of 1941 duringWorld War II to conduct long-range reconnaissance patrols along the northeast coast ofGreenland thereby preventing German presence there. Its headquarters was atEskimonæs, which had been until then a scientific station.[6] At the time, the Germans established a number of secretweather stations on the eastern coast of the island to provide them with invaluable meteorological information,[8] both to assist theirU-boat campaign and to predict the weather in theEuropean theatre. Thus the patrol's discovery of these stations denied Germany such information with significant implications both for theBattle of the Atlantic and for air and land fighting inEurope, despite the enormous distance of Greenland from the main theatres of war.[citation needed]
The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol cooperated[when?] withNanok East Greenland Fishing Company, the only other organization active in the remote area, which built a number of hunting huts in the uninhabited expanses of north eastern Greenland.[6]
The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol discovered[when?] the German weather stationHolzauge at Hansa Bay on the northeast coast ofSabine Island, which was subsequently destroyed byUnited States Army Air Forces (USAAF) bombers fromIceland. During the war, the unit suffered one man killed in action. Two others were captured by German forces, but escaped and rejoined the patrol.[9]
In 2008, theNational Bank of Denmark issued a 10-DKKcommemorative coin of Sirius.[10]
On 16 September 2023, an unwitnessedtsunami resulting from the2023 Greenland landslide struck the northern part ofElla Island, penetrating 50 metres (55 yd) inland and devastating the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol station there, washing much of it into the sea. The station was closed for the winter, and no one was present when the wave hit. Thecruise shipOcean Albatros arrived on the scene on 17 September and contacted theJoint Arctic Command with the first report of the damage. On 19 September, personnel from the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol and theRoyal Danish Navypatrol vesselHDMS Knud Rasmussen began clean-up and salvage work at the site, which they completed by 21 September despite a 20 September warning by officials to ships in the area to avoid putting crew members or passengers ashore because of a risk of additional tsunamis.[11][12]
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Since October 2012, theJoint Arctic Command has been responsible for the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol.[13]
The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol used to be operationally under theGreenland Command, and administratively under theRoyal Danish Navy and also representsDenmark's military presence in northeastGreenland.
The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol operates in the northern and northeastern part of Greenland, from the west coast ofHall Land (Petermann Fjord andGlacier)81°04′N61°40′W / 81.067°N 61.667°W /81.067; -61.667 toCape Biot north ofFleming Fjord71°53′N22°33′W / 71.883°N 22.550°W /71.883; -22.550. The flying distance between the two points is about 2,100 kilometres (1,300 mi), but the length along the coastline is far greater, around 16,000 kilometres (9,900 mi) TheGreenland ice sheet is not a part of the patrolled area.
The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol is stationed atDaneborg (74°11′N20°08′W / 74.18°N 20.14°W /74.18; -20.14), and maintains personnel atStation Nord,Danmarkshavn, andMestersvig.
The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol uses more than 50 depot huts scattered across the patrolled area. The depot huts are resupplied by small boats in the southern area, and by aircraft in the northern part.
The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol consists of sixdog sled teams for the duration of the year, each consisting of two men, and 11 to 15 dogs. When traveling, each team carries approximately 350 to 500 kilograms (770 to 1,100 lb), depending on the distance to the next depot.
As of 2015, the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol consisted of 12 patrolmen and two radio operators.[1]
Sled patrolling is divided into two periods. Depending on when the ice becomes thick enough, the autumn patrol starts sometime in November, and lasts until late-December. The sun sets for the last time around the beginning of November, and in the increasing darkness the winter storms get progressively worse, and more frequent. Getting home before Christmas is therefore not always possible for members of the unit. Around the end of January, when the weather stabilizes, and the sun reappears, the longer journeys begin and last until June, when the ice begins to break apart and drift southwards. During this period, the six sled teams will cover a large part of the coastline, and within a period of three to four years all areas will be visited.
Candidates for the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol must have completed their compulsory service in the Danish Defense. At the tryouts, seven men are selected to start on about six months of various training courses. Women can apply, but none have yet.[14]
The courses run from December to the end of May. The final group consisting of six men is picked as late as two to three weeks before they depart to Greenland for 26 consecutive months.
Contrary to popular belief,King Frederik X never patrolled with the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, but in 2000,he did participate in Expedition Sirius 2000 with four previous members of the patrol and a camera team, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol. Subsequently, a piece of land was named after him.
Because of the special nature of the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol operations, a wide range of unique equipment is required that is not normally used by the Danish armed forces.[3][15]
Theissued service weapons also reflect the special arctic operational conditions and requirements. Among the equipment used by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol is theM1917 Enfield bolt-action rifle chambered in.30-06 Springfield, known in Danish service as theGevær M/53 (17), and theGlock 20 pistol chambered in10mm Auto.[16][17][18]
The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol uses the standard .30-06 Springfield 163–168-grain (10.56–10.89 g) M2 armor-piercing military rifle round (normally intended for use against lightly armored vehicles, protective shelters, and personnel, and can be identified by its black bullet tip.[19][20]). The patrolmen are uniquely allowed to usehollow-point civilian rounds (loaded with a type ofexpanding bulletprohibited in warfare for Danish and many other armed forces by theHague Convention of 1899[21]) to defend themselves against dangerous wild animals.[22]The patrolmen feel that the M2 armor-piercing military round is best against aggressivepolar bears at long range, but that the hollow-point civilian rounds are better against an enragedmusk ox. Typically, the patrolmen arrange their magazine so every third round is a hollow-point.[23]
The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol formerly usedPistol M/49 sidearms chambered in9×19mm Parabellum, but they proved insufficient as a last resort defence against the polar bears encountered, and the current issueGlock 20 pistol chambered in more powerful10mm Auto (10×25mm) was adopted.[24]
The advantage of an 'old fashion' bolt-action rifle in the high arctic is obvious—no matter how cold or icy it gets, that bolt can be worked by the shooter. Under severe arctic winter conditions, the bolts of automatic rifles may jam. The use of 'full-sized' cartridges was dictated by two factors: range and effectiveness againstpolar bears. Most Danish units use 9mm automatics like the CF but the Sirius Patrol learned through hard experience that 9mms had insufficient 'stopping power' to deal with angry adult polar bears. As a result, Sirius Patrol members carry more powerful 10mm pistols for self-defence, employing the 10mm Glock 20 automatic.
