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German Invasion & Occupation of Norway : A History In Pictures

German infantry reinforcements brought in by warship march out from Oslo harbour, April 1940. Courtesy of IWM

German Invasion & Occupation of Norway : A History In Pictures When World War 2 began, Norway was determined to be political neutrality for the duration of the conflict.

General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst planned and led the German invasion and conquest of Norway
Norwegian Artillery at Narvik
French and Norwegian ski troops, probably on the Narvik front
However, on April 9, 1940, Germany invaded Norway.
Initial German and Allied landings and operations in southern, central and northern Norway in April 1940
Portrait of Norwegian coastal artillery commander Colonel Birger Kristian Eriksen with the War Cross with sword, Légion d’honneur and Croix de guerre. As commander of the Oscarsborg fortress that sank the Blücher, Colonel Birger Eriksen
One of the three 28 cm main battery guns at Oscarsborg.
Lieutenant Commander Gerard Broadmead Roope, awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for engaging a heavily outnumbered German forces transporting troops, she would ram the Admiral Hipper in one of the most courageous acts of WW2.
A photograph of Glowworm taken from Admiral Hipper, 8 April 1940. Glowworm is making smoke

German infantry attacking through a burning Norwegian village, April 1940.
The German forces attempted to kill or capture the 67-year-old King Haakon VII. He personally refused to accept the German surrender terms and stated he would abdicate the throne if the Norwegian government chose to surrender.

Germany wanted to secure naval bases for use against the Royal Navy in the North Sea and wanted to guarantee vital iron-ore shipments from neutral Sweden.

The German cruiser Admiral Hipper landing troops in Trondheim

Luckily for Norway, in the early morning of April 9th, 1940, the sinking of the German heavy cruiser “Blücher”, delayed the German invasion of Norway for several hours.

As a result, this gave the Norwegian royal family and the government a window of time to flee Oslo with the nation’s gold reserves.

German destroyers at Narvik after their capture of the strategic port CC BY-SA 3.0 de
During the German invasion of Norway in 1940, many Ju-52 were damaged or destroyed at Fornbu airport, Oslo. Damaged aircraft were later sent to the Army Aircraft Factory at Kjeller for repair.
Norwegian refugees passing the open area cut in the woods between Norway and Sweden.

Despite British attempts to help, Norway surrendered to Germany on June 10. King Haakon VII and the Norwegian government escaped to London.

King Haakon and crown prince Olav seeking refuge as the German Luftwaffe bombs in Molde, April 1940.
Vidkun Quisling, who in 1933 founded a fascist organization which was modeled after Germany’s Nazi Party, proclaimed himself prime minister.
German infantry attacking through a burning Norwegian village, April 1940.
German troops enter Oslo, May 1940. In the background is the Victoria Terrasse, which later became the headquarters of the Gestapo.

The Germans would have their own administration in charge but found Quisling useful as a figurehead puppet.

A German Neubaufahrzeug tank advancing through the streets of Lillehammer in April 1940 CC BY-SA 3.0 de
British troops pick through the ruins of Namsos, April 1940
The bombed-out town of Steinkjer
British soldiers of the 4th Lincolnshire Regiment at Skage after marching 90 km (56 mi) across the mountains to escape being cut off, April 1940. A Norwegian soldier is seen examining one of their rifles.
The Norwegians had no idea what treachery they would face with 5 years of Nazi rule.
The Grini concentration camp, where most political prisoners were interned.
Quisling (in front of the center) at a party event in Borre National Park is under a portal that promotes Germanske SS Norge in 1941
The German-occupied Parliament of Norway Building in 1941.
The occupation saw a great rise in food shortages throughout Norway. Here people wait in line for food rations, Oslo, 1942.
The city of Bodø, two years after being bombed by the Luftwaffe
Anti-Semitic graffiti on shop windows in Oslo in 1941.

German armoured cars moving through Viborg

Eventually, on May 8, 1945, German forces in Norway surrendered to the Allies.

Soviet soldiers meet local Norwegian inhabitants.
The town of Kirkenes was left severely damaged following the withdrawal of German forces.
Quisling was arrested and found guilty of treason.
Germans surrender Akershus Fortress to Terje Rollem on 11 May 1945.
Dinner party in Kirkenes in July 1945. Soviet troops withdrew from Norwegian territory on 25 September 1945. At the rear from right: Colonel Arne Dagfin Dahl, Crown Prince Olav and Commander Soviet Forces in Norway Lieutenant General Sherbakov.

Quisling was executed on October 24, 1945.

Norwegian Royal family waving at the crowds in Oslo upon returning from exile.
German soldiers waiting at a camp in Mandal to be returned home to Germany, August 1945.

German Invasion & Occupation of Norway : A History In Pictures

Thank you for the assistance, Kim Hansen!

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