Taistelu Norjasta, Norjan taistelu tai Norjan miehitys oli konflikti, jonka myötä Saksa valloitti Norjan toisessa maailmansodassa huhti–kesäkuussa 1940.
Operaation päätavoitteena oli varmistaa Saksan sotateollisuudelle tärkeä rautamalmi saanti Ruotsista. Operaatio eteni nopeasti ja Norja yllätettiin pahasti. Liittoutuneet saapuivat norjalaisten avuksi, ja vaikka vastaiskut maan eteläosissa jäivät tuloksettomiksi, pohjois-Norjassa saksalaiset kokivat koko sodan ensimmäisen tappionsa Narvikin taistelussa.
Saksan hyökkäys Ranskaan toukokuussa 1940 kuitenkin sai liittoutuneet vetäytymään Norjasta, jonka jälkeen maan oli antauduttava saksalaisille, ja sen hallitus lähti Lontooseen. Norja pysyi miehitettynä toukokuuhun 1945, jolloin brittijoukot saapuivat maahan, ja saksalaisjoukot antautuivat ilman vastarintaa.
Saksalaiset joukot tukenaan noin 1 000 lentokonetta hyökkäsivät Tanskaan ja Norjaan aikaisin yöllä 9. huhtikuuta 1940. Tanska vallattiin muutamassa tunnissa.
Kaikkien aikojen ensimmäinen maahanlaskuhyökkäys tehtiin Oslon ja Stavangerin lentokentille Norjassa. Laivat laskivat sotilaita kuuteen eri kohteeseen. Norjan kuudella divisioonalla ei ollut panssarijoukkoja eikä tehokasta tykistöä, ja maan rannikkopuolustus oli huonosti varustettu.
Kun Norjan armeijan ylipäällikkö Kristian Laake sai tiedon että saksalaiset sotalaivat liikkuivat Oslonvuonoa pitkin kohti Norjan pääkaupunkia Osloa, hän ei aluksi suhtautunut tähän kovin vakavissaan. Useimmat Oslonvuonon linnakkeet (jotka olivat vanhoja ja puutteellisesti aseistettuja) antautuivat ilman vastarintaa tai vallattiin nopeasti, mutta ikivanha linnake Oscarsborg onnistui tykistötulella ja torpedoilla upottamaan raskaan risteilijä Blücherin, joka vei mukanaan satoja sotilaita, jotkut arviot ovat puhuneet jopa tuhannesta saksalaisesta.
Henkiinjääneet saksalaiset uivat rantaan, missä norjalaiset vangitsivat heidät hetkeksi. Vangiksi joutui myös Oslon hyökkäystä komentava kenraali Erich Engelbrecht. Tämä viivästytti hieman saksalaisten Oslon valtausta, ja Norjan Kuningas Haakon pystyi tämän seurauksena pakenemaan Elverumiin hallituksensa kanssa.
Saksalaisia laskuvarjojääkäreita lähetettiin Elverumia kohti vangitsemaan kuningas ja maan tärkeimmät poliitikot , mutta he joutuivat norjalaisten väijytykseen ja pakenivat sekasorrossa, menettäen komentajansa, kapteeni Eberhard Spillerin.
Narvikin edustalla kaksi vanhaa norjalaista rannikkopuolustusalusta, Eidsvold ja Norge, tekivät vastarintaa kolmelle saksalaislaivalle, joka kuljetti kenraali Eduard Dietlin joukkoja Narvikiin. Eidsvold ampui varoituslaukauksen saksalaista Heidkampia kohti. Saksalaista saattuetta komentava Friedrich Bonte lähetti norjalaisalukseen neuvottelijan.
Norjalaiset kieltäytyivät päästämästä saksalaisia satamaan. Saksalaisten neuvottelija lähti Eidsvoldista, ja tämän jälkeen Heidkamp upotti aluksen ampumalla siihen kolme torpedoa. Norge alkoi tämän jälkeen tulittaa toista saksalaisalusta, Arminia, mutta tuloksettomasti. Armin laukaisi torpedoja, jotka upottivat myös Norgen. Taistelussa kuoli satoja norjalaisia uppoavien laivojen mukana. Tämän jälkeen saksalaiset ajoivat Narvikin satamaan.
Narvikissa oli vain heikko maapuolustus, ja kaupungin oli antauduttava ilman taistelua. Seuraavina päivinä Kuninkaallinen laivasto teki Narvikin edustalla yllätyshyökkäyksiä Saksan laivasto-osastoja vastaan (Narvikin ensimmäinen taistelu 10. huhtikuuta ja Narvikin toinen taistelu 13. huhtikuuta).
Varmistettuaan ensimmäiset sillanpääasemansa saksalaiset käynnistivät varsinaisen Norjan valloituksen. Norjalaiset puolustautuivat sitkeästi Mjosa järvellä ja Glomman laaksossa.
Norjan hallitus neuvotteli, pitäisikö heidän lähteä maasta Ruotsiin. Pääministeri kannatti tätä, mutta kuningas Haakon kieltäytyi ehdottomasti. Norjan hallitus siirtyikin väliaikaisesti Lillehammeriin ja päätti jatkaa taistelua. Laake oli murtunut henkisesti, mutta hänen tilalleen Norjan armeijan ylipäälliköksi nimitettiin kenraali Otto Ruge jota pidettiin edeltäjäänsä tarmokkaampana.
Kun Norjan armeija pantiin liikekannalle, kutsuun vastasi noin 40 000 miestä. Armeijan aseistus oli erittäin huono, mutta taisteluhenki sitä vastoin hyvä - aseisiin saapuneet olivat pääosin intohimoisia patriootteja.
14. huhtikuuta varsinainen liittoutuneiden siirtoarmeija, noin 10 000 miestä, joka muodostettiin alun perin auttamaan Suomea, nousi maihin Namsoksessa (operaatiot Henry ja Maurice), Åndalsnesissa, Ålesundissa ja Moldessa (operaatiot Primrose ja Sickle) sekä Narvikissa (operaatio Rupert). Tarkoitus oli vallata takaisin Trondheim, jotta Norjaan saataisiin suuri sillanpääasema. Joukot olivat huonosti valmistautuneet taisteluun eivätkä yhteydet norjalaisiin toimineet. Liittoutuneiden joukot eivät kyenneet yhteistoimintaan, eikä niitä oltu koulutettu sodankäyntiin pohjoisessa.
Operaatio Henryn eli Namsoksen maihinnousu alueen varmistaminen Trondheimin pohjoispuolella tapahtui 14. huhtikuuta, kun etukomennuskunta nousi maihin Namsoksessa. Kuninkaallisen merijalkaväen kapteenin Eddin komentama 350 merimiehen ja merijalkaväen sotilaan joukko varmisti alueelle tulevan tien sillan ja miinoitti sataman laitteet.
Varsinainen maihinnousu eli Operaatio Maurice tehtiin 16.–17.huhtikuuta. Pääjoukkona oli brittiläinen 146. Prikaati (Pataljoonat Lincolnshiren, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry-, York- ja Lancaster-rykmenteistä) komentajanaan kenraali Carton de Wiart, joka saapui paikalle lentoveneellä. Lisäjoukkoina alueelle toimitettiin ranskalaisia alppijääkäreitä sekä jonkin verran kevyttä tykistöä sekä ilmatorjuntatykkejä.
Hyökkäys Trondheimiin alkoi 20. huhtikuuta. Saksalaiset pitivät asemansa ja odottivat lisäjoukkoja. Saksan ilmavoimat tuki puolustajia.
Lopulta 30. huhtikuuta raskaita tappioita kärsineet liittoutuneet perääntyivät.
Trondheimin operaation epäonnistuttua liittoutuneet evakuoivat Namsoksen ja Åndalsnesin 1.–2. toukokuuta. Yli puolet Norjasta oli nyt saksalaisten käsissä ja toukokuun alussa tilanne vakiintui asemasodaksi Narvikin eteläpuolelle.
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Operaation päätavoitteena oli varmistaa Saksan sotateollisuudelle tärkeä rautamalmi saanti Ruotsista. Operaatio eteni nopeasti ja Norja yllätettiin pahasti. Liittoutuneet saapuivat norjalaisten avuksi, ja vaikka vastaiskut maan eteläosissa jäivät tuloksettomiksi, pohjois-Norjassa saksalaiset kokivat koko sodan ensimmäisen tappionsa Narvikin taistelussa.
Saksalaiset joukot tukenaan noin 1 000 lentokonetta hyökkäsivät Tanskaan ja Norjaan aikaisin yöllä 9. huhtikuuta 1940. Tanska vallattiin muutamassa tunnissa.
Narvikin edustalla kaksi vanhaa norjalaista rannikkopuolustusalusta, Eidsvold ja Norge, tekivät vastarintaa kolmelle saksalaislaivalle, joka kuljetti kenraali Eduard Dietlin joukkoja Narvikiin. Eidsvold ampui varoituslaukauksen saksalaista Heidkampia kohti. Saksalaista saattuetta komentava Friedrich Bonte lähetti norjalaisalukseen neuvottelijan.
Norjalaiset kieltäytyivät päästämästä saksalaisia satamaan. Saksalaisten neuvottelija lähti Eidsvoldista, ja tämän jälkeen Heidkamp upotti aluksen ampumalla siihen kolme torpedoa. Norge alkoi tämän jälkeen tulittaa toista saksalaisalusta, Arminia, mutta tuloksettomasti. Armin laukaisi torpedoja, jotka upottivat myös Norgen. Taistelussa kuoli satoja norjalaisia uppoavien laivojen mukana. Tämän jälkeen saksalaiset ajoivat Narvikin satamaan.
Norjan hallitus neuvotteli, pitäisikö heidän lähteä maasta Ruotsiin. Pääministeri kannatti tätä, mutta kuningas Haakon kieltäytyi ehdottomasti. Norjan hallitus siirtyikin väliaikaisesti Lillehammeriin ja päätti jatkaa taistelua. Laake oli murtunut henkisesti, mutta hänen tilalleen Norjan armeijan ylipäälliköksi nimitettiin kenraali Otto Ruge jota pidettiin edeltäjäänsä tarmokkaampana.
14. huhtikuuta varsinainen liittoutuneiden siirtoarmeija, noin 10 000 miestä, joka muodostettiin alun perin auttamaan Suomea, nousi maihin Namsoksessa (operaatiot Henry ja Maurice), Åndalsnesissa, Ålesundissa ja Moldessa (operaatiot Primrose ja Sickle) sekä Narvikissa (operaatio Rupert). Tarkoitus oli vallata takaisin Trondheim, jotta Norjaan saataisiin suuri sillanpääasema. Joukot olivat huonosti valmistautuneet taisteluun eivätkä yhteydet norjalaisiin toimineet. Liittoutuneiden joukot eivät kyenneet yhteistoimintaan, eikä niitä oltu koulutettu sodankäyntiin pohjoisessa.
Varsinainen maihinnousu eli Operaatio Maurice tehtiin 16.–17.huhtikuuta. Pääjoukkona oli brittiläinen 146. Prikaati (Pataljoonat Lincolnshiren, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry-, York- ja Lancaster-rykmenteistä) komentajanaan kenraali Carton de Wiart, joka saapui paikalle lentoveneellä. Lisäjoukkoina alueelle toimitettiin ranskalaisia alppijääkäreitä sekä jonkin verran kevyttä tykistöä sekä ilmatorjuntatykkejä.
Lopulta 30. huhtikuuta raskaita tappioita kärsineet liittoutuneet perääntyivät.
Trondheimin operaation epäonnistuttua liittoutuneet evakuoivat Namsoksen ja Åndalsnesin 1.–2. toukokuuta. Yli puolet Norjasta oli nyt saksalaisten käsissä ja toukokuun alussa tilanne vakiintui asemasodaksi Narvikin eteläpuolelle.
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The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force. Despite moderate success in the northern parts of Norway, Germany's invasion of France in May 1940 eventually compelled the Allies to withdraw and the Norwegian government to seek exile in London.
The campaign subsequently ended with the occupation of Norway by Germany, and the continued fighting of exiled Norwegian forces from abroad. The conflict occurred between 9 April and 10 June 1940, the 62 days of fighting making Norway the nation that withstood a German invasion for the second longest period of time, after the Soviet Union.
Both Britain and France had signed military assistance treaties with Poland and two days after Germany invaded Poland (on 1 September 1939), they declared war on Nazi Germany. Neither country mounted significant offensive operations, however, and for several months no major engagements occurred in what became known as the Phoney War or "Twilight War". Winston Churchill in particular wished to move the war into a more active phase, in contrast to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.
During this time, both sides were looking for secondary fronts. For the Allies, in particular the French, it was based on a desire to avoid repeating the trench warfare of the First World War, which had occurred along the Franco-German border.
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, the Norwegian government had mobilized parts of the Norwegian Army and all but two of the Royal Norwegian Navy's warships. The Norwegian Army Air Service and the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service were also called up to protect Norwegian neutrality from violations by the warring parties. The first such violations were the sinkings in Norwegian territorial waters of several British ships by German U-boats. In the following months aircraft from all the warring parties violated Norwegian neutrality.
Almost immediately after the outbreak of war the British began pressuring the Norwegian government to provide the United Kingdom with the services of the Norwegian merchant navy, themselves being in dire need of shipping. Following protracted negotiations between 25 September and 20 November 1939, the Norwegians agreed to charter 150 tankers, as well as other ships with a tonnage of 450,000 gross tons. The Norwegian government's concern for the country's supply lines played an important role in persuading them to accept the agreement
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With the end of the Winter War, the Allies determined that any occupation of Norway or Sweden would likely do more harm than good, possibly driving the neutral countries into alliance with Germany. However, the new French prime minister, Paul Reynaud, took a more aggressive stance than his predecessor and wanted some form of action taken against Germany.
Churchill was a strong agitator for action in Scandinavia, because he wanted to cut Germany off from Sweden and push the Scandinavian countries to side with the United Kingdom. This initially involved a 1939 plan to penetrate the Baltic with a naval force. This was soon changed to a plan involving the mining of Norwegian waters to stop iron ore shipments from Narvik and provoke Germany into attacking Norway, where it could be defeated by the Royal Navy.
It was agreed to utilize Churchill's naval mining plan, Operation Wilfred, designed to remove the sanctuary of the Leads and force transport ships into international waters where the Royal Navy could engage and destroy them. Accompanying this would be Plan R 4, an operation where, upon almost certain German counteraction to Operation Wilfred, the Allies would then proceed to occupy Narvik, Trondheim, Bergen and Stavanger. The planners hoped that the operation would not provoke the Norwegians to resist the Allies with armed force.
The Allies disagreed over the additional Operation Royal Marine, where mines would also be placed in the Rhine River. While the British supported this operation, the French were against it, since they also depended on the Rhine and feared German reprisals on French soil. Because of this delay, Operation Wilfred, originally scheduled for 5 April, was delayed until 8 April when the British agreed to perform the Norwegian operations separately from those on the continent
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Pre-war relations with Britain
Although neutrality remained the highest priority until the invasion was a fait accompli , it was known throughout the government that Norway, above all, did not want to be at war with Britain. By the autumn of 1939, there was an increasing sense of urgency that Norway had to prepare, not only to protect its neutrality, but indeed to fight for its freedom and independence.
Efforts to improve military readiness and capability, and to sustain an extended blockade, were intensified between September 1939 and April 1940. Several incidents in Norwegian maritime waters, notably the Altmark incident in Jøssingfjord , put great strains on Norway's ability to assert its neutrality. Norway managed to negotiate favourable trade treaties both with the United Kingdom and Germany under these conditions, but it became increasingly clear that both countries had a strategic interest in denying the other access to Norway.
The government was also increasingly pressured by Britain to direct ever larger parts of its massive merchant fleet to transport British goods at low rates, as well as to join the trade blockade against Germany. In March and April 1940, British plans for an invasion of Norway were prepared, mainly in order to reach and destroy the Swedish iron ore mines in Gällivare. It was hoped that this would divert German forces away from France, and open a war front in south Sweden.
It was also agreed that mines would be laid in Norwegian waters (Operation Wilfred) and that the mining should be followed by the landing of troops at four Norwegian ports: Narvik, Trondheim, Bergen and Stavanger. Because of Anglo-French arguments, the date of the mining was postponed from 5 April to 8 April. The postponement was catastrophic. On 1 April, Adolf Hitler had ordered the German invasion of Norway to begin on 9 April, so, when on 8 April, the Norwegian government was preoccupied with earnest protest about the British mine-laying, the German expeditions were well on their way.
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German invasion
On the pretext that Norway needed protection from British and French interference, Germany invaded Norway for several reasons: Strategically, to secure ice-free harbors from which naval forces could seek to control the North Atlantic;
to secure the availability of iron ore from mines in Sweden , going through Narvik ;
to pre-empt a British and French invasion with the same purpose; and
to reinforce the propaganda of a "Germanic empire".
Through neglect both on the part of the Norwegian foreign minister Halvdan Koht and minister of defence Birger Ljungberg , Norway was largely unprepared for the German military invasion when it came on the night of 8–9 April 1940. Consistent with Blitzkrieg warfare, German forces attacked Norway by sea and air as Operation Weserübung was put into action. The first wave of German attackers counted only about 10,000 men. The German ships came into the Oslofjord, but was stopped when the Krupp built artillery and torpedoes of Oscarsborg Fortress sank the German flagship Blücher and sank or damaged the other ships in the German task force.
Blücher transported the forces that would ensure control of the political apparatus in Norway, and the sinking delayed the Germans, so that the King and government had the chance to escape from Oslo. In the other cities that were attacked, the Germans faced only weak or no resistance. The surprise, and the lack of preparedness of Norway for a large-scale invasion of this kind, gave the German forces their initial success.
The major Norwegian ports from Oslo northward to Narvik (more than 1,200 mi (1,900 km) away from Germany's naval bases) were occupied by advance detachments of German troops. At the same time, a single parachute battalion took the Oslo and Stavanger airfields, and 800 operational aircraft overwhelmed the Norwegian population. Norwegian resistance at Narvik, at Trondheim (the strategic key to Norway), at Bergen, at Stavanger, and at Kristiansand was overcome very quickly; and Oslo's effective resistance to the seaborne forces was nullified when German troops from the airfield entered the city. The first troops to occupy Oslo entered the city brazenly marching behind a German military brass band.
On establishing a foothold in Oslo and Trondheim, they launched a ground offensive against scattered resistance inland in Norway. Allied forces attempted several counterattacks, but all failed.
King Haakon VII and Crown Prince Olav
While resistance in Norway had little military success, it had the significant political effect of allowing the Norwegian government, including the Royal family, to escape.
Most notably, the German cruiser Blücher, which carried the main forces to occupy the capital, was sunk in the Oslofjord on the first day of the invasion. An improvised defence at Midtskogen also prevented a German raid from capturing the king and government.
Norwegian mobilisation was hampered by the loss of much of the best equipment to the Germans in the first 24 hours of the invasion, the unclear mobilisation order by the government, and the general confusion caused by the tremendous psychological shock of the German surprise attack. The Norwegian Army rallied after the initial confusion and on several occasions managed to put up a stiff fight, delaying the German advance. However, the Germans proved unstoppable due to their superior numbers, training and equipment. The Norwegian army therefore planned its campaign as a tactical retreat while awaiting reinforcements from Britain.
British and French troops began to land at Narvik on 14 April. Shortly afterward, British troops were landed also at Namsos and at Åndalsnes , to attack Trondheim from the north and from the south , respectively. The Germans, however, landed fresh troops in the rear of the British at Namsos and advanced up the Gudbrandsdal from Oslo against the force at Åndalsnes. By this time, the Germans had about 25,000 troops in Norway. By 2 May, both Namsos and Åndalsnes were evacuated by the British. On 5 May, the last Norwegian resistance pockets remaining in South and Central Norway were defeated at Vinjesvingen and Hegra Fortress .
Narvik
In the north, German troops engaged in a bitter fight at the Battle of Narvik, holding out against five times as many British and French troops until finally withdrawing on 28 May. By that time the German offensive in France had progressed to such an extent that the British could no longer afford any commitment in Norway, and the 25,000 Allied troops were evacuated from Narvik merely 10 days after their victory.
The Norwegian king Haakon VII and part of his government left for England on British cruiser HMS Glasgow to establish a government-in-exile.
Fighting continued in Northern Norway until 10 June, when the Norwegian 6th Division surrendered shortly after Allied forces had been evacuated against the background of looming defeat in France. Among German-occupied territories , this made Norway the country to withstand the German invasion for the longest period of time – approximately two months.
Hitler garrisoned Norway with about 300,000 troops for the rest of the war. By occupying Norway, Hitler had ensured the protection of Germany's supply of iron ore from Sweden and had obtained naval and air bases with which to strike at Britain if necessary.
----
The campaign subsequently ended with the occupation of Norway by Germany, and the continued fighting of exiled Norwegian forces from abroad. The conflict occurred between 9 April and 10 June 1940, the 62 days of fighting making Norway the nation that withstood a German invasion for the second longest period of time, after the Soviet Union.
Both Britain and France had signed military assistance treaties with Poland and two days after Germany invaded Poland (on 1 September 1939), they declared war on Nazi Germany. Neither country mounted significant offensive operations, however, and for several months no major engagements occurred in what became known as the Phoney War or "Twilight War". Winston Churchill in particular wished to move the war into a more active phase, in contrast to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.
During this time, both sides were looking for secondary fronts. For the Allies, in particular the French, it was based on a desire to avoid repeating the trench warfare of the First World War, which had occurred along the Franco-German border.
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, the Norwegian government had mobilized parts of the Norwegian Army and all but two of the Royal Norwegian Navy's warships. The Norwegian Army Air Service and the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service were also called up to protect Norwegian neutrality from violations by the warring parties. The first such violations were the sinkings in Norwegian territorial waters of several British ships by German U-boats. In the following months aircraft from all the warring parties violated Norwegian neutrality.
Almost immediately after the outbreak of war the British began pressuring the Norwegian government to provide the United Kingdom with the services of the Norwegian merchant navy, themselves being in dire need of shipping. Following protracted negotiations between 25 September and 20 November 1939, the Norwegians agreed to charter 150 tankers, as well as other ships with a tonnage of 450,000 gross tons. The Norwegian government's concern for the country's supply lines played an important role in persuading them to accept the agreement
---------------------------
With the end of the Winter War, the Allies determined that any occupation of Norway or Sweden would likely do more harm than good, possibly driving the neutral countries into alliance with Germany. However, the new French prime minister, Paul Reynaud, took a more aggressive stance than his predecessor and wanted some form of action taken against Germany.
Churchill was a strong agitator for action in Scandinavia, because he wanted to cut Germany off from Sweden and push the Scandinavian countries to side with the United Kingdom. This initially involved a 1939 plan to penetrate the Baltic with a naval force. This was soon changed to a plan involving the mining of Norwegian waters to stop iron ore shipments from Narvik and provoke Germany into attacking Norway, where it could be defeated by the Royal Navy.
It was agreed to utilize Churchill's naval mining plan, Operation Wilfred, designed to remove the sanctuary of the Leads and force transport ships into international waters where the Royal Navy could engage and destroy them. Accompanying this would be Plan R 4, an operation where, upon almost certain German counteraction to Operation Wilfred, the Allies would then proceed to occupy Narvik, Trondheim, Bergen and Stavanger. The planners hoped that the operation would not provoke the Norwegians to resist the Allies with armed force.
The Allies disagreed over the additional Operation Royal Marine, where mines would also be placed in the Rhine River. While the British supported this operation, the French were against it, since they also depended on the Rhine and feared German reprisals on French soil. Because of this delay, Operation Wilfred, originally scheduled for 5 April, was delayed until 8 April when the British agreed to perform the Norwegian operations separately from those on the continent
---------------------------------------------
Efforts to improve military readiness and capability, and to sustain an extended blockade, were intensified between September 1939 and April 1940. Several incidents in Norwegian maritime waters, notably the Altmark incident in Jøssingfjord , put great strains on Norway's ability to assert its neutrality. Norway managed to negotiate favourable trade treaties both with the United Kingdom and Germany under these conditions, but it became increasingly clear that both countries had a strategic interest in denying the other access to Norway.
The government was also increasingly pressured by Britain to direct ever larger parts of its massive merchant fleet to transport British goods at low rates, as well as to join the trade blockade against Germany. In March and April 1940, British plans for an invasion of Norway were prepared, mainly in order to reach and destroy the Swedish iron ore mines in Gällivare. It was hoped that this would divert German forces away from France, and open a war front in south Sweden.
----
German invasion
to secure the availability of iron ore from mines in Sweden , going through Narvik ;
to pre-empt a British and French invasion with the same purpose; and
to reinforce the propaganda of a "Germanic empire".
Blücher transported the forces that would ensure control of the political apparatus in Norway, and the sinking delayed the Germans, so that the King and government had the chance to escape from Oslo. In the other cities that were attacked, the Germans faced only weak or no resistance. The surprise, and the lack of preparedness of Norway for a large-scale invasion of this kind, gave the German forces their initial success. The major Norwegian ports from Oslo northward to Narvik (more than 1,200 mi (1,900 km) away from Germany's naval bases) were occupied by advance detachments of German troops. At the same time, a single parachute battalion took the Oslo and Stavanger airfields, and 800 operational aircraft overwhelmed the Norwegian population. Norwegian resistance at Narvik, at Trondheim (the strategic key to Norway), at Bergen, at Stavanger, and at Kristiansand was overcome very quickly; and Oslo's effective resistance to the seaborne forces was nullified when German troops from the airfield entered the city. The first troops to occupy Oslo entered the city brazenly marching behind a German military brass band.
While resistance in Norway had little military success, it had the significant political effect of allowing the Norwegian government, including the Royal family, to escape.
Most notably, the German cruiser Blücher, which carried the main forces to occupy the capital, was sunk in the Oslofjord on the first day of the invasion. An improvised defence at Midtskogen also prevented a German raid from capturing the king and government.
Norwegian mobilisation was hampered by the loss of much of the best equipment to the Germans in the first 24 hours of the invasion, the unclear mobilisation order by the government, and the general confusion caused by the tremendous psychological shock of the German surprise attack. The Norwegian Army rallied after the initial confusion and on several occasions managed to put up a stiff fight, delaying the German advance. However, the Germans proved unstoppable due to their superior numbers, training and equipment. The Norwegian army therefore planned its campaign as a tactical retreat while awaiting reinforcements from Britain.
British and French troops began to land at Narvik on 14 April. Shortly afterward, British troops were landed also at Namsos and at Åndalsnes , to attack Trondheim from the north and from the south , respectively. The Germans, however, landed fresh troops in the rear of the British at Namsos and advanced up the Gudbrandsdal from Oslo against the force at Åndalsnes. By this time, the Germans had about 25,000 troops in Norway. By 2 May, both Namsos and Åndalsnes were evacuated by the British. On 5 May, the last Norwegian resistance pockets remaining in South and Central Norway were defeated at Vinjesvingen and Hegra Fortress .
In the north, German troops engaged in a bitter fight at the Battle of Narvik, holding out against five times as many British and French troops until finally withdrawing on 28 May. By that time the German offensive in France had progressed to such an extent that the British could no longer afford any commitment in Norway, and the 25,000 Allied troops were evacuated from Narvik merely 10 days after their victory.
King Haakon VII and Crown Prince Olav
The Norwegian king Haakon VII and part of his government left for England on British cruiser HMS Glasgow to establish a government-in-exile.
Fighting continued in Northern Norway until 10 June, when the Norwegian 6th Division surrendered shortly after Allied forces had been evacuated against the background of looming defeat in France. Among German-occupied territories , this made Norway the country to withstand the German invasion for the longest period of time – approximately two months.
Hitler garrisoned Norway with about 300,000 troops for the rest of the war. By occupying Norway, Hitler had ensured the protection of Germany's supply of iron ore from Sweden and had obtained naval and air bases with which to strike at Britain if necessary.
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Again, another great post
VastaaPoistaHello, S-K.
PoistaThank you for your comment.
These are old sketches, which I would like to publish from the list.