Ten-hut! March of the Norwegians . . . commence!

This impressive group of Norway’s finest fighting men was inspected Monday by its mascot and ceremonial leader, Sir Nils Olav III — a king penguin from the Edinburgh Zoo.

The decorated penguin had already been given the rank and title of colonel and knight by King Harald V of Norway.

Sir Nils was promoted to brigadier in charge of the King of Norway Guard at the elaborate ceremony.

He waddled up and down the line, closely inspecting his charges, who are responsible for guarding the king and the royal residences.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual show of military-themed entertainment, where Norway and the UK also celebrate their history as allies.

“This is just a simply fantastic example of the great relations between our two countries, and it couldn’t be a more charming tradition,” said Brigadier David Allfrey, producer and chief executive of Tattoo.

“At the Tattoo, we, of course, have many inspecting officers, but this is by far my favorite. Congratulations, Brigadier Olav!”

The penguin-based diplomacy goes back more than a century.

Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole in 1911, and Norway gave the Edinburgh Zoo its first penguin in 1913 to celebrate it’s opening.

When the Norwegian King’s Guard visited for a Tattoo in 1972, a lieutenant, Nils Egelien, arranged for the military to adopt one of the zoo’s finest penguin specimens — which was named Nils Olav after the lieutenant and King Olav V.

Sir Nils is the third such penguin to serve.