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Norwegian campaign order of battle

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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

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XXI Gruppe

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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]
 
German Troops on landing craft
 
German Junkers Ju 88 bomber

Luftwaffe

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

 
An Admiral Hipper class heavy cruiser, either Admiral Hipper or Blücher, en route to Norway.

Kriegsmarine

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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:

  • Advanced HQ/3rd Mountain Division – Generalleutnant Eduard Dietl, 139th Mountain Regiment/3rd Mountain Division – Oberst Windisch, coastal artillery battery (crew only), Naval signals section, Army signals platoon, I Bn/32nd LW Flak Regiment (personnel only)

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

  • Bärenfels (cargo ship) (army equipment, guns, and ammunition) – diverted to Bergen and sunk by Fleet Air Arm air attack on 14 April
  • Rauenfels (cargo ship) (army equipment, guns, and ammunition) – sunk by British destroyers Havock and Hostile while entering the Ofotfjord on 10 April.
  • Alster (cargo ship) (motor transport and military stores) – captured by the British destroyer Icarus near Bodø on 10 April

Tanker Group

  • Jan Wellem (tanker) – arrived at Narvik, sunk 13 April
  • Kattegat (tanker) – scuttled by crew after being intercepted by Norwegian patrol boat Nordkapp on 9 April

Objective Trondheim

 
Admiral Hipper and a destroyer approaching Trondheim.

Warship Group Two – Kapitän zur See Hellmuth Heye,

Transporting:

  • 138th Mountain Regiment/3rd Mountain Division – Oberst Weiss, minus one company on the Lutzow, diverted to Oslo, 1./112th Mountain Artillery Regiment, 1./38th Engineer Battalion, naval signals detachment, army signals platoon, Two Coast Artillery Batteries (crews only), I Bn/611th LW Flak Regiment – personnel only, airbase personnel

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

  • Sao Paulo (supply ship) (mined off Bergen on 9 April, mine laid by Norwegian minelayer Tyr),
  • Levante (cargo ship)
  • Main (supply ship) (captured and sunk on 9 April by Norwegian destroyer Draug)

Tanker Group

Objective Bergen Warship Group Three – Rear Admiral Hubert Schmundt

1. S-Boatflotilla – Kapitänleutnant Heinz Birnbacher

  • S-Boat-Tender Carl Peters, Kapitänleutnant Otto Hinzke (damaged by Norwegian coastal artillery on 9 April)
  • S19, S21, S22, S23, S24, Schiff 9 (mined off Bergen on 10 April, mine laid by Norwegian minelayer Tyr), Schiff 18 (damaged and beached 25 April)

Transporting:

  • HQ/69th Infantry Division, 1./169th Engineer Bn, 2./169th Engineer Bn, HQ/159th Infantry Regiment, I./159th infantry Regiment, II./159th infantry Regiment (-5. Company), 159th Band, naval signals section, army signals platoon, two coastal artillery batteries (crews only), I Bn/33rd LW Flak Regiment – personnel only, airbase personnel

Landing Group

Landing Group Stavanger

  • Roda (cargo ship) (captured and sunk on 9 April by Norwegian destroyer Æger)[3]

Objectives Kristiansand and Arendal

Main articles: Capture of Arendal and Odderøya

Warship Group Four – Kapitän zur See Friedrich Rieve

2. S-Boat-Flotilla – Korvettenkapitän Rudolf Petersen

Transporting

  • HQ/310th Infantry Regiment, I/310th Infantry Regiment, 9 Co./310th Infantry Regiment, 234th Bicycle Infantry Co., naval signals platoon, two coastal artillery batteries (crews only)

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

Objectives Son and Moss

Objective Horten

  • Torpedo boat Albatros – Kapitänleutnant Siegfried Strelow (grounded and wrecked 10 April while under fire from Norwegian coastal artillery)
  • Torpedo boat Kondor – Kapitänleutnant Hans Wilcke
  • R17 (sunk 9 April by Norwegian warships Olav Tryggvason and Rauma)
  • R22 (damaged by Olav Tryggvason and Rauma)
  • Rau 7

Objective Rauøy Island

  • R20
  • R24

Objective Bolærne Island

  • R22
  • R23

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

  • Schleswig-Holstein – Kapitän zur See Gustav Kleikamp
  • Claus von Bevern (mine warfare trial ship, ex minesweeper/large torpedo boat)
  • Pelikan (mine warfare trial ship, ex minesweeper)
  • Nautilus (mine warfare trial ship, ex minesweeper)
  • Campinas (cargo ship)
  • Cordoba (cargo ship)
  • MRS 12 (minesweeper)

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

  • Rugard (cargo ship), flagship of F.d.V.O,
  • Arkona (M115), Otto Braun (M129), Cressida, Silvia, R6, R7 (minesweepers)
  • UJ 107 (ASW patrol craft)
  • Passat, Monsun (Tugs)

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

  • Königin Luise (F6) (patrol craft)

12. Minehunter Flotilla – Korvettenkapitän Karl Marguth

  • KFK M1201, KFK M1202, KFK M1203, KFK M1204, KFK M1205, KFK M1206, KFK M1207, KFK M1208, M4, M20, M84, M102 (minesweepers)

2. Minesweeper Flotilla – Korvettenkapitän Gert von Kamptz

  • R25, R26, R27, R28, R29, R30, R31, R32 (R boat minesweepers)

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

  • M-61, M-89, M-110, M-111, M-134, M-136 (minesweepers)

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

Norway

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Norwegian Soldiers at Hegra Fortress

Owing to the speed and surprise achieved by the German forces, the Norwegian army was only able to partially mobilize. Unit strengths were only a fraction of their paper establishments.

Unlike the armies of most other nations, the Norwegian "division" was more of an administrative and mobilization unit, rather than a fighting formation. 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. 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.

Each Regiment had 3,750 soldiers, with 60,000 being the total number of soldiers by 1940. Every battalion had around 1,250 soldiers. However, only 55,000 soldiers were well prepared.

 
Norwegian Rifleman 1940

Norwegian Army

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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.[4]
 
Norwegian Army 7.5 cm field gun

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;

  • The Oslo battalion of the Royal Guards
  • 4 regiments of the 1st and 2nd Divisions
  • 3 battalions of the 3rd Division
  • 5 battalion for the 4th Division
  • Only about 2 battalions and a company of 5th Division
  • The 6th Division
  • Three landvern companies at Horten, Haugesund and on various fortresses in the Oslofjord.
  • One artillery battalion at Fredrikstad, and another one in the extreme north.
  • One artillery battery at Gardermoen, and two more in the extreme north.
  • One mountain artillery battery at Evjemoen
  • One engineer company near Madla
  • Partially mobilised elements of the 3rd Dragoon Regiment at the outskirts of Trondheim
  • A company of volunteers at Hegra Fortress
  • The Alta and Varanger Battalions

Norwegian Army Air Service

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Norwegian Army Air Service Gloster Gladiator 423

At the outbreak of the German invasion, the Norwegian Army Air Service consisted of:[6]

 
Norwegian dh.82 fighter biplane

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.[7]

Royal Norwegian Navy

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HNoMS Sleipner (H48)

The Royal Norwegian Navy during the campaign consisted of:

 
Norwegian mf.11 naval bomber

Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service

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The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service consisted of:[14]

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.[15]

Allied

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British Mauriceforce troops at Nasmos

Mauriceforce

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

Sickleforce

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

Rupertforce

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

 
Polish Troops at Narvik

North Western Expeditionary Force

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Commanded by Lieutenant-General Claude Auchinleck, this force resulted from the reorganisation of British forces in the Narvik area on 13 May 1940.[18]

 
British battleship Resolution

Royal Navy

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French cruiser Émile Bertin

French Navy

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Polish Navy in exile

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British Hurricane fighter

Royal Air Force (deployed to Norway)

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References

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Notes

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  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.[16][17]

Citations

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  1. ^ Nafziger, George. "German Attack on Norway 9 April 1940" (PDF). U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Library.
  2. ^ Niehorster, Leo (1 May 2004). "Scandinavian Campaign: 11th Motorized Infantry Brigade". niehorster.org. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  3. ^ Rohwer, Jürgen (2007). "Chronik des Seekrieges 1939-1945: 1940 April". Bibliothek für Zeitgeschichte (in German). Württembergische Landesbibliothek. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  4. ^ Berg and Vollan 1999, pp. 138, 233
  5. ^ "Trygve Andersen: Varanger bataljons historie 1898-1995". Norsk Militært Tidsskrift. Oslo Militære Samfund. 2002. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  6. ^ Hafsten, Larsstuvold, Olsen and Stenersen 2005, p. 54
  7. ^ Hafsten, Larsstuvold, Olsen and Stenersen 2005, pp. 80-81
  8. ^ Abelsen 1986, pp. 12-15
  9. ^ Abelsen 1986, pp. 16-19, 26-
  10. ^ Abelsen 1986, pp. 134-149
  11. ^ Abelsen 1986, pp. 88-101
  12. ^ Abelsen 1986, pp. 47-49, 52-60
  13. ^ Abelsen 1986, pp. 152-170
  14. ^ Hafsten, Larsstuvold, Olsen and Stenersen 2005, p. 63
  15. ^ Hafsten, Larsstuvold, Olsen and Stenersen 2005, pp. 81-82
  16. ^ Derry 1952, p. 184
  17. ^ Dildy 2007, p. 80
  18. ^ Derry 1952, p. 201 and Appendix B.
  19. ^ Joslen 2003, pp. 269–7.
  20. ^ Routledge, p. 110
  21. ^ Dildy 2007, pp. 65, 69, 80-81
  22. ^ Dildy 2007, p. 81

Bibliography

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