Friday 3 May 1940

German troops and bombers on an improvised airfield during the battle for Norway, May 3, 1940 (Wide World Photo).

Norway: The British/French tilt away from the Trondheim target is a serious tell-tale sign for the direction of the entire Norwegian campaign on 3 May 1940. The Allies at this point have no hope of prevailing against Germany on the Continent in any kind of mobile warfare setting except in artificial frames such as island conflicts. Narvik provides a last gasp as an opportunity for the Allies only because, for all intents and purposes, it is an island: it is difficult to reach by land due to numerous geographical barriers and lack of roads, it has a small population and the best way to reach it with military support is via ship (military supplies cannot be sent on the rail line through neutral Sweden).

In fact, the British arguably have a slight advantage in some ways in a Narvik campaign. The British Home Fleet not only completely outclasses anything that the Kriegsmarine can put in action, but its main base at Scapa Flow, Scotland is closer to Narvik than any German ports. Conceivably, the Allies could occupy northern Norway indefinitely - so long as nothing else comes up diverting scarce resources somewhere else.

King Haakon and the rest of the Norwegian government and Commander-in-chief Otto Ruge are under British protection just south of Navik at Tromsø. There is a 1000km (600 miles) buffer zone between them and the German troops further south.

The sense of hopelessness among the few active Norwegian forces remaining in the country is exacerbated by a radio broadcast by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announcing the evacuation of Allied troops from the Trondheim region.

Norway Army Operations: The evacuation of British (1850) and French (2345) troops, along with some Norwegian troops and 30 Wehrmacht POWs, is finished before dawn. General de Wiart is grateful: "The Navy promised to evacuate my troops tonight. I thought it impossible, but the Navy does not know the word."

Colonel Ole Berg Getz—the Norwegian commander in the Trøndelag area - announces in his order of the day that he has proposed an armistice due to his lack of supplies, particularly ammunition. He broadcasts his surrender of troops in Nord-Trøndelag during the day and advises all other Norwegian forces in Trøndelag to do the same.

Norwegian General Jacob Hvinden-Haug throws in the towel and surrenders all troops south of Trondheim. All fighting south of Trondheim, in essence, is over except for holdouts.

The commander of one of those holdouts, Hegra Fortress, realizes from radio reports and its own situation that the end is at hand. Food is running out, and there is no hope of relief. The garrison begins destroying it artillery ammunition. Three Swedish volunteers are taken out of the fortress and escorted by a ski patrol to the Swedish border.

Norway Naval Operations: Destroyer HMS Afridi lingers at Namsos after the evacuation convoy leaves, shelling the dock and other port facilities before finally departing at 04:45.

The Allied troops evacuated from Åndalsnes arrive safely in Scapa Flow. The French transit to French passenger liners bound for Brest to aid in the defense of their own country.

Norway Air Operations: The Luftwaffe attacks the Namsos evacuation convoy at 09:45, sinking French destroyer Bison about 110 miles west of Vega Island, Norway at 10:10. There are 103 deaths - but many also wind up on HMS Afridi, which also goes down.

Afridi is bombed at 14:00 and also goes down quickly (45 minutes), with numerous deaths (45 crew, 13 men of 146th Brigade, and 30 of the 69 men just rescued from the Bison). Elderly General de Wiart - legendary escape-artist from hopeless predicaments - is forlorn: "I'm sorry I wasn't on board - I've missed a great experience!"

The Luftwaffe attacks British battleship HMS Resolution and Cruisers Aurora and Effingham off Narvik.

Western Front: Hitler is hard at work on Fall Gelb, the invasion of France and the Low Countries, and now is at the fine-tuning stage. He postpones the date from 5 May to 6 May, the small change showing how close the actuality is getting. He is assembling 93 Divisions along the border without the Allies apparently noticing.

Hitler sees the entire world up for grabs: "The earth is a challenge cup: it goes to those who deserve it.…"

French General Huntziger commands the 2nd Army on the Ardennes front. He is offended by the construction without his approval of anti-tank obstacles on two main roads through the forest and orders them demolished.

European Air Operations: The RAF bombs Oslo-Fornebu airfield, Stavanger-Sola, and Ry airfield in northern Denmark.

Three Luftwaffe fighters ambush a British reconnaissance plane over Borkum, losing one of their own numbers.

RAF bomber command sends 10 aircraft out on minelaying operations during the night. The Luftwaffe also conducts minelaying.

Convoy OA 141 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 141 departs from Liverpool.

Battle of the Atlantic: German commerce raider Atlantis is traveling in the south Atlantic disguised as Japanese freighter Kasii Maru. It spots British freighter Scientist near Walvis Bay on its way to Freetown, boards it, and then sinks it with a torpedo. There are three deaths.

Spies: Colonel Hans Oster of the German military intelligence service, the Abwehr, tells the Dutch military attaché in Berlin, Colonel Sas, that Fall Gelb is close, perhaps ready by 8 May. Unfortunately for Oster, his credibility has been undermined by previous postponements subsequent to his alerts. The neutral Dutch decide not to pass this information along to the Allies.

Applied Science: The Wehrmacht seizes control of the world's only heavy water production facility Vermork outside Rjukan in Tinn, Norway.

Greenland: The Danish crown colony takes a different route than Iceland, which earlier had declared independence. It seeks US protection to maintain its Danish sovereignty without German domination.

China: At the Battle of Tsaoyang-Ichang, the Japanese 11th Army captures Changshouien and Tienchiachi.

British Homefront: Industrialist Sir Alfred Edward Herbert, a huge advocate of women workers during World War I (along with minimum wages and maximum working hours), encourages women to sign up for factory work "at this grave time."

The Vermork hydroelectric plant in 1935.

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

2019

Sunday 28 April 1940

Dead British "Green Howards" after the battle at Otta, Norway on 28 April 1940.

Norway: The British cabinet, given a strong recommendation on the morning of 28 April 1940 from General Massy, affirms the Military Coordination Committee (MCC) decision on 27 April to evacuate Norway. Everything is prepared for a quick exit.

Lieutenant General Claude Auchinleck is appointed commander of the British forces in Norway, now named the North-Western Expeditionary Force. He will oversee the evacuation.

Norway Army Operations: General Paget at Otta and General de Wiart at Namsos both receive orders to evacuate.

Paget tells Norwegian Commander in Chief Ruge at 05:00. Ruge gets angry at both the decision and not being told previously. He still believes that the defensive 15th Brigade south of Dombås can establish a permanent line, but the decision is final. He offers to assist with the retreat as long as Norwegian troops are included in the evacuation.

The 15th Brigade at Otta holds its line during the day, destroying three German light tanks. During the night, it withdraws 25 north to Dombås, where it can protect its own flank. They conduct a scorched-earth policy, blowing bridges as they go.

General de Wiart in Namsos withdraws his forces into a tighter, more defensible perimeter as he prepares to depart. He faces Luftwaffe attacks only.

The French 27th Demi-Brigade de Chasseurs Alpins deploys on the mainland at Sjovegan, north of Narvik.

Norway Air Operations: The Luftwaffe continues bombing the British ports in northern Norway.

The Luftwaffe sends reinforcements and supplies to General Dietl's troops at Narvik with 89 Junkers Ju-52 transport planes.

Having downed a German Heinkel 111 the previous night, RAF pilot Captain Partridge has crash-landed nearby. He finds a hut, then hears someone outside - it is the crew of the bomber he shot down. He invites them in, they become friends and are picked up this morning by a Norwegian ski patrol.


Battle of the Atlantic: The Queen Mary, impressed into British military service, completes a record-breaking, 12-day trip from New York to Cape Town.

U-13 (Kapitänleutnant Max-Martin Schulte) torpedoes and damages 9,491-ton British tanker Scottish American west of Pentland, Firth.

Convoy OA 138 GF departs from Southend, Convoy OB 138 departs from Liverpool.

Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto completed.

John Cage performing with his "prepared piano" in Seattle, 28 April 1940.

German Homefront: The Bayerische Motorenwerke BMW Mille Miglia Touring Coupe wins the Mille Miglia with an average speed of 166.7 km/h (103.6 mph).

American Homefront/Future History: John Cage, described as an "Avante-Garde experimentalist," debuts his "Bacchanale." It features his "prepared piano. The Seattle Daily Times describes "Bacchanale" as being "breathtaking in its speed and rhythm as well as unusual in its piano accompaniment." The National Academy of Arts and Letters will award Cage a $1000 honorarium - good money in those days - for the invention.

BMW Sweeps the Mille Miglia, April 28, 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

Monday 22 April 1940

April 22, 1940, is considered the first day of real combat between the British and Germans. There apparently is some disagreement as to whether the first action took place at Steinkjer on 21 April, or in the Gudbrandsdal north of Lillehammer on 22 April.

Norway: The Supreme Allied War Council meets in Paris on 22 April 1940 and degenerates into a political scuffle between Prime Minister Paul Reynaud and former Prime Minister Daladier. The leaders are out of touch with events on the ground and engage in wishful thinking about advancing on Oslo to route the Germans.

Norway Army Operations: The German 196th Division advancing north from Oslo captures Lillehammer and advances further up the Gudbrandsdal. The British 148th Brigade sent down to block them is forced to retreat again. They try to dig in at Faaberg, North of Lillehammer, but the German mountain troops prove that training is important when they scale the 2,165-foot Balbergkamp to sidestep the British down on the road. The British, outflanked, then retreat another 20 miles and set up a blocking position at Tretten Gorge, a narrow chokepoint in the Gudbrandsdal defile.

The 196th Division is advancing on Trondheim from the south, while the German 359th Infantry Division pushes south from Trondheim to meet them.

The German 181st Infantry Division and 3rd Mountain Division troops at Steinkjer are putting pressure on General de Wiart's 146th Territorial Brigade. There is fierce fighting at Vist between The Lincolnshire Regiment and King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Regiment, defending at Krogs farm, and the German 138th Mountain Regiment. In the evening, the British begin a fighting withdrawal back to the main base at Namsos. The Luftwaffe is completely crushing his base at Namsos and the British supply lines to de Wiart's troops to the south.

The German 69th Infantry troops at Bergen begin pushing east.

Norway Naval Operations: Aircraft carrier HMS Glorious departs from Scapa Flow ferrying 18 Gloster Gladiators of No. 263 Squadron for use in Norway. The Gladiators are not converted for carrier takeoffs and landings.

Norway Air Operations: The Luftwaffe bombs the British base at Namsos again. The RAF also is in operation over Norway, but they are bombers from England.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe bombs Scapa Flow and lays mines along the British coast.

French reconnaissance aircraft fly over Prague on 22-23 April.

Battle of the Atlantic: Two Lockheed Hudsons spot U-43 on the surface in the North Sea and drop bombs. The U-boat receives a few nicks and carries on.

Convoy OA 134 departs from Southend, Convoy OG 27F forms at Gibraltar, and Convoy HX 37 departs from Halifax.

British corvette HMS Clarkia (Lt. Commander Frederick J. G. Jones) is commissioned.

North Africa: The newly arrived New Zealand Division conducts training exercises near El Saff.

Denmark: The Germans order the Danish army disbanded and confiscate its weapons.

British Military: Three vice chiefs of staff are appointed: John Dill as Vice Chief of the General Staff; Tom Phillips, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff; and Vice-Chief of the Air Staff Sir Richard Edmund Charles Peirse. Air Marshal William Sholto Douglas is named Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, and General Percival becomes Assistant Chief of the Imperial General Staff at the War Office.

US Navy: Rear Admiral Joseph Taussig, commandant of the Fifth Naval District at Norfolk, Virginia, testifies before a joint House-Senate committee on Pacific fortifications. He predicts that war with Japan is inevitable. The US Navy officially reprimands him and repudiates his testimony.

Holocaust: Germans and Poles are forbidden from entering the Jewish Ghetto of Lodz.

Lodz Ghetto "No Entry" posting: "In accordance with the police ordinance of April 8, 1940, all Poles and Germans are forbidden from entering the Ghetto Area"  (Schmitt, Federal Archive).

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

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

Friday 19 April 1940

Three rare Neubaufahrzeug panzers arrive in Oslo on 19 April 1940.

Norway Army Operations: As part of Operation Sickle, on 19 April 1940 the British head south from Namsos and reach Verdal. They are still 80 km from Trondheim. Behind them, French mountain troops (French 5th Demi-Brigade de Chasseurs, Chasseurs Alpins (mountain infantry)) replace them at Namsos. In a further example of the poor planning for the operation, they are not accompanied by their skis, mules, trucks and anti-aircraft guns. The skis arrive later, without straps.

The Wehrmacht watches the British troop movements with concern. They land troops near Steinkjer on Trondheim Fjord and prepare to assault the town. This effectively outflanks the British 146th Infantry Brigade (General de Wiart) that has been advancing from Namsos to join the Norwegian forces further south. In addition, the Germans have warships in Trondheim Fjord to support land operations. The British 146th Infantry Brigade also runs into the German 138th Gebirgsjäger Regiment, advancing North from Trondheim and a battle erupts.

At Andalsnes, the British troops (Brigadier Morgan) have two conflicting objectives: move on Trondheim from the south as part of Operation Sickle, and support the Norwegians to their south at Lillehammer. This means moving in opposite directions.

The situation is becoming critical because the advancing German troops of the 196th Infantry Division have captured Hamar and Elverum only 50 miles to the south. As a first step, Morgan sends the 148th Brigade south down the Gudbrandsdal to Lillehammer to protect it. These troops will help General Ruge to block the German troops advancing northward, but it also at the very least delays any British move on Trondheim from the south.

On the most direct road from Oslo to Kristiansund, the Norwegians have blocked the road at Bagn. The Germans are forced to abandon their tanks and proceed on mountain trails to clear the road.

At Hegra Fortress, the fighting settles down after the failed German attacks of the past couple of days. The Germans decide that there is no point in storming the fortress and settle down to a siege, with regular bombardment by artillery and the Luftwaffe.

At Dombås, the Fallschirmjäger force led by Oblt. Herbert Schmidt has been shelled by a 40 mm antiaircraft gun and surrounded by vastly superior Norwegian forces. The Norwegians also have just brought up a rail-mounted howitzer manned by Royal Marines. The howitzer opens fire at 06:00 with an opening barrage of 10 rounds.

At that point, a Junkers Ju 52 arrives overhead. Schmidt radios it and tells it that the Germans are going to surrender, so it leaves without dropping its supplies.

Schmidt then sends out his second-in-command, Leutnant Ernst Mössinger, to see what kind of terms he can get. Norwegian Major Arne Sunde demands unconditional surrender and tells him that they have 10 minutes before he opens fire again. The Germans are to announce their surrender by firing flares. Mössinger returns to the farm, and just before the deadline the Germans fire off the flares.

There are 45 Fallschirmjäger left, of whom 6 are wounded. The captured Germans are transported by train for incarceration at Dombås. The elimination of the Germans at Dombås clears the vital rail line and road junction. It also facilitates the escape route for King Haakon and the rest of the Norwegian government to England via the port of Andalsnes.

Three experimental heavy tanks, Neubaufahrzeug heavy tanks (35 tons, three turrets with 75 mm main and 37 mm secondary gun), arrive by ship in Oslo. They are big and scary looking, but not too imposing as weapons. They are driven around town to impress the locals, then sent to join the forces battling northward.

Norway Air Operations: With the British base at Namsos posing a threat to the German hold on Trondheim, the Luftwaffe sends raids against Namsos. The town suffers tremendous damage.

The RAF continues its daily raids against Stavanger-Sola, sending 9 aircraft to bomb the field.

Battle of the Atlantic: HMS Hickory (Chief Skipper Arthur Pitchers), a minesweeper, is commissioned.

BEF: The British begin moving the 12th Infantry Division to France.

US/Japanese Relations: After recent back and forth between US Secretary of State Cordell Hull and the Japanese Foreign Minister about the possible implications of the European war on the southern Pacific region, the Japanese government officially states that it has no aggressive plans regarding the Dutch East Indies.

Holland: The Dutch government extends the state of siege from just the frontier region to cover the entire country. This creates a form of martial law. The government also reiterates its neutrality.

Yugoslavia: Milan Stojadinović, the former premier, is arrested. The regent prince Paul suspects that he is trying to set himself up as the head of a puppet regime with Axis backing.

German Homefront: With Hitler's birthday on the morrow, Propaganda Minister Goebbels gives a fulsome speech entitled "Our Hitler" in which he states that "We Germans all agree: nothing can separate us from our love, obedience, & confidence in and for the Führer."

British Homefront: "Gone With The Wind" premieres in London four months after its American debut. As a film with an inherently American storyline, it loses something in the translation. About the film, which is now in many Top Ten lists of all time and which still holds the inflation-adjusted box office record, the critics say: "Good, but no masterpiece."

The New York Central’s Lake Shore LTD, sped around a curve at Little Falls, N.Y., jumped the track, and plowed into a rock wall. Thirty persons were killed in this crash on April 19, 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 18 April 1940

U-37 docked at Wilhelmshaven on 18 April 1940.

Denmark: The war in Denmark is long over by 18 April 1940, and the Germans won without real opposition - but they are still unhappy. The government remains in power, and since their entire legal ruse is just to "protect" the country, there is no justification to depose the government. The Germans would like the pretext to replace the entire government with their own military regime, but this might alienate neutrals, so they continue things as is while biting their tongues.

Norway: The Norwegian government, which acts according to its own rhythms, declares war on Germany. Since the invasion occurred on 9 April, over a week ago, this reflects a somewhat casual attitude to the entire decision. Some Norwegian troops in the field also at times exhibit a rather carefree "whatever happens, happens" attitude which is making the Wehrmacht's job easier. Sometimes the Norwegian civilian volunteers appear to have more spirit than some of the professional soldiers. An air of fatalism cripples the defense.

There are break, milk and meat shortages in Oslo.

The British are still working out a strategy. The focus remains Trondheim, and the bombardment and direct assault on Trondheim - Operation Hammer is put under the command of Brigadier Berney-Ficklin. However, in another of the calamities that afflict the campaign, his plane crashes en route to Scapa Flow. Ultimately, Operation Hammer is canceled as too risky. The pincer attack from Andalsnes in the south and Namsos in the north - Operation Sickle - now becomes the heart of the strategy.

Hitler remains on tenterhooks about the entire operation. At one point, he frantically demands that the German troops at Narvik under General Dietl be evacuated in their entirety by air. There are too few planes, and the idea is a non-starter, but it shows the stress the relatively successful campaign is imposing on the Fuhrer.

Norway Air Operations: The Germans are apprised of the British landings at Namsos and launch a Luftwaffe raid on their positions.

Allied troops pick through the ruins of Namsos after a German air raid, April 1940.

Norway Army Operations: The German 196th Infantry Division advances north toward Lillehammer and Hamar along the mountain defile that leads north. They are still far from having any strategic impact in terms of British operations to the north. The troops moving north from Oslo are delayed at the village of Bagn in the district of Valdres, approximately midway between Oslo and Bergen. The Germans are advancing by foot, bicycle and captured bus. The Norwegians ambush them from the hills after planting barricades along the mountain roads. As recalled by Norwegian volunteer Eiliv Hauge (22) from Oslo:

"We poured down bullets- the Germans tried to hide under their buses.... The Germans raised a white flag, but the men around me didn't stop firing, so neither did I. We continued until they lay still."

The British troops at Andalsnes, now under the command of General Paget, are joined by a landing at Moldes, with the British establishing another base there. This is the southern pincer directed at Trondheim. The British 148th Brigade (Brigadier Morgan) had been transferred between ships back in England and in the shuffle lost much of their equipment. General Morgan has written orders to advance 150 miles northeast to Trondheim but also has received oral instructions from Chief of the Imperial Staff General Ironside to support the Norwegian troops currently to the Southeast defending the Gudbrandsdal and Østerdal valleys leading up from Oslo. He does not have enough troops to do both adequately.

The Germans appear to recognize their danger at Trondheim and reinforce the garrison there. The German 181st Infantry Division arrives in numerous transport planes, a conventional transport ship and two submarines operating as transport ships.

At Dombås, the Fallschirmjäger force under Oblt. Schmidt is surrounded to the north by a battalion of I/IR 11 and to the south by I/IR 5. There are several other Norwegian units helping out, and fenrik (Second Lieutenant) L. K. Løkken of the Raufoss Anti-aircraft Command has brought a 40 mm anti-aircraft gun. The 40 mm gun is positioned at Dovre Train station and used as artillery. The Norwegians attack from the south at dawn, raking the stone barn with heavy fire. The Germans are trapped in the barn with ammunition running low.

The situation looks dire, but unexpectedly a Junker Ju 52 flies over and drops ammunition, warm clothing, provisions, medical supplies and the radio frequency for communicating with headquarters. These are their first supplies of the operation. Later, a Norwegian officer approaches demanding surrender, which Schmidt rejects. The Norwegians then resume fire with the 40 mm gun. The barn becomes untenable, and at the end of the day, the Germans retreat to the farmhouse where the POWs are being held.

At Hegra Fortress, the Germans make another infantry assault, which fails. They continue raking the fortress with a very heavy machine gun and mortar fire. The weather turns sour, and a German attack is foiled by a blizzard. In the snow, the Germans sometimes fire at each other in confusion. In the evening, two Norwegian doctors ask for and receive permission to evacuate the wounded from the fortress. All operations are temporarily suspended. One of the doctors is held as a hostage to make sure the operation goes as promised. They evacuated nine Norwegian wounded and a German POW, Gefreiter Bayerle, who the Norwegians released as a sign of good faith. The Norwegian wounded do not become POWs per agreement.

The Norwegians holed up in Hegra Fortress are mounting a successful defense of their position, but it is strategically of minor importance. The guns are in fixed emplacements that point away from the only target of any strategic value, the airport being used by the Luftwaffe. The Norwegians under Major Holtermann attempt to re-direct the guns toward the airport, but this proves impossible. The only other value the fortress has is as a point of juncture for other Allied forces, but the Allied forces are nowhere nearby.

Norway Naval Operations: U-26 acts as a transport and arrives at Trondheim carrying needed ammunition, weapons and other equipment.

Battle of the Atlantic: British cruiser HMS Suffolk, attacked by Ju 88 bombers after bombarding Stavanger, barely makes it back to Scapa Flow without sinking.

HMS Sterlet (Lt. Commander Gerard H. S. Haward) is declared overdue and presumed lost in the Skagerrak south of Larvik, Norway. Theories as to her fate range from hitting a mine to being sunk by Kriegsmarine anti-submarine trawlers UJ-125, UJ-126, and UJ-128. All hands are lost.

British submarine HMS Seawolf sinks German ship Hamm.

U-99 (Korvettenkapitän Otto Kretschmer) is commissioned. It is a Type VII B U-boat.

Convoy OB 132, Convoy HG 27F departs from Gibraltar, Convoy OG 26 forms off Gibraltar, and Convoy HX 36 departs from Halifax.

British Military: General Dill takes over as Chief of the Imperial Staff.

Switzerland: The Swiss government makes preparations for a possible surprise attack and mobilizes more men.

A group of ten men stands next to a 1940 Mercury gasoline mileage test car, April 18, 1940. The group is in front of the O'Shea-Rogers Motor Company, 1345 M Street. Nebraska State Historical Society.

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