A Bitter Defeat - The Battle of Norway, April - June 1940

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ComsDown

Active member
In the first week of May, the Germans have taken southern Norway. But in the north the German war machine is meeting harder resistance. At Narvik, Norwegian and allied forces are close to winning the battle.



For two months they have driven the Bergjaeger, the German elite force ahead of them. They are finally ready to render the final blow to the enemy, the final push that will throw General Eduard Dietl and his men off Norwegian soil. It will be Hitlers first defeat, a defeat of great political importance far beyond the local situation in the Narvik area.



Then - suddenly- the order for the the Norwegian brigades arrives: retreat and demobilise.

Further action is meaningless. The allied units, British, French and Polish forces, numbering 24500 men is already pulled out, and on their way to England. Only Norwegian forces are still fighting the Germans. At 0545hrs, on the 8th of June 1940, Leutenenat Cournal Ole Berg, commander of the 6th Brigade passes the order on to his batalions to cease fighting. The war is over.

Victor was so close. Dietls forces was already pressed up allong the Swedish border. The German held "hill 698" was allready taken, and the Norwegian forces was about to cut of the German retreat route. The Baverian field General had to decide quickly if he wanted to avoid being taken prisoner of war by the Norwegians, along with the rest of his forces. According to his own report, he could hold out for 24 hours more, possibly 48, but still a retreat into Sweden was possible. On the Swedish side 4 trains was already in place, ready to transport beaten German soldiers.

That was the situation when the orders to lay down the arms arrived. The Chief of the Army, General Otto Ruge, shortly after recieves a report from Lt. Cournal Ole Berg concerning the cease of hostilities: - "I will never forget my batalions as they came down from the mountain. Not a word. Not a smile. Just big questioning eyes. The understood nothing, he says, and breaks down in tears....


Comment from Comsdown.: My grand dad was one of those men...
Norwegians here can read the rest of this here...quite a good article...



http://www.aftenposten.no/fakta/verdenskrig/article449063.ece
 
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Not so sure I agree with that as the British and French were just as unprepared as everyone else for the type of war they were having to fight.
 
LeEnfield said:
Like many countries you were not prepared for war and were aiming at being neutral
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And yet Norway fought for 62 days, and where actually pushing the Germans back when the allies left us. France, with the largest and most well prepared army in the world...allong with a Brittish Expeditionary corps numbering how many? Fell in 30 days. I think we did quite well.

Anyway, if the war did one thing, it was to seed a friendship between Norway and our allies, specially England that has lasted to this very day. But sometimes there is a bit of Nostalgia over what could have happened if they had just waited a bit longer those days in june 1940....
 
I can almost guarantee you it's the reason Poland went to Iraq. They wanted to thumb it at the French for all of the help they (didn't) give them during WWII, and also to the (Invading) Russians and Germans.
 
ComsDown said:
And yet Norway fought for 62 days, and where actually pushing the Germans back when the allies left us. France, with the largest and most well prepared army in the world...allong with a Brittish Expeditionary corps numbering how many? Fell in 30 days. I think we did quite well.

Anyway, if the war did one thing, it was to seed a friendship between Norway and our allies, specially England that has lasted to this very day. But sometimes there is a bit of Nostalgia over what could have happened if they had just waited a bit longer those days in june 1940....
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I am not sure Norway would have lasted 62 days had the Royal Navy not kicked the crap out of the German Navy off the coast of Norway thus slowing up the arrival of significant quantities of German land forces and armour.

Don't get me wrong here Norway fought extremely well given the condition of its military but at that stage of the war the result was always a forgone conclusion.
 
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Yeah, the Royal Navy did a good job, and had some terrible losses too. And that will never be forgotten...

Navy warships honour HMS Hunter

A History and Honour news article

10 Mar 08

Royal Navy warships conducted a formal wreath-laying and memorial service over the war grave of the newly discovered last resting place of the WWII Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Hunter on Saturday 8 March 2008.


Naval and Royal Marines personnel prepare to lay wreaths over HMS Hunter
[Picture: Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Dew]

The Exercise Task Group of 21 ships, which have been taking part in Exercise Armatura Borealis 08 off the north west Norwegian coast, steamed over the wreck in formation.

HMS Albion, HMS Bulwark, HMS Cornwall, RFA Mounts Bay and NOCGV Andenes crossed the site of HMS Hunter conducting synchronised ceremonies on their decks. The ships then turned in formation before conducting a 'Steam Past' of the Flag Ship.
The procession of warships from the Royal Navy showed their respects by laying wreaths and toasting the fallen by the traditional Navy method of pouring a tot of rum over the side.
Led by the Flag Ship HMS Albion and attended by Vice Admiral Reksten, Royal Norwegian Navy, and Major General Garry Robison, the Commandant General Royal Marines, the formed line of ships sailed over the spot where HMS Hunter lies 305m below.



HMS Hunter
[Picture: Royal Navy]

Two of the youngest members of the ship's company aboard HMS Albion, 17-year-olds Engineering Technician Joe George and Able Seaman Warfare Specialist Yasmin Thornton dropped the wreath over the side on behalf of the ship's company.
In traditional form, with signal flags, Albion flew the last order of Captain Warburton-Lee, the Commander of the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla who died leading the naval attack: "Continue engaging the enemy."
As the Royal Navy sailed from the fjord for home, it signalled back by Morse "Farewell, we'll meet again."
HMS Hunter had remained undisturbed for 68 years until the Norwegian Mine hunter HNOMS Tyr located her last week, using her echo sounder. On dispatching a remotely operated submersible to investigate, it became clear that this was the long lost HMS Hunter, the submersible locating and filming the ship's crest. Over several years the Norwegians have identified all the other sunken ships involved in the battle, yet HMS Hunter remained elusive until this week.



Survivors from HMS Hunter picked up by a German vessel
[Picture: MOD]

Captain Tom Thorgrimsen, from HNOMS Tyr, said:
"We went to the area where we thought it was most likely to lie and found the wreck after about 14 hours searching."
​
Norwegian officials confirmed with the British Embassy on 1 March 2008 that they had located the wreck of the H class Royal Navy destroyer, sunk in action with the German navy in 1940 after bravely fighting during the Battle of Narvik; an action that would result in the first Victoria Cross of WWII being awarded.
Of the 145 crew on board, 110 sailors from the ship lost their lives when the ship slipped into the deep waters to rest 305m (1,000ft) down on the seabed near Ofotfjorden.
The Commander of the United Kingdom's Amphibious Force, Major General Garry Robison led the marks of respect from HMS Albion in a joint ceremony at 1600 local time on 8 March 2008, almost 68 years to the day since the ship went down at 0530am on 10 April 1940.



(Left) Able Seaman John Hague, around 1940, and (right) Seaman Fred Ward during the war
[Pictures: John Hague and Fred Ward]

Speaking aboard HMS Albion after the ceremony, he said:
"It's rather surprising that the ship that's been looked for, for so long, 68 years now, has finally been discovered here in this Fjord whilst we've been here on the exercise.
"It was a very moving ceremony that we had this afternoon, with all the ships in the exercise taking part. And we were able to invite our Dutch and our Norwegian colleagues to join us. It was most moving.
"It was a great honour for us to be able to invite local Norwegian veterans to come. Very sadly, we were not able to bring over the three United Kingdom Royal Navy veterans that served on HMS Hunter. But we shall certainly take the opportunity to let them have the films and the photographs of that ceremony today.
"My message to the veterans was that I'd like to think we paid an appropriate and fitting tribute to their colleagues and that we paid HMS Hunter the very best respects that we could in our moving ceremony this afternoon.
​


After the wreath-laying, the Task Force steams past the newly discovered resting place of HMS Hunter
[Picture: LA (Phot) Dan Hooper]

"We have previously trained in Norway almost each year. But with the busy operational programme that the Royal Marines and the Royal Navy has, we've been able to do that less often. It's nice to be able to come back and exercise what we as Royal Marines consider to be our core amphibious skills in what is a very challenging environment.
"What this exercise has allowed us to do, is work in a very challenging and demanding environment. The other thing it's given us has been the opportunity for team spirit and team skills to work together as they build up to what is going to be another very important and challenging operational deployment as 3 Commando Brigade goes back to Helmand Province in Afghanistan later this year."
​
Back in the UK, several survivors were notified of the discovery and have given their reactions to the find.
John Hague, aged 87 from Manchester, was a 19-year-old Able Seaman serving in the shell room below decks when he realised the ship had been hit, following a hard jolt, the ship began to tilt alarmingly. Along with many of his comrades he had no choice but to leap into the icy seas during a blizzard, where he trod water until a German ship arrived and picked up survivors. Regarding the discovery of the ship's wreck he said:
"I am so pleased and overwhelmed to know that after so many years HMS Hunter has been found and my fellow shipmates have a known resting place. I'm so sorry not to be able to go to the wreath-laying, but I will be spending a quiet time at home with my family and thoughts. Also my daughter in Cornwall will be laying flowers at sea for me dedicated to my shipmates."
​
Another survivor Seaman Fred Ward, aged 88, spoke of his great sense of relief that the wreck had been found:
"I would like to thank the Norwegian people and the Royal Navy for their very kind tributes following the discovery of my old ship," he said.
"I have mixed emotions about the events from over 68 years ago and the loss of so many of my fine friends. I now have a great sense of relief knowing the final resting place of my comrades and our ship."
​

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/HistoryAndHonour/NavyWarshipsHonourHmsHunter.htm
 
Well, thanks to our allies, we had our back clear to give the Germans a solid punch on the nose...my point above was that given more time, we could have given them a kick in the groin as well... :pirate2:
 
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One of the reason we could not hold the area was lack of Air cover, the only fighter air cover was from the Gladiator aircraft which was a Bi plane and was already out of date. They tried operating from frozen lakes but the Germans just bombed the lakes and the planes sunk into the lakes. Now we had very little artillery out there and no armour. With allied force of under 30.000 men who where poorly equipped, yet expected by some here to through back a well armed force ten times it's size. Still there was strong and heavy Commando raids along the the Norwegian coast that tied down some 333.000 German soldiers right up to the end of the war.
 
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