The invasion of Norway took place between April and June 1940 and was carried out months after the campaign that resulted in the conquest of poland. The clash was marked by small battles - compared to others in the Second World War – and resulted in the German victory and the conquest of Norway. The French and British forces that were sent in were not able to prevent the German victory.
Background to the invasion of Norway
After having invaded and conquered the Poland in September 1939, Hitler planned an attack on the countriesbasses and the France in November 1939. However, lack of fuel, short stocks of infantry ammunition and climatic complications forced Hitler to postpone invasion plans to January 1940.
In January 1940, the invasion plans of the Netherlands and France were again postponed because of the leak of secret information related to the action. So the invasion plan had to be redone. Alternatively, the Admiral Erich Raeder suggested to Hitler that Germany invade the Norway.
Admiral Raeder and the Norwegian pro-Nazi leader
Vidkun Quisling convinced Hitler to invade Norway arguing that:Control over the Norwegian coast would give Germany a strategic advantage for German aviation to attack British ships and planes;
Control over the Norwegian port in Narvik (northern Norway) would guarantee the production of Swedish iron, which is extremely important for the maintenance of the war.
Thus, the orders for the preparation of the invasion of Norway were given on March 1st. The invasion, however, only took place on April 9, 1940. During the campaign, the Germans also invaded Denmark.
Invasion of Norway
Just before the invasion, it was suggested to the UK by the French prime minister, Édouard Daladier, that the Norwegian coast was occupied to prevent Swedish ore from being controlled by the Germans. The plan, however, was promptly rejected by the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain.
The invasion of Norway was preceded by a series of naval battles between the Kriegsmarine (German war navy) and the British Royal Navy on the Norwegian coast. Despite the presence of the British navy on the Norwegian coast, the Germans managed to land their troops, according to the following report:
After sinking two small Norwegian warships, German destroyers landed their troops and invaded Narvik. Also on April 9, the hipper and its destroyers landed troops at Trondheim and another force at Bergen. Stavanger was also taken by paratroopers and two airborne infantry battalions|1|.
The German invasion came at a time when Norwegian troops were demobilized. However, it cannot be said that Norway was taken by surprise, as expert historians claim that there was clear evidence that the German invasion was imminent.
The city of Oslo was conquered by German paratroopers, and the Norwegian king fled to Nybergsund, then Lillehammer, and finally to London after the Norwegian surrender. With the German invasion, a Norwegian who collaborated with the Nazis, Vidkun Quisling, was appointed head of Norway, but held the position for a few days. Quisling has become synonymous with betrayal. In languages such as Norwegian and English, the word “quiling” means “traitor to the homeland”.
France, the United Kingdom and Polish troops formed a coalition that was sent to some positions in central Norway in Namsos and Åndalsnes. Furthermore, Allied troops were sent to conquer the northern port of Narvik. However, Allied coalitions were marred by disorganization and failed to prevent the Nazi victory, being evacuated a few weeks later.
Consequences
The 100,000 German soldiers conquered Norway after about 60 days. German losses, compared to the British, were greater:
The Germans suffered the heaviest casualties in the Norwegian campaign – 5,296, compared to 4,500 British casualties, most of which occurred when the aircraft carrier Glorious and her escort were sunk by the cruiser Scharnhost, on June 8th. The French and a contingent of Poles had 530 dead; Norwegians around 1800. The Luftwaffe [German aviation] lost 242 planes, the RAF [British aviation] 112. Three cruisers, seven destroyers, an aircraft carrier and four British submarines were sunk, against three cruisers, ten destroyers and six submarines. Another four cruisers and six German destroyers were seriously damaged|2|.
Furthermore, the failure of British coalitions in the Norwegian campaign resulted in the resignation of prime minister Neville Chamberlain. The post, as of May 10, was occupied by Winston Churchill. Historians point to this as all-important because of Chamberlain's indolent stance toward Nazi Germany.
For the Germans, the conquest of Norway was important because it gave Hitler important air bases, which were used in later stages of the war, as well as ensuring the domain of Swedish ore. However, this was costly to the Germans, who had to keep around 350,000 soldiers in Norwegian territory.
|1| BEEVOR, Antony. The Second World War. Rio de Janeiro: Record, 2015, p. 92.
|2| HASTINGS, Max. The world at war 1939-1945. Rio de Janeiro, Intrinsic, 2012, p. 66.
*Image credit: Igor Golovniov and Shutterstock
By Daniel Neves
Graduated in History
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/guerras/invasao-nazista-na-noruega.htm
