Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany

Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began with the surprise invasion on 9 April 1940. Despite fierce resistance from the Norwegian Armed Forces and allied support from the United Kingdom and France, the country was fully occupied by June 1940. The occupation lasted until the German surrender in Europe on 8 May 1945, governed by a Reichskommissariat Norwegen under the brutal administration of Josef Terboven.

Background and invasion

The strategic importance of Norway's coastline for the Kriegsmarine and its iron ore shipments from Narvik were key factors in Adolf Hitler's decision to invade. The Altmark Incident in February 1940 highlighted Allied interest in the region, accelerating German plans. On 9 April 1940, Operation Weserübung was launched, with simultaneous assaults on Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim, and Narvik. Key battles included the sinking of the German cruiser ''Blücher'' in the Oslofjord and the two-month-long campaign for Narvik. Despite Allied intervention involving the British Expeditionary Force and the French Foreign Legion, the Norwegian Campaign ended with an Allied evacuation and Norwegian capitulation in June.

German administration and Quisling regime

Civil authority was vested in the Reichskommissariat Norwegen, led by the hardline Josef Terboven, who answered directly to Adolf Hitler. Terboven sought to establish a collaborationist government under Vidkun Quisling, leader of the fascist Nasjonal Samling party. Quisling was initially installed as Minister President in 1942, though real power remained with Terboven and the Wehrmacht. The regime was enforced by the Gestapo, the Sicherheitsdienst, and the Norwegian collaborationist police, the Statspolitiet. Quisling's attempts to Nazify society, including through the youth organization Nasjonal Samlings Ungdomsfylking and the paramilitary Hirden, met with widespread popular contempt.

Resistance and collaboration

Norwegian resistance was organized under the unified military command of Milorg, supported by the Special Operations Executive and the exiled government in London. Key actions included industrial sabotage, intelligence gathering for the Allies, and the famed destruction of heavy water at Vemork to hinder the German atomic bomb project. The Kompani Linge conducted daring commando raids, such as the Telemark raid. Conversely, an estimated 15,000 Norwegians served in German units, including the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking and the SS Division Nordland. The collaborationist Statspolitiet and the Hirden actively hunted resistance members.

Life under occupation

Civilian life was marked by severe rationing, censorship, and the pervasive fear of arrest by the Gestapo. The Nasjonal Samling attempted to control cultural life through entities like the Kulturkammer. Teachers famously resisted the attempted Nazification of schools in the 1942 teachers' protest. The occupation economy was geared toward the German war effort, leading to forced labor and the construction of fortifications for the Atlantic Wall. Over 40,000 Norwegians were imprisoned in camps like Grini concentration camp, and at least 765 Norwegian Jews were deported to Auschwitz concentration camp.

Liberation and aftermath

Liberation followed the unconditional surrender of all German forces in Europe on 8 May 1945. Crown Prince Olav and the government-in-exile returned to a jubilant Oslo. The legal purge in Norway after World War II saw the trial and execution of Vidkun Quisling for treason, along with prison sentences for 18,000 collaborators. Norway became a founding member of the United Nations and later NATO. The occupation left a profound legacy on national identity, foreign policy, and the legal principle of constitutional integrity against treason.

Category:Military history of Norway during World War II Category:Germany–Norway relations Category:Military occupations