Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany

Starting with the invasion of April 9, 1940, Norway was under military occupation of German forces and civil rule of a German commissioner in collaboration with a Norwegian fascist government. The occupation ended May 10, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe.

Invasion

See also Operation Weserübung

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Through folly both on the part of the Norwegian foreign minister Halfdan Koht and minister of defense Birger Ljungberg, Norway was largely unprepared for the German military invasion when it came on the night between April 8 and April 9, 1940. The first hostile action by all accounts was the sinking of the German vessel Rio de Janeiro on April 7th, but for reason that remain unclear, Norwegian forces were only partly mobilized to meet the threat.

Related Topics:
Halfdan Koht - Birger Ljungberg - April 8 - April 9 - April 7

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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 for propaganda purposes to reinforce the notion of a Germanic empire.

Related Topics:
Iron ore from mines in Sweden - Narvik

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Consistently with the doctrine of Blitzkrieg, German forces attacked Norway by sea and air in the operation Weserübung starting April 9, 1940. Having gotten 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. While military resistance in Norway had little military success, they had the significant political effect of allowing the Norwegian government, including the Royal family, to escape and form a government-in-exile, primarily due to the sinking of the German cruiser Blücher in the Oslo Fjord on the first day of the invasion, and the pitched battle fought between German forces and an improvised Norwegian position at Midtskogen.

Related Topics:
Blitzkrieg - Weserübung - Oslo - Trondheim - German cruiser Blücher - Oslo Fjord - Midtskogen

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