Saturday 20 April 1940

Wehrmacht troops in Copenhagen, marching to celebrate Hitler's birthday, 20 April 1940.

Norway Army Operations: The British War Cabinet on 20 April 1940 cancels Operation Hammer - the bombardment and direct invasion of Trondheim - once and for all. The better way to secure the port, they reason, is the Operation Sickle pincer attack from Namsos in the north and Åndalsnes in the south. The British forces at Åndalsnes, though, are also supporting the Norwegians down at Lillehammer, while the British and French troops to the north at Namsos also are the closest Allied forces to Narvik. Thus, the Allied effort is being dispersed in different directions.

London does not tell General de Wiart of the cancellation of Operation Hammer. He disposes of his forces to support the expected landing, which now will not come. His 146th Brigade occupies advanced positions on Trondheimfjord which are only useful and supportable if the expected landings were to occur.

German forces approach Lillehammer and Rena. At 02:50, Brigadier Morgan moves his 148th Brigade south to Lillehammer by train. The Norwegians are trying to block the Germans advancing up either side of Lake Mjøsa and are giving ground.

The German 196th Infantry Division captures Elverum, the former refuge of the Norwegian government, and pushes north toward Trondheim.

The German forces at Narvik under General Dietl are reinforced by a battalion of 334th Infantry Regiment brought in by Junkers Ju 52 transport planes. Otherwise, they are completely cut off from all re-supply and reinforcement, with the exception of any cargo ships that can make it past the British blockade.

Norway Air Operations: The Luftwaffe launches attacks on Namsos, heavily damaging the harbor installations and largely ruining the port for the British. They sink British trawler HMS Rutlandshire. The Luftwaffe is beginning to demonstrate aerial dominance over Norway. This dominance is aided by the lack of adequate British anti-aircraft guns and air cover. Piles of supplies and equipment are destroyed on the single stone wharf, which also is obliterated.

The Luftwaffe attacks British naval units and transports off Norway without success, losing three of their number.

The Luftwaffe is starting to support the advancing Wehrmacht ground forces heading north toward Trondheim. Among other places, they attack Dombås, the scene of the recent German paratrooper landings and fighting. Aside from the important rail line, it also is a key road junction at the intersection of long mountain defiles. There are British soldiers there, brought down by the rail line that runs through the town. One of the British, Lt. Rob Winter, notes: "Luftwaffe been strafing us all day, and bombing the little town of Dombas. We left our flak guns in the UK."

During the night, the RAF bombs airfields at Kristiansand and Stavanger in Norway, and Aalborg in Denmark, all without loss. The RAF also sends 23 aircraft to lay mines off the German coast during the night.

European Air Operations: RAF 263 Squadron flies 18 Gloster Gladiators (Squadron Leader John Donaldson) to Scapa Flow, where, they are landed on aircraft carrier HMS Glorious for transport to Norway. The Gladiators are not designed for landings and takeoffs on aircraft carriers, nor are their pilots, so Fleet Air Arm pilots carefully fly them onto the carrier.

The RAF shoots down two Bf 109s and two Heinkel He 111s over the western front.

The Luftwaffe night fighters get their first victory when they shoot down a Fairey Battle of the RAF Advanced Striking Force while it is on a reconnaissance mission.

Battle of the Atlantic: British freighters Mersey and Hawnby sink after hitting mines.

Two US freighters in Norwegian ports, Flying Fish and Charles McCormick, have been moved from Bergen to more secure locations to prevent any "incidents."

Convoy OA 133GF departs from Southend, Convoy OB 33 departs from Liverpool.

U-120 (Oberleutnant zur See Ernst Bauer) is commissioned.

Denmark: The government demobilizes the military.

RAF: The Royal Air Force begins training of aircrew from the commonwealth nations pursuant to the Empire Air Training Scheme. This is later known as the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

Air Marshal Keith Park takes over command of Fighter Command No. 11 Group.

German Military: Partially in celebration of his birthday and partly to honor the success of the current campaign in Scandinavia, Hitler orders the creation of a special Waffen SS regiment to be composed of Danish and Norwegian volunteers. It will be called the "Viking" Division.

US Navy: Captain George J. McMillin becomes the new Commandant of the US Naval Station at Guam.

Science: The first public demonstration of an electron microscope is held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by RCA.

German/Romanian Relations: The two countries conclude a trade agreement.

German Homefront: It is Hitler's 51st birthday, and the big day, as usual, is marked with celebrations and speeches.

Wehrmacht troops lined up to celebrate Hitler's birthday in Viborg, Denmark, April 20, 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

Tuesday 16 April 1940

Oberleutnant Herbert Schmidt of the Dombås Fallschirmjäger.

Norway: The Norwegian government continues the "white paper wars" on 16 April 1940 by releasing the demands made by the German Minister in Oslo.

Numerous Norwegian formations are either surrendering outright or marching into internment in Sweden. They have no orders to do either. Norwegian morale is at rock bottom.

The standard line from Wehrmacht troops to the Norwegians: "We're here to protect you from the English."

Winston Churchill goes into rhetorical overdrive and says that British troops are there to "cleanse the German plague from the ancestral shores of the Vikings."
Norway Air Operations: The RAF bombs Stavanger airfield again during the night. The bombs start two big fires. All the British aircraft return. Other RAF planes attack Oslo and Trondheim.

Once again, Norwegian biplanes attack Junkers Ju 52 unloading supplies for Narvik on frozen Lake Hartvigvann. The landing area is deemed unsafe, and the remaining transports there are abandoned.

The Luftwaffe attacks the British troops unloading at Namsos.

Norway Army Operations: German troops of the 138th Mountain Regiment in an improved armored train continue east toward Sweden from Trondheim, reaching Skurdalsvold a few miles from the Swedish frontier. This effectively cuts the country in half at the waist. However, there are still Finnish forces all around the surrounding countryside. The British also are making landings near Trondheim.

At Dombås, the day begins with the Fallschirmjäger under Oblt. Schmidt occupying a strategic position overlooking the main road. Two Norwegian companies arrive, and one I/IR 5 attacks the Germans from the south, while the other II/IR 11 attacks from the south. The Norwegians bring two 81 mm (3.19 in) mortars and Colt M/29s. There is a brief firefight, and then the Germans wave the white flag. The Germans send over a Norwegian POW who states that the Germans are demanding that the two Norwegian companies surrender or the Germans will shoot their prisoners. There may have been something lost in the translation. The Norwegians respond by sending over a German POW who says that the Norwegians are demanding that they surrender. Neither side surrenders.

The Fallschirmjäger soldiers know they cannot last long in their present positions due to the Norwegian mortars, and ammunition is running low. Schmidt continues talking, waiting for darkness so he and his men can make a run for it. Instead, the Norwegians attack again, but then suddenly a blizzard descends on the area. The Germans launch an unexpected attack, and it sends the Norwegians reeling back to Dombås. After dark, the Fallschirmjäger slip away to the south.

Norwegian troops nearby capture numerous Fallschirmjäger who had wound up far from the drop zone. Some 22 are captured at Kolstad and another 23 at Bottheim train station. They were not participating in the battle anyway.

At Hegra Fortress, the Luftwaffe commences attacks on the castle. The German troops surround the fortress but have no way to break in. They bring up a mountain howitzer, and it destroys buildings around the fortress but does little damage to the structure itself. One shell hits a parapet and kills a Norwegian soldier. Hans Reidar Holtermann, commanding officer, keeps his men safe but vigilant.

At Narvik, some 200 Norwegian troops retreat along the rail line into Sweden, where they are interned. The German 139th Mountain Regiment clears the line all the way to the border.

Major Holtermann on Constitution Day in 1945.

Norway Naval Operations: More British troops of the 148th Territorial Infantry (reserve) Brigade depart for Norway from Rosyth. They are under the command of Brigadier Harold Morgan and already have spent two days cramped up in cruisers HMS Galatea and Arethusa and another transport ship.

Instead of going to Namsos with their brother troops, however, the Brigade troops are to be shipped to Andalsnes, to the south of Trondheim. To do this, they must disembark the cruisers they are on and board two other cruisers, HMS Carlisle and Curacoa. Doing this causes them to lose valuable equipment on the former two cruisers, which cannot be brought over due to lack of space and time. The whole affair makes absolutely no sense and is a complete staff cock-up. The strategic picture is that they will attack Trondheim from the south while the troops already ashore attack from the north, but the hurried nature of the change creates huge problems.

General Mackesy lands his 24th Brigade at Harstad, 37 miles to the north of his objective, Narvik. This area is quiet and suitable for the landing operation since it is not equipped for an opposed beach landing. While everyone gets ashore safely, the troops are of little use so far north. An overland march to Narvik would be extremely difficult due to the weather situation.

The British 15th Brigade is en route from France, where they were serving with the BEF, to Norway.

British submarine HMS Porpoise sinks U-boat 1 off Stavanger.

HMS Porpoise and U-3 exchange torpedo firings at each other 10 miles southwest of Egersund, Norway. Both miss.

British Military: The government issues a mobilization order for men turning 27 years old in April and May 1940.

Anglo/US Relations: J. Edgar Hoover and William Stephenson of MI6 meet to discuss cooperation regarding British intelligence needs in the United States.

US Military: First planes fly out of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Soviet Union: The Red Army convenes a conference in Moscow to analyze whatever lessons can be learned from the Winter War.

Italy: Foreign Minister Count Ciano announces over Rome radio that "the bugles will soon sound," which some take to mean that Italy is about to enter the war on the side of the Axis. The world is awash with jokes on both sides about Italian fighting prowess:

Germans: Hitler is told Italy joining war. "Send 2 divisions, that'll finish them!" "Mein Führer, they're on our side!" "Oh! Send 10." 

At a dinner with Winston Churchill, German Minister Ribbentrop had said that, in a future war with Britain, Germany would have the Italians on its side. Churchill responded: “That’s only fair – we had them last time." 

Churchill: "Italians lose wars as if they were football matches and football matches as if they were wars." 

Churchill: "My Generals tell me that if Italy joins our side we shall defeat Germany in a year, and if they join the German side, six months."

Iceland: The island officially declares its independence and asks for US recognition.

HMAS Perth sails into Sydney Harbor, 16 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 14 April 1940

One of the Junkers Ju 52 transport planes shot down during the Dombås paratrooper operation, 14 April 1940.

Norway: The military commandant, General von Falkenhorst, on 14 April 1940 threatens all civilians resisting the German occupation with harsh measures. He takes 20 prominent citizens of Oslo hostage, including the Bishop. The entire situation is completely fluid: US journalist James Aldridge comments that it is the "Most nonsensical war ever seen: no-one knows where 'front' is, every time I look for fighting, I just miss it."

The British and French are unsure how to proceed. However, they are agreed that they have to do... something. The decision comes down to getting some troops ashore and then figuring out what to do with them later. So, troops land in Norway, but far away from any opposition.

Norway Army Operations: The Germans are advancing north from Oslo through the Glomma Valley, and the Norwegians are delaying them wherever possible. The German 196 Infantry Division pushes northward from Oslo, and about 3000 Norwegian troops in the sector head across the border into Sweden and are interned.
The Battle of Dombås begins when the Germans drop elite paratroopers (Fallschirmjäger) of the 7th Flieger Division near the railroad junction at Dombås at about 18:00. Unknown to the Germans, the drop is into the middle of a temporary encampment of the 2nd Battalion of the Norwegian Army′s Infantry Regiment 11 (II/IR 11). The Junkers Ju 52 planes flying at treetop level come under fire from all directions, and the planes return fire as best they can. The Junkers Ju 52s carrying them lose 8 of their 15 number, and the remainder are shot up.

A different German parachute drop in Norway, probably up at Narvik.

It thus is an extremely hazardous drop in poor weather, completed only because it is a Hitler order which must be obeyed. The paratroopers are spread out over a wide area and suffer heavy casualties during the drop. Out of a force of 185 men, only 63 wind up with the commander, Oberleutnant Herbert Schmidt, and in a position to do anything. The men on the ground barely have any maps. It is a "wing it" type of operation - but sometimes that works.

The initial objective at Dombås is the destruction of the railroad which runs through the town, as well as blocking any Allied advance inland, particularly south through the Gudbrandsdal valley. Schmidt blocks the main road in the area, cuts the rail line and cuts the phone wires, then captures a passing taxicab. Piling as many men into it as possible, Schmidt and the men head north to Dombås.

Along the way, Schmidt's taxi runs into two truckloads of Norwegian soldiers coming the other way. A firefight breaks out, and Schmidt's advance is stopped. He takes up a defensive position near the main road - thus blocking it - and waits for his other men coming along behind (walking) to catch up. The attack is a fiasco for the men involved, and Schmidt is badly wounded while retaining command - but there is more to the story.

The attack has some important results: it causes the Norwegians to evacuate the national gold reserves to Britain immediately by fishing boats and British cruisers. Schmidt also, despite everything, has blocked a key road, disrupted Norwegian communications and delayed Norwegian mobilization plans. Perhaps most importantly, he has sowed terror and confusion throughout the Norwegian government and military - everyone throughout the country soon is talking about "German paratroopers" and looking over his or her shoulder.

Dombås paratroopers, 14 April 1940.

Norway Naval Operations: The light cruisers HMS Sheffield and HMS Glasgow put ashore a preliminary force of 350 Royal Marines at Namsos, the first Allied troops in Norway.

British infantry troops then land at Harstad, near Narvik, and at Namsos, just north of Trondheim. The Namsos troops of the 146th Territorial Brigade, which have been embarked since 11 April, intend to consolidate in the Namsos and Andalsnes sectors. Execution of the operation is confused, as the 146 Territorial Brigade first is sent toward Narvik, but then is diverted south to attack Trondheim due to Vice Admiral Whitworth's (HMS Warspite) belief that Trondheim will be easy to take. The landing force's artillery, anti-aircraft guns, and commanding officer don't get the message and continue north to Narvik.

The troops at Harstad also are pointed at Narvik, the one true strategic objective in northern Norway.

The Admiralty announces that it is mining the entire Kattegat and parts of the Baltic, with the exception of a 3-mile territorial belt around Sweden.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Tarpon torpedoes and sinks Kriegsmarine minesweeper M-6.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Snapper torpedoes and sinks German cargo ship Florida.

Royal Navy Ship HMS Sunfish torpedoes and sinks Kriegsmarine ship Schiff-35.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Sterlet torpedoes and sinks Kriegsmarine training ship Brummer (sinks on 15 April).

Convoy OA 129 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 129 departs from Liverpool, Convoy OG 26F forms at Gibraltar, and Convoy HX 35 departs from Halifax.

Norway Air Operations: At dawn, the RAF bombs Stavanger-Sola airfield and the seaplanes in Hafrs Fjord. Some damage is done to the hangars.

The Norwegian air force, which has old Fokker biplanes, bombs the Junkers Ju 52 transport planes landing on Lake Hartvigvann to supply the Mountain troops holding Narvik.

RAF Bomber command sends 28 aircraft to lay mines off the Danish coast during the night.

Holland: The military extends the areas covered by the state of siege in the northern part of the country.

Future History: It is easy to make fun of the Battle of Dombås and call it a failure and so forth. However, the men of the 7th Flieger Division accomplished exactly what the paratroopers of 6 June 1944 did in Normandy - they dropped at random in the enemy rear, disrupted enemy operations, and sowed confusion and terror behind the lines despite not accomplishing all of their formal objectives. Nobody ever says that the paratroopers of D-Day were a failure.

The image is taken from a newspaper article about the bombing of Namsos (Havnegata) that was published in Namdal. People are running down to the harbor to see a British seaplane that has landed on the fjord.

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