invasion of Norway

invasion of Norway, known as Operation Weserübung, was a pivotal World War II campaign launched by Nazi Germany on 9 April 1940. It marked the first major combined amphibious and airborne operation in modern warfare, securing vital iron ore supplies and strategic naval bases for the Kriegsmarine. Despite fierce resistance from Norway and supporting Allied forces, including the United Kingdom and France, Germany established a costly occupation that lasted until the German Instrument of Surrender in 1945.

Background and causes

The strategic rationale for the invasion was multifaceted, driven primarily by Adolf Hitler's and Grand Admiral Erich Raeder's concerns over securing iron ore shipments from neutral Sweden, which transited through the Norwegian port of Narvik. Control of Norway’s extensive coastline would also provide crucial bases for U-boat operations against Allied convoys in the North Atlantic and protect Germany’s northern flank. Concurrently, Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, advocated for mining Norwegian territorial waters to disrupt this traffic, an operation codenamed Wilfred. The Altmark Incident, where the Royal Navy boarded a German auxiliary in Jøssingfjord, heightened tensions and convinced the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht that British intervention in Norway was imminent, prompting preemptive action.

Planning and preparations

German planning, under the direction of General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst, was conducted with great secrecy under the cover name Operation Weserübung. The plan involved the simultaneous seizure of six key objectives: Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim, and distant Narvik, using a combination of Kriegsmarine warships, transport ships, and Luftwaffe paratroopers. The Fallschirmjäger were to capture Fornebu Airport and Solberg Air Station, while mountain troops under General Eduard Dietl were assigned the critical Narvik objective. Despite intelligence warnings from sources like the Polish resistance, the Norwegian government, led by Johan Nygaardsvold, and the Allies were largely unprepared, with Allied planning—such as the planned Operation Wilfred and Plan R 4—being reactive and poorly coordinated.

The invasion

On 9 April 1940, German forces struck across Norway. The Battle of Drøbak Sound saw the ancient fortress Oscarsborg sink the heavy cruiser Blücher, delaying the capture of Oslo but not preventing it. Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger fell quickly with support from the Luftwaffe. The most critical naval engagements occurred around Narvik, where destroyers of the Royal Navy, led by Captain Bernard Warburton-Lee, clashed with German destroyers in the First and Second Battle of Narvik. Allied land forces, including the British 24th Infantry Brigade and the French Alpine Brigade, later landed but faced determined resistance from Dietl’s troops. The campaign’s decisive turn came with the German advance from Oslo and the Battle of Dombås, forcing Norwegian and Allied troops to evacuate from central regions like Åndalsnes and Namsos in early May.

Occupation and resistance

Following the Allied evacuation from Norway and the Norwegian capitulation on 10 June, a Reichskommissariat Norwegen was established under Josef Terboven. The Norwegian government-in-exile, led by King Haakon VII and Prime Minister Johan Nygaardsvold, operated from London. A fierce Norwegian resistance movement developed, involving Milorg and covert operations by the Special Operations Executive. Key events included the Telavåg tragedy and the Norwegian heavy water sabotage at Vemork, which hindered the German nuclear weapon project. The occupation was also marked by the installation of the collaborationist Vidkun Quisling regime and severe repression by the Gestapo and SS.

Aftermath and legacy

The invasion had profound consequences. Germany secured its iron ore supply and naval bases but suffered significant losses to the Kriegsmarine, weakening its surface fleet for later operations like the Battle of the Atlantic. For the Allies, the failed Norwegian campaign contributed to the fall of the British government of Neville Chamberlain and the rise of Winston Churchill as Prime Minister. The experience informed future Allied amphibious operations, including the Dieppe Raid and Operation Overlord. In Norway, the occupation solidified national unity and the post-war policy of Nordic balance and NATO membership, while the memory of resistance and collaboration remains a central part of Norwegian national identity.

Category:World War II Category:Invasions Category:Military history of Norway Category:Conflicts in 1940