Saturday 27 April 1940

German troops marching in the vicinity of Bagn, Norway.

Norway: German Foreign Minister Joachim Ribbentrop makes an address on 27 April 1940 about recent diplomatic events. He justifies Operation Weserubung due to a conspiracy of Germany's enemies in Norway, which includes not only the Allied powers but Norway itself. The conspiracy, he claims, is proved by documents in his possession showing that the British intended to invade Norway. Tellingly, he does not even mention Denmark.

With lightning speed for diplomatic relations, British Air Minister Sir Samuel responds to Ribbentrop's speech the same day:

I need only to say that it is a despicable to say that we have ever plotted against any neutral country and it is sickening hypocrisy when this charge is made by the murderer of Czechoslovakia and Poland. 

The truth lies somewhere in between. The British have not "plotted against" Norway, for sure, because they strenuously sought the country's approval prior to landing an expeditionary force. However, the British and French also very much intended at various points to occupy at least parts of Norway - and Sweden. Those reasons were decidedly inimical to the military interests of their adversary, Germany.

The British War Cabinet discusses a potential evacuation from Norway. Reports from the field are increasingly dire. General Hugh Massy, Deputy Chief of the Imperial Staff, reports to the Military Coordination Committee (MCC), led by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill (in PM Chamberlain's absence), that an evacuation is advisable. The MCC "agreed that the evacuation was to take place." In the chain of events leading to formal approval of the evacuation, this is the key link.

King Haakon is quoted in today's "The War Illustrated": "I will stay as long as there is 1 inch of Norwegian soil." General Ruge continues his optimistic line in his order of the day: "The time for retreating is past! Stand fast- and victory shall be ours!"

German-controlled Oslo radio announces that there now exists a state of war between Germany and Norway. Apparently, the mission is no longer to just protect Norway from the British. This causes some amusement in Norwegian circles, but also some trepidation at what else the Germans might be capable of doing.

Norway Army Operations: At Åndalsnes, port commander Brigadier Boggs reports that the situation is hopeless without air cover or anti-aircraft batteries. There is great disagreement about this within the British military, and General Paget, Boggs' superior, violently disagrees because his troops are fighting well.

Paget's 15th Brigade troops at Kjorem in the Gudbrandsdal hold out throughout the day, then make an orderly withdrawal 17 km north to a fortified line at Otta.

To the east, near the Swedish border, the other main Wehrmacht thrust north in the Østerdal valley, Oberst Fischer’s Kampfgruppe composed of the 196th Division, makes good progress. They are now at Alvdal, within 60 miles of the key road/rail junction of Dombås. The capture of Dombås would effectively encircle the 15th Brigade, and there are few troops to bar the way.

The French 27th Demi-Brigade de Chasseurs Alpins takes up positions at Harstad near Narvik.

Norway Naval Operations: The British transfer the light cruiser HMS Calcutta from Namsos to Åndalsnes to replace the damaged HMS Curacoa, which has been escorted back to England. This helps the air defense of Åndalsnes at the expense of Namsos. Admiral Forbes, Commander-in-chief of the Home Fleet onboard HMS Rodney, recommends using the RAF and land batteries for air protection due to risk and logistical problems. His recommendation is disregarded as the higher commands begin to accept the idea of evacuation.

Norwegian Air Operations: It is a time for decisions as to how much effort to give Norway. Squadron Leader Ian Cross flies to Åndalsnes in a Sunderland flying boat and reports to the Air Ministry that Hawker Hurricanes could operate from Setnesmoen near Åndalsnes and recommends their immediate deployment. The Air Ministry, with knowledge of the MCC decision to evacuate, rejects the suggestion.

The three remaining Gloster Gladiators at Andalsnes have been destroyed and there is no local air cover.

The Luftwaffe bombs a Royal Navy supply convoy as it approaches Åndalsnes. The attack forces the convoy, which is carrying anti-aircraft batteries, to turn away.

German Military: Hitler, "beaming with confidence" while contemplating events in Norway, tentatively sets the date for Fall Gelb, the invasion of France and the Low Countries, for May 7th.

Battle of the Atlantic: The Luftwaffe sinks British freighter Galena in the English Channel.

Convoy OA 137 departs from Southend.

Destroyer USS Walke (Lt. Commander Carl H. Sanders, Jr.) is commissioned.

U-102 (Kapitänleutnant Harro von Klot-Heydenfeldt) is commissioned.

British Military: The government lowers the age for military registration from 27 to 26.

Latin America: The Inter-American Neutrality Committee meets in Rio de Janeiro.

New Zealand: More troops embark for Egypt.

War Crimes: In 29 days, Vasily Blokhin has shot over 7,000 Polish officers interned at the Ostashkov prisoner of war camp as part of the Katyn Forest Massacre. Today, he is given a medal for it, the Order of the Red Banner for his "skill and organization in the effective carrying out of special tasks."

Holocaust: Reichsfuhrer-SS Heinrich Himmler orders the construction of Auschwitz at the Silesian town of Oswiecim in Poland. The Germans have changed the name of the location to "Auschwitz."

New Zealand troops marching through Auckland on their way to the Middle East.

Future History: Vasily Blokhin of Katyn Forest Massacre fame achieves immortality long after his death in 1955 when the Guinness Book of World Records names him "Most Prolific Executioner" in 2010.

April 1940

April 1, 1940: Weserubung is a Go
April 2, 1940: British Subs On Alert
April 3, 1940: Churchill Consolidates Power
April 4, 1940: Missed the Bus
April 5, 1940: Mig-1 First Flight
April 6, 1940: Troops Sailing to Norway
April 7, 1940: Fleets At Sea
April 8, 1940: HMS Glowworm and Admiral Hipper
April 9, 1940: Invasion of Norway
April 10, 1940: First Battle of Narvik
April 11, 1940: Britain Takes the Faroes
April 12, 1940: Germans Consolidate in Norway
April 13, 1940: 2d Battle of Narvik
April 14, 1940: Battle of Dombås
April 15, 1940: British in Norway
April 16, 1940: Germans Cut Norway in Half
April 17, 1940: Trondheim the Target
April 18, 1940: Norway Declares War
April 19, 1940: Dombås Battle Ends
April 20, 1940: Germans Advancing in Norway
April 21, 1940: First US Military Casualty
April 22, 1940: First British Military Contact with Germans
April 23, 1940: British Retreating in Norway
April 24, 1940: British Bombard Narvik
April 25, 1940: Norwegian Air Battles
April 26, 1940: Norwegian Gold
April 27, 1940: Allies to Evacuate Norway
April 28, 1940: Prepared Piano
April 29, 1940: British at Bodo
April 30, 1940: Clacton-on-Sea Heinkel

2019

Friday 26 April 1940

Fire in Voss, Norway after the bombing of 23 and 24 April 1940. Much of the wooden center of town burns. The Germans occupy Voss on 26 April 1940.

Norway: The gold reserves of the Norges Bank (Bank of Norway) had been in Oslo at the beginning of the war, then taken to Lillehammer. There it had to stay until the end of the Battle of Dombås. Once the Fallschirmjäger company there led by Oblt. Herbert Schmidt surrendered on 19 April, the path was clear to get it out of the country. The gold, contained in 820 large boxes and 725 smaller crates, was sent by train via Dombås to the British base at Åndalsnes during the afternoon of the 19th, arriving at the port late in the evening.

While the whole shipment weighs 49 tons, it is to be shipped beginning on 26 April 1940 in smaller chunks to minimize the risk of loss. The first chunk, 8 tons, is loaded onto the cruiser HMS Galatea on the night of 25/26 April and shipped to England. With it goes Norwegian Director of Shipping Oyvind Lorentzen, who is to arrange for the Norwegian merchant fleet to be placed at the Allies' disposal.

The British War Cabinet, unlike the Supreme Allied War Council, is facing reality. It contemplates evacuating Namsos and Åndalsnes. General de Wiart agrees and declines the offer of additional troops: “in case of evacuation, this would complicate matters.” Everyone starts thinking about evacuation, and it becomes the common wisdom that all that is left to do is arrange an orderly evacuation.

Norway Army Operations: The British 15th Infantry Brigade begins the day defending its positions of the 25th at Kvam in the Gudbrandsdal. It has been a rare night when the Allies didn't have to retreat. Hopes soar on the Allied side. Norwegian CinC General Ruge issues a heroic Order of the Day:

"now the time of retreat has come to an end…, Stand fast … and the victory will be ours !"

The Germans of the 196th Infantry Division under General Pellengahr attack again in the morning, supported by their remaining armored vehicles, artillery, and heavy machine guns. The British hold the line through the day but sustain steady losses.

At dusk, General Paget orders a retreat in the direction of Dombås to preserve his fighting force. Kvam itself is a wreck, with fires everywhere, and three civilians perish along with 50 British soldiers and four Norwegian soldiers. German casualties are similar, but they are left in possession of the field of battle. The British set up a new, temporary line 3 km back, at Kjorem.

The German 3rd Mountain Division troops at Narvik have been largely cut off from their supplies throughout the campaign. Today, some rations, medical supplies, and a few specialized personnel arrive by train via Sweden.

The Germans enter Voss after the Luftwaffe devastated it.

Norway Air Operations: The Luftwaffe bombs the British base at Åndalsnes on the personal orders of Hitler, who is furious with reports of the British 15th Infantry Brigade getting through there. He wants the Luftwaffe to "raze: the town. The handful of Gloster Gladiators which have flown to Stetnesmoen get into the air one more time to shoot down one of the attacking Heinkel He 111s, but they are running out of fuel and ammunition. Burning their craft, the airmen board ships at Åndalsnes.

The Luftwaffe attacks on the port are effective. They destroy the wooden pier and piles of British equipment and ammunition.

The Luftwaffe sinks Norwegian torpedo boat Garm.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-13 (Max-Martin Schulte) torpedoes and sinks 1,281-ton Danish freighter Lily north of Scotland at 01:17. All 24 crew perish.

Royal Navy warships off Norway sink German vessel Schiff 37, which is disguised as a Dutch ship.

Convoy OB 137 departs from Liverpool. Convoy OG 27 forms at Gibraltar. Convoy HG 28F departs from Gibraltar. Convoy HX 38 departs from Halifax.

Anglo/Swiss Relations: The British and Swiss conclude a trade agreement. The Germans have been extremely respectful of Swiss neutrality so far, just as in World War I.

British Homefront: With the recent news of higher taxes and other higher government fees, the public begins quietly re-allocating its resources. Prices of UK antiques are up dramatically since September, and the current joke is that foreign collectors "hope to buy up Britain cheap before Hitler gets it." Likewise, UK silver, art, rare books and gems are in great demand; fearful of wartime taxation and inflation, the rich are buying small, portable, concealable wealth rather than keeping their wealth in cash assets which can be taxed or seized.

Nuestro Pueblo artist Charles Owens draws a full-page map on the war in Norway which appears in the LA Times, 26 April 1940.

April 1940

April 1, 1940: Weserubung is a Go
April 2, 1940: British Subs On Alert
April 3, 1940: Churchill Consolidates Power
April 4, 1940: Missed the Bus
April 5, 1940: Mig-1 First Flight
April 6, 1940: Troops Sailing to Norway
April 7, 1940: Fleets At Sea
April 8, 1940: HMS Glowworm and Admiral Hipper
April 9, 1940: Invasion of Norway
April 10, 1940: First Battle of Narvik
April 11, 1940: Britain Takes the Faroes
April 12, 1940: Germans Consolidate in Norway
April 13, 1940: 2d Battle of Narvik
April 14, 1940: Battle of Dombås
April 15, 1940: British in Norway
April 16, 1940: Germans Cut Norway in Half
April 17, 1940: Trondheim the Target
April 18, 1940: Norway Declares War
April 19, 1940: Dombås Battle Ends
April 20, 1940: Germans Advancing in Norway
April 21, 1940: First US Military Casualty
April 22, 1940: First British Military Contact with Germans
April 23, 1940: British Retreating in Norway
April 24, 1940: British Bombard Narvik
April 25, 1940: Norwegian Air Battles
April 26, 1940: Norwegian Gold
April 27, 1940: Allies to Evacuate Norway
April 28, 1940: Prepared Piano
April 29, 1940: British at Bodo
April 30, 1940: Clacton-on-Sea Heinkel

2019

Thursday 25 April 1940

Heinkel He 111 over Norway, 1940.

Norway Army Operations: In the Gudbrandsdal leading north from Lillehammer on 25 April 1940, the British 15th Brigade and attached Norwegian units delay the advancing 196th Infantry Division Wehrmacht troops. General Paget's 3000 troops first advance to Kvam, 55 km south of the key intersection of  Dombås. The advancing German 196th Division under General Pellengahr has 8,500 motorized infantry, along with supporting tanks, artillery, and Luftwaffe support. The Neubaufahrzeug heavy tanks go into action and one is put out of action by the British 25 mm anti-tank guns, which also destroy a light tank and an armored car. For the time being, the line at Kvam holds.

To the east, in the Osterdal, the Germans also advance.

At Hegra Fortress, the German shelling and Luftwaffe attacks continue. The Luftwaffe utilizes a seaplane carrying a 1,800 kg (4,000 lb) bomb. The bomb destroys the area surrounding the fortress and sends shrapnel flying literally for kilometers.

Norway Air Operations: The Luftwaffe attacks the new RAF Gloster Gladiator base at Lake Lesjaskog outside Andalsnes throughout the day. In between, they give some support to the British at Kvam.

In the morning, a single Heinkel He 111 of Stab/LG1 drops its bombs and destroys four Gladiators and injures three pilots, including Squadron Leader John William Donaldson (concussion). At 13:05, another bombing attacks destroys four more Gladiators. Two of the Gladiators get airborne and bring down a Heinkel at 14:00 south of Vinstra, near Dombås. They then damage another Heinkel from 6/LG1, wounding two of the crew. The last five useable Gladiators are then withdrawn north to a temporary landing ground at Stetnesmoen, near Åndalsnes. The pilots then shoot down a Heinkel of II/LG1 which had been attacking British shipping near Andalsnes. Another of the Gladiators is destroyed during the evening.

The Luftwaffe attacks and sinks three British armed trawlers at the base at Andalsnes: HMS Bradman, Hammond, and Larwood.

The RAF sends 18 planes to bomb Oslo and Stavanger.

Battle of the Atlantic: British vessel Margam Abbey hits a mine and sinks in the Thames estuary.

RAF bomber command attempts a minelaying operation with 28 aircraft that does not get to its target location. The Luftwaffe night fighter force downs one of the bombers.

Convoy OA 136 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 136 departs from Liverpool.

Finnish/Swedish Relations: Sweden proposes a joint defense of the Aland Islands with Finland. The dominant powers in the Baltic, namely the Germans and Soviets, immediately raise objections.

US Navy: The aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV 7, Captain John W. Reeves, Jr.) is commissioned.

US Government: President Roosevelt issues a proclamation recognizing the state of war between Germany and Norway. He also issues proclamations barring Norwegian submarines from US territorial waters and extending the Neutrality Act to cover the situation.

Palestine: David Ben-Gurion visits for the UK, and thence the United States.

Canada: Canadian troops serving in the BEF hold a ceremony honoring the battle of Vimy Ridge, where they fought the Germans 23 years earlier.

Australia: The nation honors Anzac Day on its 25th anniversary, with Australian troops currently in Egypt.

Australian troops in Egypt honoring Anzac Day, 25 April 1940.

April 1940

April 1, 1940: Weserubung is a Go
April 2, 1940: British Subs On Alert
April 3, 1940: Churchill Consolidates Power
April 4, 1940: Missed the Bus
April 5, 1940: Mig-1 First Flight
April 6, 1940: Troops Sailing to Norway
April 7, 1940: Fleets At Sea
April 8, 1940: HMS Glowworm and Admiral Hipper
April 9, 1940: Invasion of Norway
April 10, 1940: First Battle of Narvik
April 11, 1940: Britain Takes the Faroes
April 12, 1940: Germans Consolidate in Norway
April 13, 1940: 2d Battle of Narvik
April 14, 1940: Battle of Dombås
April 15, 1940: British in Norway
April 16, 1940: Germans Cut Norway in Half
April 17, 1940: Trondheim the Target
April 18, 1940: Norway Declares War
April 19, 1940: Dombås Battle Ends
April 20, 1940: Germans Advancing in Norway
April 21, 1940: First US Military Casualty
April 22, 1940: First British Military Contact with Germans
April 23, 1940: British Retreating in Norway
April 24, 1940: British Bombard Narvik
April 25, 1940: Norwegian Air Battles
April 26, 1940: Norwegian Gold
April 27, 1940: Allies to Evacuate Norway
April 28, 1940: Prepared Piano
April 29, 1940: British at Bodo
April 30, 1940: Clacton-on-Sea Heinkel

2019

Sunday 21 April 1940

Capt. Losey, the first American military fatality of World War II.

Norway: U.S. Military Attaché Captain Robert E. Losey, air assistant to military attaché with the United States Embassy in Finland and a meteorologist, assists the American legation to escape to safety in Sweden. On 21 April 1940, after evacuating one party, he returns to help another. Passing through Dombås, a key road juncture which recently had been the scene of bitter fighting, Losey is caught in a Luftwaffe raid. Losey gets safely to a railway tunnel but stands near the entrance to observe the bombing. A bomb falls nearby, and a sliver pierces his heart, killing him. He becomes the first American military casualty of World War II.

Norway Army Operations: The Germans of the 196th Infantry Division continue moving north from Oslo. The British 148th Infantry Brigade attempts to block them at Lake Mjøsa, south of Lillehammer. The Luftwaffe attacks the Allied positions with 8 Heinkel He 111 bombers, aided by heavy artillery. The British arrive too late to help, and both the British and Norwegians are sent reeling back to Lillehammer at midnight over snowy mountain roads.

At Bagn, on the other main road north, the Germans eliminate the Norwegians attempting to block the road and continue toward Trondheim.

The German tanks are proving highly effective in Norway. The Norwegians and the British have no effective anti-tank weaponry. Lt. Robert Wynter says: "Our anti-tank rifle is completely ineffective - simply bounces off!" This is a common problem early in the war.

Near Steinkjer, there is fierce fighting around Krogs Farm at Sandvollan. Reportedly, during the battle which lasts a couple of days in Inderøy and Steinkjer, twelve British soldiers perish. These may have been - likely were - the first British soldiers to die in action against the Germans, not the ones at the separate battle further south.

Norway Naval Operations: A German destroyer leads a troop transport up through the ice of Trondheim fjord. The transport lands mountain troops at Verdal and Kirknessvag, in front of General de Wiart’s 146th Brigade, poised to attack Trondheim. The Germans, once landed, quickly advance from Verdal to the north on the strategic British/Norwegian positions at Steinkjer. They are aided by a Luftwaffe attack that levels the town and leaves 1,800 civilians homeless in the winter. The northern British pincer of Operation Sickle is now blocked.

This also would take the pressure off of the Germans besieging Hegra Fortress, which would no longer serve any strategic purpose for the Allies as a link-up point. The Germans now are content to simply bombard Hegra fortress and wait for the inevitable Norwegian surrender there.

European Air Operations: At night, the RAF bombs Aalborg airfield in the north of Denmark and Stavanger-Sola in southern Norway. One bomber is lost, and the bombers destroy six aircraft on the field at Stavanger.

The Luftwaffe bombs Namsos and Andalsnes.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-26 (Heinz Scheringer) torpedoes and sinks 5,159-ton British freighter Cedarbank northwest of Ålesund, Norway. The Cedarbanks was carrying key supplies for the 148th Brigade. There are 30 survivors and 15 perish.

The Luftwaffe drops mines off the British coast. The RAF sends 36 aircraft to drop their own mines.

Convoy HG 27 departs from Gibraltar.

BEF: The 23rd Infantry Division moves to France.

British Homefront: A UK court holds that fathers expecting children may delay their military service to mitigate "potential nervous strain" on the expectant mothers.

Future History: Robert Losey has a memorial at Dombås, erected by the citizens there in 1987. There also was an airfield named in his honor at Ponce, Puerto Rico. A street in Scott AFB in Illinois is named for Losey. In addition, the Losey Atmospheric Sciences Award is presented every year the by American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Steinkjer after Luftwaffe attacks.

April 1940

April 1, 1940: Weserubung is a Go
April 2, 1940: British Subs On Alert
April 3, 1940: Churchill Consolidates Power
April 4, 1940: Missed the Bus
April 5, 1940: Mig-1 First Flight
April 6, 1940: Troops Sailing to Norway
April 7, 1940: Fleets At Sea
April 8, 1940: HMS Glowworm and Admiral Hipper
April 9, 1940: Invasion of Norway
April 10, 1940: First Battle of Narvik
April 11, 1940: Britain Takes the Faroes
April 12, 1940: Germans Consolidate in Norway
April 13, 1940: 2d Battle of Narvik
April 14, 1940: Battle of Dombås
April 15, 1940: British in Norway
April 16, 1940: Germans Cut Norway in Half
April 17, 1940: Trondheim the Target
April 18, 1940: Norway Declares War
April 19, 1940: Dombås Battle Ends
April 20, 1940: Germans Advancing in Norway
April 21, 1940: First US Military Casualty
April 22, 1940: First British Military Contact with Germans
April 23, 1940: British Retreating in Norway
April 24, 1940: British Bombard Narvik
April 25, 1940: Norwegian Air Battles
April 26, 1940: Norwegian Gold
April 27, 1940: Allies to Evacuate Norway
April 28, 1940: Prepared Piano
April 29, 1940: British at Bodo
April 30, 1940: Clacton-on-Sea Heinkel

2019