NARVIK 1940

In early April 1940, the race was on to see which of the warring power
 Britain on Germany- would be first to seize the strategically vital port  of Narvik in northern Norway. A vital port for supplies from England to France and an opening for naval routes.
General Edward Died, the commander of the German expeditionary force of 2000 mountain troops,
made on unopposed landing at Narvik on 9 April.

The Germans' entry on board 10 modern German cruisers had been blocked by two ancient Norwegian ironclads that were promptly sunk by torpedoes. to give credence to this fantasy. the local commander Colonel talk his 209 troops out of town right under the noses of the puzzled Germans whom he greeted with a cheerful (Good Morning). Upon hearing this, Dietl gave orders that all Norwegians were to be disarmed. Otherwise Narvik feel without a shot being fired in anger.

at dawn the following day, four British destroyers led by RN commander Bernard Warburton-Lee (1895-1940) steamed into the port. Lee's ships sank two German destroyers, the captain of one of which was thrown up in the air with the ship but survived. Lee's own ship went straight into a nearby cliff, earning him a posthumous VC. three days later, Lee was avenged when the RN returned and sank the remaining eight destroyers. The First Lord of the Admiralty, Churchill, was delighted but in Berlin Hitler was apoplectic at the news. Dietl's force was now completely cut off and Hitler wanted to pull him back.
Dietl had not been idle. He equipped the redundant powerful defensive perimeter around Narvik and along the keep him generously supplied and informed.

LOST OPPORTUNITY-on 16 April, the lacklustre British commander, General Pierse Mackesy, wired London telling the Cabinet that he could not advance on Narvik. The following day, Hitler cancelled the order to evacuate Dietl, and the Allies concentrated on holding southern Norway.
instead of throwing Dietl's isolated garrison out of Narvik. Thanks to the neutral Swedes, Dietl received 24 waggonloads of supplies (including much needed ammunition) and three troops disguised as neducak staff,




On 28 April, General Antoine Bethouart (1889-1982) landed at Harstad- the Allied GHQ- to be told by attack. Bethouart wanted none of that. together with Norwegian ski troops, would seize the Oyjord peninsula as a bridgehead for the final assault upon Narvik. at midnight in brilliant sunshine and glittering snow, the Allied flotilla opened fire on Bjerkvik, north of Narvik and held by the Windisch Group. the foreign legionnaires landed and advanced in the face of heavy enemy fire. Bjerkvik was an inferno, in which the civilian population was massacred in the crossfire. it took two hours to clear the village. at Meby, the crushed by the guns of HMS Effingham, two French renault tanks and the 2nd battalion of the legion. after three hours of intense fighting, the legion captured elve-gaardsmoen and a mountain of German supplies including Dietl's correspondence, fell into French hand. Bethouart sent the poles and his tanks to chase down the Oyjord peninsula. the Germans army hand invaded the loa countries. the same day churchill was made British Prime Minister. they also controlled the whole of Narvik. time was not on the Allies' side. On 20 May, needed resources in a sideshow campaign.

HOLLOW VICTORY- the british commander Field-Marshal Claude Aunchinleck and Bethouart agreed to take  Narvik in a four-pronged attack on the Germans.
the allied fleet opened up a withering bombardment of the landing beaches. Sheels plastered Narvik town, ankenes, fagernes and the entire shoreline until wooden houses along the shore were burning like torches and the coastline was enveloped in thick smoke.
the legionnaires landed right into the lap of Naval Artillery Company Noller, nimbering 50 troops, and engaged them in savage hand to hand fighting. the heavily outnumbered sailors retreated to the railway embankment closely followed up the slope by the legionnaires who took control of the railway area despite tunnel. the legionnaires pulled up by hand a french gun and tired at the mouth of the tunnel until the German battery was silenced for good. A Norwegian battalion landed at Orneset and combined with the legionnaires to attack. where the German and sailors had entrenched themselves. the offered heavy resistance and the advancing Allied troops suffered heavy casualties. by four in the morning, the Poles were under heavy German fire at Ankenes while the Legions 2nd Battalion had not landed across rombaksfjord.  Half an hour later, German bombers attacked the Allied Fleet, forcing it back and denying the AEF supportive fire.

at narvik, Major Haussel and his mixed force of 400 sailors and mountain troops had no reserve, were running low on ammunition and had no communications his force along the still open Beisfjord road. that left small pockets of Germans still fighting at hill and fagernes. By the afternoon, the Allied troops led by made a triumphant entry into the newly liberated Narvik.

two German companies immediately attacked down the slope . forcing the faltering Allies back and putting their precarious bridgehead in peril. At Ankenes, the Polish left flank was under threat. at sea, bethouart's chief of staff was killed by German fire while two landing craft were sunk. Things were not looking good. British hurricanes flew over the battlefield, chasing away while the 2nd battalion finally landed at taraldsvik. the legionnaires and the norwegians drove back the enemy. they gained the upper hand at Hill which was now pockmarked with craters and littered with corpses.
meanwile the 2nd Battalion and the Norwegians pushed back the Germans aloong the Ofoten railway, while and Norwegians drove back the Germans towards Hundal. the 2nd Polish Battalion took Nybord, from where it could fire on ankenes.