Narvik 1940

[Dabi26]

Great book, great pictures, some photographs probably never been published outside of this book. Many thanks for scans

[Dabi26]

Polish troops in Norway / Żołnierz polski w Norwegii
London 1943

I found the Polish edition of the book, which was shown at the Forum






Reprint of the book from 2015




I also found a Polish book “Kampania Norweska” (Norwegian Campaign), it was published in Glagow 1944.

A few photos of these publications:

Brest




Soldiers of the Polish Independent Podhalan Rifles Brigade on the way to Narvik










Morse Code Signal Lamp













Hotchkiss H38








Troops of the Motorcycle Reconnaissance Unit






Norwegian hydroplane




British Army in Narvik. Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun Polish production


















Polish soldiers and the people of Narvik and the surrounding area. Maybe someone will recognize your grandmother or grandfather





East of Narvik railway tunnel - German magazine military equipment captured by Poles








German leaflets and newspapers found in Narvik





Captured in Narvik German Field equipment on display in Scotland (Among the things captured it is also Polish canteen m1938 captured in the Polish Campaign and used by a soldier WH )




General Sikorski sees the German MP40 submachine gun



MP40



German paratrooper gravity knife - Fallschirmjäger-Messer

[Pieter1942]

Again a very nice addition to this thread Dabi

[Dabi26]

Should we fight for the second time for Narvik?

I wrote before that the battle of Narvik is a forgotten battle and there is no movie about those events. What I didn’t know is the fact that the situation is far worse than that. It’s really bad! Narvik 1940 is a battle neglected and often considerated as something without significance. “It has no meaning, because it is a local story” – that is the opinion of some ignorant Norwegian politicians, maybe not only Norwegian.
I found a very interesting article about that, written by journalist Stein Arne Nistad ,"Nord-Norge brant, Østlandet vant":

https://www.nrk.no/ytring/nord-norge...ant-1.13137637



Trailer for the Norwegian movie Kongens Nei / The King's Choice mentioned by Nistad:





(Google Translate)

Northern Norway burned, Eastern Norway won

All newer Norwegian films and TV series from the war tells local brand stories from southern Norway. When will the film about the important history of warfare, it was happening in Northern Norway?
These days, "The King's Choice" premiered, a great and lavish film about the German attack on Norway. The abides still in a tradition where local Norwegian events be more important than they in fact were. They really important hostilities in Norway that affected of the war in Europe does not seem to now neither hitch or TV route in dramatized form.

Local brand stories from Southern Norway

When the war will be disseminated on film and on television, repeating the same ones. All recent Norwegian TV series and movies from the war are based on local brand stories from southern Norway.
It is in itself nothing wrong with movies and series such as "Max Manus", "Heroes of Telemark", "The Heavy Water War" and now "The King no." The problem is that the overall conveys and maintains a lopsided and rather lacks perspective narrative about the war in Norway.
In general, local events in Southern Norway with marginal significance for war development as very important, while events of great importance for the course of the war in Europe however is completely and inexplicably absent.
As "southerner" I discovered the war in Norway through my mother's tale of a German warship that was sunk in Ofotfjorden where she grew up. This was for me the way into a writing about it for me unknown war in northern Norway. It has not yet become two novels "Six days in April" and "The Lost Spring" both about the attack on and siege of Narvik.

The main history of warfare is underestimated

For me it is strange that this important part of the history of warfare is underestimated and therefore unknown to many. Perhaps due to the pervasive ignorance and systematic history distortion? For example, rejected a profiled news journalist in NRK last year during the war anniversary year a proposal for a program about the attack on Narvik with that, "This is of no interest since it is about local history."
There is hardly any event in Norway that has affected the war in Europe more of a battle in Ofotfjorden and fighting in Narvik in 1940. The main reason for the attack on Norway believes many is that both Hitler and Churchill wanted access to ore from Kiruna which were shipped out of the ice-free harbor in Narvik. The occupation of eastern Norway, may only be a necessary step.

Narvik center in world news

While Blucher was sunk in the Oslofjord died 283 Norwegian sailors in Narvik when armored ships Eidsvoll and Norway was torpedoed. Narvik was the venue for a big political game and a brutal war in which English, Polish, French and Norwegian forces fought together against the Germans in nearly two months. The city was the center of world news.
Narvik was as the first German-occupied city in Europe released on 28 May 1940, but surrendered to the Germans again when the Allies withdrew and Norway capitulated on 8 June. Then lay the city in ruins and nine of the city's ten thousand residents were evacuated. Close to forty ships were sunk and all ten German destroyers that attacked Narvik, or 25% of the German fighter fleet was lost. Between five and ten thousand soldiers and civilians died in the fighting.

Is Northern Norway too far away?

In Norwegian storytelling has events in eastern and especially the sinking of Blücher in Oslofjord become the symbol of Norwegian defense will. The fact that this event helped the king and government to flee is important in a Norwegian perspective, but almost no impact on the war path.
It has, however, the loss of the ten German destroyers in Narvik, other war ships during the attack on Norway and Blucher. This weakened the German war navy greatly and is believed to be a contributing factor to that Hitler had to shelve operation Seelow, the planned German gangplank in England in autumn 1940. Instead directed Hitler attention to Russia, which was crucial for his fall.
Perhaps the reason that the Norwegian military history are conveyed with gravity in eastern North Norway is far away? Perhaps this means that it was important to create brand stories after the war when the country was to be rebuilt? Or perhaps due to the political motives?

Criticized the government for open mic

The biggest Norwegian war hero, General Fleischer, who led the battle of Narvik made themselves thoroughly unpopular 17th May 1940, when he spoke on the radio from Tromso. In the midst of a war, he criticized the government for open microphone on the radio:

"As everyone knows, our defense capability systematically been broken down for many years. Our military defeat has been prepared also by ourselves. It's just strange that the opposition sydpå not immediately broke completely together, but that it could continue as long as it did. "
The words fell heavily government chest. After the capitulation was Fleischer commanded to England, where many argue he systematically was slighted and passed over by the Norwegian government in exile. Fleischer took his own life in Canada in December 1942.
Political agenda?
But even after his death continued controversies. After the war, refused Labour Government him a burial at government expense. Both the king and representatives of Norwegian society participated, but no one from the government. The same was repeated when the monument over him was to be unveiled in Harstad.
So it seems likely that there may be political agenda, which underlie how the Norwegian war history has been and still conveyed.
General Fleischer role and views on the government's actions before and during the war was simply too uncomfortable to deal with.

When will the films about the war in Norway?

In historical perspective, the war in Ofotfjorden north-Norwegian spies and resistance people's contribution to defuse the German battleship fleet which reduced the threat to the vital Murmansk convoys, as well as the Russian campaign and the Germans burning of Finnmark most important and significant events on Norwegian soil under war.
They seems not to reach the screen or TV display when new films and series created. The story is dramatic enough and there are quantities of substance to take off. I ask again:
When will the films about the war in Norway?



Forgetting and neglecting these events from spring 1940 is especially sad for Poles. In Poland the word Narvik is a saint word, it is our history, our blood, our pride and glory (but also a history and blood of Norwegians, British, French, Germans and Austrians) and saying, that this is a local story with no significance is a bloody lie and insult for victims, heroes of this battle and regular participants of those events – soldiers, sailors, civilians. Most of them are already dead and there is no one who can fight for their truth, the truth about the history of Norway and Europe. Good that Stein Arne Nistad did that.




Poland, Warsaw, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Among the battles featured on the stone tablets of this national monument we can see the battle of Narvik 1940

[Dabi26]

Knut Werner Hagen awarded with a medal

Historian Knut Werner Hagen did few interesting movies about fights near Narvik, they can be seen on youtube. It is a shame, that they do not have English subtitles

When I see these beautiful landscapes, I want to put on my mountain shoes, take a backpack and explore wonderful fjords and mountains in Norway














I think that Knut Werner Hagen deserved the medal ...

...just like war hero, general Fleischer.



General Karl Gustav Fleischer romantic and patriot. Excellent commander and a soldier. Senior British officers and Norwegian politicians had no respect for him, but the Poles ...










General Władysław Sikorski decorates the Commander-in-Chief of the Norwegian Army, General Karl Gustav Fleischer, with the Order Virtuti Militari, Tentsmuir (Scotland), 8 December 1940.




Armed Forces Museum / Forsvarsmuseet Oslo. General Karl Gustav Fleischers uniform m1934 and French helmet "Adrian" m1926 used by Polish soldiers in the Norwegian Campaign 1940

[slados28]

Thank you very much for that post --- your posting of that last video just helped me confirm which of the farms in Gratangen (up by Narvik) my grandfathers MG company was fighting the attacking Germans! As mentioned earlier, me and my father had a road trip to northern Norway in order to visit this place but I could never pinpoint exactly which farm they were positioned at, this was now revealed to me at 4:23 in the last video... thanks again!

And, yes... there's no doubt that the northern parts of Norway, up by Narvik, fought the largest battle and suffered the most, whereas modern Norwegian history, especially in popular culture, tends to focus on the southern parts, revolving around the escape of the king, heavy water in Telemark and the hallowed "resistance". There's a certain capital (Oslo) bias there and, no doubt, with some political issues surrounding it... really a shame and it's crazy to think about the low amount of coverage the Narvik battles have gotten post-war in relation to lesser skirmishes/wartime events in the south. Shameful.

Just to illustrate the lack of appreciation for their efforts in what was to be known as the battle in which Norwegian soldiers suffered the greatest losses since at least 300 years, my grandfather's family had to apply for a medal in order to have the state recognize his sacrifice. He got it posthumously in the late 70s --- same old story when it comes to veterans, I guess.

[slados28]

Here's a few photos I shot of a monument south/southwest of the city of Narvik, in Skjomnes. It commemorates the efforts of our Polish, French and English allies in our fight against the invading German army.

[slados28]

Oh yes, here's another one at the same place more specifically commemorating our Polish allies

[Dabi26]

I'm very glad I could help. You have to fight to the memory of the heroic Norwegians resisting the Nazis in 1940, as the defenders of the Hegra Fortress (a fascinating story), not disappeared.





Anne Margrethe Bang





Hegra Fortress - group of soldiers 1940



NARVIK 1940






Norwegian soldiers from 6th div




Norwegian soldiers in the streets of Narvik

[slados28]

I very much agree! And, yes --- Hegra is a fascinating story indeed. I was born and raised not too far from there so I know the place well and have visited at least a couple of times before.