Norwegian Campaign order of battle

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.

Contents

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 Infantrie Nikolaus von Falkenhorst. His Chief of Staff was Colonel Erich Buschenhagen.

  • Corps Troops
    • German 730th heavy artillery battalion
  • 2nd Mountain Division
    • Commanded by Generalleutnant Valentin Feurstein
    • The division fought in the northern part of Norway, the 137th regiment dropped by parachute at Narvik on 15 May.
    • Regiments: 136th & 137th mountain light infantry; 111th mountain artillery
  • 3rd Mountain Division
    • Commanded by Generalleutnant Eduard Dietl
    • Most of this division was landed at Trondheim and Narvik on 9 April.
    • Regiments: 138th & 139th mountain light infantry; 112th mountain artillery
  • 69th Infantry Division
    • Commanded by Generalmajor Hermann Tittel
    • From 9 April through 15 April, divisional elements were transported to Bergen, Stavanger, and Oslo.
    • Regiments: 159th, 193rd, and 236th infantry; 169th artillery
  • 163rd Infantry Division
  • 181st Infantry Division
    • Commanded by Generalmajor Kurt Woytasch
    • By 15 April, this division had arrived at Trondheim, being primarily transported by aircraft.
    • Regiments: 334th, 349th, and 359th infantry; 222nd artillery
  • 196th Infantry Division
    • Commanded by Generalmajor Richard Pellengahr
    • By 15 April, most of this division had landed at Oslo.
    • Regiments: 340th, 345th, and 362nd infantry; 233rd artillery
  • 214th Infantry Division
    • Commanded by Generalmajor Max Horn. It landed at Kristiansand and Arendal on 17 and 18 April.
    • Regiments: 355th, 367th, and 388th infantry; 214th artillery
  • 170th Infantry Division
    • Commanded by Generalmajor Walter Wittke
    • Entered Denmark through the southern end of Jutland peninsula on 9 April.
    • Regiments: 391st, 399th, and 401st infantry; 240th artillery
  • 198th Infantry Division
    • Commanded by Generalmajor Otto Röttig
    • Occupied Copenhagen, Zealand, and the southern Danish islands on 9 April.
    • Regiments: 305th, 308th, and 326th infantry; 235th artillery
  • German 11th Motorized Rifle Brigade
    • Commanded by Oberst Günther Angern
    • Part of the Denmark invasion force. It was replaced by garrison troops from the 160th Security Division on 13 May, when the brigade was withdrawn for use in the invasion of France.
    • Regiments: 110th and 111th motorized infantry

Luftwaffe

The Luftwaffe's X Fliegerkorps organization was commanded by Lieutenant-General Hans Ferdinand Geisler, and had operational command of all Luftwaffe units participating in Operation Weserübung.

  • Parachute troops
    • I/German 1st Parachute Regiment
    • Commanded by Major Erich Walther
    • Individual companies were used to occupy key airfields in northern Denmark (Ålborg), near Stavanger (Sola), and Oslo (Fornebu).
  • Aircraft available
    • 102 fighters.
    • 233 bombers.
    • 39 dive bombers.
    • 165 reconnaissance aircraft (including floatplanes).
    • 582 transport aircraft.

Kriegsmarine

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

Battleship Force - Vice Admiral Gunther Lutjens

Objective: Narvik Warship Group One - Kapitän zur See and Commodore Friedrich Bonte

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
  • Rauenfels (cargo ship) (army equipment, guns, and ammunition) - sunk by British destroyers Havock and Hostile while entering the Ofotfjord.
  • Alster (cargo ship) (motor transport and military stores) - captured by the British destroyer Icarus near Bodø

Tanker Group

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

Objective Trondheim

Admiral Hipper and a destroyer approaching Trondheim.

Warship Group Two - Kapitän zur See Hellmuth Heye,

  • Admiral Hipper, Kapitän zur See Hellmuth Heye
  • 2. Destroyer Flotilla - Fregattenkapitän Rudolf von Pufendorf
  • Naval Special Operations Group - Korvettenkapitän Wilhelm Hornack

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.)

  • Hubert Schmundt

    • Köln - Kapitän zur See Ernst Kratzenberg (Flag)
    • Königsberg - Kapitän zur See Heinrich Ruhfus (damaged by Norwegian coastal artillery, then sunk by Fleet Air Arm aircraft)
    • TS Bremse Fregattenkapitän Jakob Förschner (damaged by Norwegian coastal artillery)
    • Torpedo boat Leopard Kapitänleutnant Hans Trummer (sunk in collision)
    • Torpedo boat Wolf, Oberleutnant Broder Peters, Flag of 6. Torpedo Boat Flotilla Korvettenkapitän Hans Marks,

    1. S-Boatflotilla - Kapitänleutnant Heinz Birnbacher

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

    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

    Objectives Kristiansand and Arendal Warship Group Four - Kapitän zur See Friedrich Rieve

    • Karlsruhe - Kapitän zur See Friedrich Rieve (torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine Truant on return voyage to Germany)
    • Torpedo boat Luchs - Kapitänleutnant Karl Kassbaum, flagship of Kapitän zur See Hans Bütow (F.d.T. = Leader of T-Boats),
    • Torpedo boat Greif - Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm-Nikolaus Freiherr von Lyncker, flagship Korvettenkapitän Wolf Henne, leader of 5. Torpedo Boat Flotilla),
    • Torpedo boat Seeadler - Kapitänleutnant Franz Kohlauf,

    2. S-Boat-Flotilla - Korvettenkapitän Rudolf Petersen

    • S-Boat-Tender Tsingtau - Kapitän zur See Carl Klingner
    • S7, S8, S17, S30, S31, S32, S33

    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

    • Blücher - Kapitän zur See Heinrich Woldag, flagship (sunk by the Norwegian coastal fortress Oscarsborg in the Oslofjord)
    • Lützow - Kapitän zur See August Thiele (damaged by Oscarsborg, then torpedoed and further damaged by HMS Spearfish on return voyage to Germany)
    • Emden - Kapitän zur See Werner Lange (damaged in encounter with Norwegian patrol boat Pol III)
    • R18
    • R19
    • Rau 8

    Objectives Son and Moss

    • Torpedo boat Möwe - Kapitänleutnant Helmut Neuss

    Objective Horten

    • Torpedo boat 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

      • M61, M89, M110, M111, M134, M136 (minesweepers)

      3. Minesweeper Flotilla - Kapitänleutnant Hagen Küster

      • R 33, R 34, R 35, R 36, R 37, R 38, R 39, R 40 (minesweepers)
      • Von Der Groeben - Oberleutnant Gustav Czycholl (R-Boat-Tender)

      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:

      • Roland - Korvettenkapitän Karl von Kutzleben (minelayer)
      • Cobra - Kapitänleutnant Dr. Ing. Karl-Friedrich Brill (minelayer)
      • Preussen - Korvettenkapitän Karl Freiherr von der Recke (minelayer)
      • Köningen Luise - Kapitänleutnant Kurt Foerster
      • M6, M10, M11, M12 (minesweepers fitted to lay mines)

      U-Boat Force Force - Rear Admiral Karl Dönitz

      U-Boat Group One Patrol area: Narvik, Harstad, Westfjord, Vagsfjord

      • U25, U46, U51, U64, U65

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

      • U30, U34

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

      • U9, U14 ,U56, U60, U62

      U-Boat Group Four Patrol area: Stavanger

      • U1, U4

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

      • U37, U38, U47, U48, U49, U50

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

      • U13, U57, U58, U59

      U-Boat Group Seven Never assembled.

      U-Boat Group Eight Patrol area: Lindesnes, Egernsund

      • U2, U3, U5, U6

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

      • U7, U10, U19

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

      • U17, U23, U24, U61

      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 defence.

      Royal Danish Army

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

      Royal Danish Navy

      The small Royal Danish Navy consisted of a few coastal vessels.

      • 2 coastal defence ships - Niels Juel and Peder Skram.
      • 6 torpedoboats.
      • 7 submarines.
      • 3 minelayers.
      • 9 minesweepers.
      • 4 inspection ships.

      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 Landwehr.

      Norwegian Army

      • The Royal Guards battalion - based in Oslo and Elverum, the only unit in Southern Norway that received proper training during the inter-war years.
      • 1st Division - This division had its headquarters in Halden, and was commanded by Major-General Carl Johan Erichsen.
        • 1st Infantry Regiment (based in Fredrikstad).
        • 2nd Infantry Regiment (based in Oslo).
        • 3rd Infantry Regiment (based in Kongsberg).
      • 2nd Division - This division had its headquarters in Oslo, and was commanded by Major-General Jacob Hvinden Haug.
        • 4th Infantry Regiment (based in Trandum).
        • 5th Infantry Regiment (based in Elverum).
        • 6th Infantry Regiment (based in Hønefoss).
      • 3rd Division - This division had its headquarters in Kristiansand , and was commanded by Major-General Einar Liljedahl.
      • 4th Division - This division had its headquarters in Bergen, and was commanded by Major-General William Steffens.
        • 9th Infantry Regiment (based in Bergen).
        • 10th Infantry Regiment (based in Voss).
      • 5th Division - This division had its headquarters in Trondheim, and was commanded by Major-General Jacob Ager Laurantzon.
      • 6th Division - This division had its headquarters in Harstad, and was commanded by Major-General Carl Gustav Fleischer. The division was better prepared for war than any other unit of the Norwegian Army as it had been mobilised and kept on duty during the Finnish Winter War.
        • 14th Infantry Regiment (based in Mosjøen).
        • 15th Infantry Regiment (based at Elvegårdsmoen).
        • 16th Infantry Regiment (based in Tromsø and Bardufoss).
      • Additional units - These were additional units not organized into divisions.
        • 1st Dragoon Regiment (based at Gardermoen and including Norway's only tank).
        • 2nd Dragoon Regiment (based in Hamar).
        • 3rd Dragoon Regiment (based in Rindleiret, Verdal)
        • 1st Artillery Regiment (based in Ski).
        • 2nd Artillery Regiment (based at Gardermoen).
        • 3rd Artillery Regiment (based in Trondheim/Stjørdal).
        • 1st Mountain Artillery Battalion (based in Evje)
        • 2nd Mountain Artillery Battalion (based in Voss)
        • 3rd Mountain Artillery Battalion (based in Bardufoss)
        • Alta Battalion (based at Altagård in Alta)
        • Varanger Battalion (based on the Varanger Peninsula, possibly in Varangerbotn)

      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 Guard.
      • Four infantry battalions at Trandum, Madla, Gimlemoen and Ulven, as well as five additional infantry battalions in the extreme north, plus one partially mobilized infantry battalion at the outskirts of Trondheim.
      • One motorized infantry company at Gimlemoen.
      • Three landwehr 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 mobilized elements of the 3rd Dragoon Regiment at the outskirts of Trondheim.

      Royal Norwegian Navy

      Allied

      Mauriceforce

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

      • French 5e Demi-Brigade Chasseurs Alpins - Commanded by Général de Brigade Antoine Béthouart.
        • 13ème Bataillon Chasseurs Alpins.
        • 53ème Bataillon Chasseurs Alpins.
        • 67ème Bataillon Chasseurs Alpins.

      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, near Narvik, between 15 April and 5 May.

      • French 27e Demi-Brigade de Chasseurs Alpins - Commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Valentini.
        • 6ème Bataillon Chasseurs Alpins.
        • 12ème Bataillon Chasseurs Alpins.
        • 14ème Bataillon Chasseurs Alpins.
      • Troop, 3rd The King's Own Hussars (personnel only, no tanks)[1]
      • 203rd Field Battery/51st Field Regiment.
      • French 342me Independent Tank Company.
      • French 2me Independent Colonial Artillery Group.
      • British 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Independent Companies.

      Royal Navy

      Allied Navies

      See also

      References

      1. ^ 3rd The King's Own Hussars embarked 3 Light Tank Mk VIs, the only British tanks to land in Norway, on the Polish troopship MS Chrobry, but on the night of 14/15 May 1940 she was attacked by German aircraft with the resulting loss of the ship and all of the equipment aboard it. See: T.K. Derry, THE CAMPAIGN IN NORWAY, HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR - UNITED KINGDOM MILITARY SERIES, London, 1952, HMSO, p. 183.

      Sources


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