Norwegian Campaign order of battle

The German operation for the invasion of Denmark and Norway in April 1940 was code-named Weserübung, or "Weser Exercise." Opposing the invasion were the partially mobilized Norwegian military, and an allied expeditionary force composed of British, French, and Free Polish formations. The following list formed the order of battle for this campaign.

Germany

XXI Gruppe

On 1 March 1940, the German 21st Army Corps was renamed Group XXI and placed in charge of the invasion of Norway. The group was allotted two Mountain and five Infantry divisions for this task. It was led by the commanding officer of the XXI Korps, General der Infanterie Nikolaus von Falkenhorst. His Chief of Staff was Oberst Erich Buschenhagen.

Organization of Wehrmacht Heer Gruppe XXI during the invasion of Norway and Denmark April 1940[1]

Luftwaffe

The Luftwaffe's X Fliegerkorps was commanded by Generalleutnant Hans Ferdinand Geisler; it had operational command of all Luftwaffe units participating in Operation Weserübung.

Kriegsmarine

Baltic Sea and Norwegian Waters Naval Group Command West – Generaladmiral Alfred Saalwächter

Battleship Force – Vizeadmiral Günther Lütjens

Objective: Narvik Warship Group One – Kapitän zur See and Kommodore Friedrich Bonte ( † 10 April)

Transporting:

Landing Group (planned to be at or entering Narvik when Warship Group One was scheduled to arrive.)

Tanker Group

Objective Trondheim

Admiral Hipper and a destroyer approaching Trondheim.

Warship Group Two – Kapitän zur See Hellmuth Heye,

Transporting:

Landing Group (Planned to be at or entering Trondheim when Warship Group Two was scheduled to arrive.)

Tanker Group

Objective Bergen Warship Group Three – Rear Admiral Hubert Schmundt

1. S-Boatflotilla – Kapitänleutnant Heinz Birnbacher

Transporting:

Landing Group

Landing Group Stavanger

Objectives Kristiansand and Arendal

Main article: Capture of Arendal

Warship Group Four – Kapitän zur See Friedrich Rieve

2. S-Boat-Flotilla – Korvettenkapitän Rudolf Petersen

Transporting

Objectives Oslo and Oslofjord Warship Group Five – Rear Admiral Oskar Kummetz Objective Oslo

Objectives Son and Moss

Objective Horten

Objective Rauøy Island

Objective Bolærne Island

Objective Egersund Cable Station

Main article: Capture of Egersund

Warship Group Six – Korvettenkapitän Kurt Thoma, 2 Minehunting Flotilla

Objectives Korsör and Nyborg Warship Group Seven – Kapitän zur See Gustav Kleikamp

School Flotilla of Commander in Chief Baltic Approaches

Objectives Copenhagen Warship Group Eight – Korvettenkapitän Wilhelm Schroeder

Warship Group Eight supported in the waters of the Belt by 13. Patron-Flotilla – Kapitänleutnant Dr. Walther Fischer

Objectives Middelfart and Belt Bridge Warship Group Nine – Kapitän zur See Helmut Leissner, F.d.V.O

Objectives Esbjerg and Nordby Warship Group Ten – Kapitän zur See and Kommodore Friedrich Ruge F.d.M. West

12. Minehunter Flotilla – Korvettenkapitän Karl Marguth

2. Minesweeper Flotilla – Korvettenkapitän Gert von Kamptz

Objective Thyborön 'Warship Group Eleven – Korvettenkapitän Walter Berger 4. Minehunter Flotilla – Korvettenkapitän Walter Berger

3. Minesweeper Flotilla – Kapitänleutnant Hagen Küster

Mine Sweeper Covering Group Laying minefields to the Skagerrak to protect the German resupply route to southern Norway.

Minelaying Group – Kapitän zur See Kurt Böhmer:

U-Boat Force Force – Rear Admiral Karl Dönitz

U-Boat Group One Patrol area: Narvik, Harstad, Vestfjord, Vågsfjord

U-Boat Group Two Patrol area: Trondheim, Namsos, Romsdalsfjord

U-Boat Group Three Patrol area: Bergen, Ålesund, Shetland Islands

U-Boat Group Four Patrol area: Stavanger

U-Boat Group Five Patrol area: East of the Shetland Islands, Vågsfjord, Trondheim

U-Boat Group Six Patrol area: Pentland, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands

U-Boat Group Seven Never assembled

U-Boat Group Eight Patrol area: Lindesnes, Egersund

U-Boat Group Nine Patrol area: Bergen, Shetland Islands

Unassigned to a group Operating in the area of the Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, and Bergen

Danish

Due to a non-aggression treaty with Germany, the army of Denmark had not been mobilized and no fortifications had been built. As a result, only a few elements of the Royal Danish Army were able to mount a brief defence.

Royal Danish Army

The Commander in chief of the Danish army was General William Wain Prior.

Royal Danish Navy

The Royal Danish Navy consisted of:

Norwegian

Due to the speed and surprise achieved by the German forces, the Norwegian military was only able to partially mobilize their military. Actual unit strengths only achieved a portion of their listed organizations. Some of the Norwegian forces were ad hoc battalions. The commander of the Norwegian Army at the time of the invasion was General Kristian Laake. He was replaced by Colonel Otto Ruge on 11 April.

Unlike the armies of most other nations, the Norwegian 'division' was more of an administrative and mobilization unit, rather than a fighting unit. The most important tactical unit of the Norwegian army was the regiment. When mobilized, each regiment was supposed to muster two battalions of infantry of the line, and one battalion of landvern.

Norwegian Army

During the campaign, the 6th Division formed two light infantry brigades. The 6th Brigade was initially commanded by Colonel Kristian Løken, and from 9 May by Lieutenant Colonel Ole Berg, and the 7th Brigade, commanded by Colonel Wilhelm Faye.[3]

At the time of the German invasion, the Norwegian Army was only partially mobilized, and thus only the following land units were immediately available to the Norwegians;

Norwegian Army Air Service

At the outbreak of the German invasion, the Norwegian Army Air Service consisted of:[5]

Of the Norwegian Army Air Service's aircraft, all were shot down, destroyed or captured by the Germans during the campaign, except two Fokker C.Vs and one Tiger Moth that were flown to Finland on 8 June 1940. The three biplanes were intended to form a Norwegian Army Air Service training unit in Finland under the command of Captain Ole Reistad, but were eventually taken over by the Finnish Air Force.[6]

Royal Norwegian Navy

The Royal Norwegian Navy during the campaign consisted of:

Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service

The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service consisted of:[13]

Of the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service's fleet of aircraft, four Heinkel He 115s were evacuated to the United Kingdom at the end of the campaign, while one He 115 and three Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.11s were flown to Finland and taken over by the Finnish Air Force.[14]

Allied

Mauriceforce

Commanded by Major-General Carton de Wiart V.C., this group began landing at Namsos on 14 April.

Sickleforce

Commanded by Major-General Bernard Charles Tolver Paget, this force landed at Åndalsnes starting 18 April.

Rupertforce

Commanded by Major-General Pierse Joseph Mackesy, this force landed at Harstad, north of Narvik, between 15 April and 5 May.

North Western Expeditionary Force

Commanded by Lieutenant-General Claude Auchinleck, this force resulted from the reorganisation of British forces in the Narvik area on 13 May 1940.[17]

Royal Navy

French Navy

Polish Navy in exile

Royal Air Force (deployed to Norway)

References

Notes

  1. ↑ The 3rd The King's Own Hussars embarked three Light Tank Mk VIs, the only British tanks despatched to Norway, on the Polish troopship MS Chrobry; but, in while en route to Bodø in the early hours of 15 May 1940, she was attacked by German aircraft with the resulting loss of the ship and all of the equipment aboard it.[15][16]

Citations

  1. ↑ Nafziger, George. "German Attack on Norway 9 April 1940" (PDF). U.S Army Combined Arms Research Library.
  2. ↑ Jürgen Rohwer (2007). "Chronik des Seekrieges 1939-1945: 1940 April". Bibliothek für Zeitgeschichte (in German). Württembergische Landesbibliothek. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  3. ↑ Berg and Vollan 1999, pp. 138, 233
  4. ↑ "Trygve Andersen: Varanger bataljons historie 1898-1995". Norsk Militært Tidsskrift. Oslo Militære Samfund. 2002. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  5. ↑ Hafsten, Larsstuvold, Olsen and Stenersen 2005, p. 54
  6. ↑ Hafsten, Larsstuvold, Olsen and Stenersen 2005, pp. 80-81
  7. ↑ Abelsen 1986, pp. 12-15
  8. ↑ Abelsen 1986, pp. 16-19, 26-
  9. ↑ Abelsen 1986, pp. 134-149
  10. ↑ Abelsen 1986, pp. 88-101
  11. ↑ Abelsen 1986, pp. 47-49, 52-60
  12. ↑ Abelsen 1986, pp. 152-170
  13. ↑ Hafsten, Larsstuvold, Olsen and Stenersen 2005, p. 63
  14. ↑ Hafsten, Larsstuvold, Olsen and Stenersen 2005, pp. 81-82
  15. ↑ Derry 1952, p. 184
  16. ↑ Dildy 2007, p. 80
  17. ↑ Derry 1952, p. 201 and Appendix B.
  18. ↑ Joslen 2003, pp. 269–7.
  19. ↑ Dildy 2007, pp. 65, 69, 80-81
  20. ↑ Dildy 2007, p. 81

Bibliography

External links

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