The German navy was so badly damaged during the invasion of Norway that it was unable to play any role in the attack on France and the subsequent evacuation of Dunkirk. The sacrifices by the Norwegians made it possible for England to hold out in 1940-1 and stop Hitler from conquering the world.
A Norwegian friend once mentioned to me that as the government retreated from Oslo they had no armed guards and the Germans were in hot pursuit. They did have a local gun and hunting club who formed partisan-like bands to harass and slow down the German advance long enough for the government to escape. So old men, young recruits, and armed civilians stymied a powerful modern force. When happy hour rolls around this afternoon, have a drink in their honor.
I had the privilege of visiting Oslo some years back while in command of my last ship. Wonderful people. The Norwegian Admiral there too me on a tour of the fortresses and gave me a complete narration. Really impressive!! As an aside we were there at the solstice----can remember wandering around in the daylight wondering why I was tired, then looked at my watch to realize it was 0300!
Along with the bravery, there's a lot of myth making and guilt among the Western European nations that fell to the Germans early in the war, reflected in fairly recent movies. Most countries fell to the Germans quickly and had a significant collaborationist stance until the tide of the war turned.
Never discount Norskies. We are Vikings, after all!
The German navy was so badly damaged during the invasion of Norway that it was unable to play any role in the attack on France and the subsequent evacuation of Dunkirk. The sacrifices by the Norwegians made it possible for England to hold out in 1940-1 and stop Hitler from conquering the world.
For those who haven't seen it, this Scottish documentarian posted his YouTube video a few weeks back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAWwW_wdXAg
A Norwegian friend once mentioned to me that as the government retreated from Oslo they had no armed guards and the Germans were in hot pursuit. They did have a local gun and hunting club who formed partisan-like bands to harass and slow down the German advance long enough for the government to escape. So old men, young recruits, and armed civilians stymied a powerful modern force. When happy hour rolls around this afternoon, have a drink in their honor.
That part of the war is a blank to me but not now. Thanks for posting. Now I have to read up on the war in Norway.
I had the privilege of visiting Oslo some years back while in command of my last ship. Wonderful people. The Norwegian Admiral there too me on a tour of the fortresses and gave me a complete narration. Really impressive!! As an aside we were there at the solstice----can remember wandering around in the daylight wondering why I was tired, then looked at my watch to realize it was 0300!
Sal?
Who are you calling an armoured Cruiser? The Lutzow? At the time of the battle, the Germans called her a heavy cruiser. laid down in 1929.
one of the most inspirational battles in history.
The full movie is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrtZEYgcaIk. I've added it to my watchlist.
Thanks for this "rerun", Sal! One of my favorites.
As an old guy with old hardware (yes I can speak of M1903's and M1's with some familiarity) I find such history ... motivating. Off for a hike!
Old age and treachery....
Along with the bravery, there's a lot of myth making and guilt among the Western European nations that fell to the Germans early in the war, reflected in fairly recent movies. Most countries fell to the Germans quickly and had a significant collaborationist stance until the tide of the war turned.
"Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance." David Mamet
That's often the case.
" A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow and just because a weapon is obsolete doesn't mean it's not effective.
Wegians War!
We Whiteheads are very proud of our torpedoes.