Hitler’s Pre-Emptive War: The Battle for Norway, 1940

by Henrik O. Lunde

  Dietl must have uttered a sigh of relief when Windisch reported at 0700 hours on May 14 that his exhausted mountain troops had managed to occupy new defensive positions running generally from Hill 548 in the west (Melbyfjell) to Storebalak in the east. The situation was still critical and it was doubtful if the Germans could hold Storebalak and Neverfjell.

  We have seen why the Foreign Legionnaires advancing from Elvegårdsmoen failed to close the trap on Group Windisch in the Hartvigvann area. Let us now examine why the French 6th Battalion CA and the Norwegian 7th Brigade failed to do so from the north. The two postponements of the amphibious assaults made things difficult for General Fleischer. The deteriorating conditions for supplying his left wing due to the spring thaw, led him to allow the 6th Brigade to ignore the second postponement.

  Fleischer visited Lieutenant Colonel Dahl and the men of the Alta Bn on Roasme on May 12. After the visit, he issued an addendum to the order for the forthcoming operation. The addition was clear and to the point, “The attack tonight will only begin, as far as the 7th Brigade is concerned, when it is determined indisputably that the French advance has actually begun.”12 Hovland suggests that this more cautious approach was a result of the events in Gratangen on 24 April.

  More recent events may also have influenced Fleischer. The French advance along Route 50 had fallen almost two miles behind that of the 7th Brigade and exposed that unit’s right flank to possible German counterattacks. Then there was the refusal of the French company from the 6th Bn CA to advance from Roasme against Ørnefjell in support of the Norwegian attack on Hills 676 and 664, or even to provide mortar support for the Norwegians pinned down in front of those two objectives. Dahl and Major Hyldmo are likely to have brought these examples to Fleischer’s attention.

  Regardless of whether or not the addendum was justified, it was also unfortunately open to interpretation by his subordinates as a lack of faith in his allies. An openly expressed attitude of that nature has a tendency to spread rapidly. Some have used the order as an illustration that Fleischer had become too cautious and that his excessive concern for the welfare of his own units led to a lack of initiative and a failure to exploit opportunities. General Ruge wrote later “The circumstances were that the German forces in Narvik could indisputably have been liquidated earlier if we and the allies had pressed harder.”13 Hovland writes that this is a serious accusation. However, the conclusion drawn by Ruge is similar to views expressed by German writers.

  There also appear to have been some difficulties with respect to the operational boundaries between French and Norwegian forces. This caused Fleischer to send a written message to the French commander (Béthouart?) in the evening of May 12 to clarify the boundaries and to insure “…that the French units in this operation occupy the terrain to and including Ørnefjell on the assumption that the attack is actually carried out tonight…” Fleischer states that if the attack was postponed again “then the terrain east of Storevann-Kvandal will be occupied by the 7th Brigade tomorrow before noon.”14

  This clarification was sent to the French only hours before the Bjerkvik landing. It is not known when it reached the French but it is unlikely that it filtered down to subordinate units before they landed. The 27th Half-Brigade may have received it directly from the division or the 7th Brigade. It is, in any case, a rather muddled and belated clarification to an operation that was about to begin. While the word “attack” in the highlighted portion of the message is probably a reference to the French landing in Bjerkvik, not to the attack by the 6th Bn, 27th CA on Ørnefjell, this last minute amendment should have been clearer. The failure of the 7th Brigade to move forward until May 14 is probably due to Fleischer’s earlier order that it not move forward until it was “determined indisputably that the French advance has actually begun,” meaning the 6th Bn CA’s attack on Ørnefjell. This delay and the French failure to seize Ørnefjell until late on May 14 facilitated Windisch’s escape.

  The 14th CA was unable to link up with the Legionnaires moving north from Bjerkvik on May 13 and it was not until around 1300 hours on May 14 that contact was established with the Poles and Legionnaires near Skoglund. The 6th CA captured Ørnefjell late on May 14, despite considerable losses to German air attacks. The battalion reached a position from which the troops could observe their compatriots in the Skogfjell area, but the attack was not pressed. Instead, the French battalion was withdrawn to an area near Gratang (Fjellhøgda) to rest and treat the large number of troops suffering from frostbite.

  The Alta Battalion did not begin its advance until May 14. Part of the battalion advanced over Hills 676 and 664. Other parts advanced in the area east of Storevann and made contact with units of the 1/13th Half-Brigade southeast of Kvandal. The rifle companies were sent forward to the area north of Hartvigvann while the machinegun company took positions two kilometers southeast of Kvandal. From that position, the machineguns were able to cover the southern shore of Hartvigvann. By then, the Germans had made good their escape. They were not fired on as they withdrew in full view from Vassdalfjell since the 6th Brigade did not secure that area until May 14.

  It is uncertain whether an earlier advance by the 6/27th CA and the Alta Bn would have trapped the withdrawing Germans, but the possibilities of closing the escape route for a major portion of the 1/139th were promising. Instead of timing their advance to coincide with the amphibious assault, as planned, the 6th Bn CA did not move against Ørnefjell until the following day. Fleischer’s amended orders to the 7th Brigade kept that unit from advancing until the French began their forward move. The planned coordinated attack against the Germans north of Bjerkvik from two directions failed and this greatly facilitated Colonel Windisch’s ability to extricate his forces.

  The German account of the operation credits Group Windisch’s escape to effective delaying actions, poor cooperation between the allies, failures by the French and Norwegians to attack weak covering forces aggressively, and ineffective naval fire support.15

  The Norwegians Seize Footholds on the High Plateau

  General Fleischer allowed the 6th Brigade to begin its operations one day before the Bjerkvik landing. It was directed to seize Hill 697 (south of Læigasvann’s eastern end) and to be ready to launch the attack after 0100 hours on May 12. Unless otherwise directed, the brigade commander was to set the time of attack. As of May 9 when the 1/16th Inf reverted to its control, the 6th Brigade consisted of three battalions. The under-strength 1/12th Inf relieved the 1/16th Inf in the area around Lake 780 on May 11. The 2/16th Inf was located at the southern end of Gressdal. The 1/16th (minus one company under Brigade control) was moved to the vicinity of Hill 437. The battalion received orders in the afternoon of May 11 to attack Hill 697. The 1/12th and 2/16th were to support this attack by fire.

  The attack against Hill 697 was cancelled at 2200 hours on May 11 by orders from the division, who wanted the attack to take place at the same time as the Allied landing in Bjerkvik. The slow progress of the French advance from Bjerkvik so delayed the move of the 7th Brigade against the Vassdal Mountains that the Germans had managed to establish a new defensive line in the mountains south of Vassdal. This may be one reason why the attacks by the 6th Brigade were never carried out as planned.

  However, the views of the new 6th Brigade commander, Lieutenant Colonel Berg, may have been the primary factor. He took command of the 6th Brigade on May 9 and he visited the units at Lake 780 the following day. This personal reconnaissance convinced him that a main attack from the Læigastind-Gressvann area would not succeed because the terrain was characterized by level mountainsides that gave troops little cover from German fire. In his view, the opening of Gressdal was best accomplished by capturing Vassdalsfjell or by first seizing Storebalak. He saw better maneuvering possibilities in the area from Nævertind eastward and suggested that the 1/16th Inf advance through Raudal to Nævertind and from there to Storebalak. This opened the possibilities of a drive southward between Nævertind and the Swedish border or into the Jern
vann area.16 Unless Gressdal was opened in the near future by an attack from the west by the 7th Brigade, Berg suggested that the 6th Brigade hold the Læigastid-Bukkefjell area while the 1/16th conducted its operation to the east. General Fleischer disagreed with Berg’s suggestion.

  Despite Fleischer’s rejection, Berg was apparently able to carry out part of the plan outlined in his May 12 proposal. The sources are silent on this issue and the archives are missing. It is unlikely that Berg disobeyed Fleischer’s orders and got away with it. It is more likely that the two officers worked out a compromise solution. Berg, for his part, must have agreed to drop his more ambitious suggestion of a southward drive between Næverfjell and the Swedish border and agreed to have the 1/12th Inf conduct the attack against Hill 697. Fleischer, in turn, probably agreed to allow Berg to move the 1/16th Inf eastward to attack the Kuberg Plateau and Storebalak from Bukkedal.

  In retrospect, we know that the German right flank was wide open until forces were rushed there in the period 17-19 May. The greatest worry for the Germans in early May was the possibility that the Norwegians would undertake a quick drive, parallel to the Swedish border, against Bjørnefjell. Colonel Windisch was thinking along the same lines as Lieutenant Colonel Berg. It was this worry that caused Colonel Windisch to send a long-range reconnaissance patrol, under the command of Lieutenant Tollschein, into this area on May 4. Tollschein returned in the evening of May 6 and reported considerable Norwegian activities in Bukkedalen, ski tracks leading to the east, and an encampment at Brattbakken. Colonel Windisch concluded that the Norwegians intended to advance through Raudal and then westward through Bukkedal or a decisive drive southward to Bjørnefjell. He wrote that this report had immense importance for future operations and the very survival of the 3rd Mountain Division.17

  However, the Germans did not have forces available to secure the eastern flank near the Swedish border before the withdrawal following the Bjerkvik landing. Colonel Windisch decided to move Major von Schleebrügge’s reinforced company from the vicinity of Hartvigvann to the Kuberg Plateau. This move was executed on May 7–8, though the new positions were not fully prepared until May 11. Occupation of the Kuberg Plateau gave protection against a possible Norwegian drive across those mountains to cut Group Windisch’s lines of communications to Bjørnefjell in the area east of Jernvannene.

  As noted earlier, Co 7 from the 2/16th Inf occupied Brattbakken on April 30 and remained there for more than two weeks. In addition to patrolling towards Storfoss, it sent patrols into the high plateau to its south. These patrols reported that the Germans had not occupied Nævertind and Storebalak. Colonel Løken (the 6th Brigade commander at the time) made a serious and costly mistake when he did not order the company to occupy the Kuberg Plateau and send additional reinforcements into that area. Over May 7-8, the Germans occupied the high plateau, so that when Berg sent Co 1 there from Hill 437 at 0430 hours on May 13, the Germans were already in place. Company 1 reached Brattebakken at 1800 hours after an exhausting 11-hour move around Rivting and Snetind. Berg later moved the rest of the battalion (minus one company) to that area to be in position to gain a foothold on the plateau south of Bukkedal in a combined effort with the 2/16th Inf from Gressdal.

  Berg wanted his force at Brattbakken (Cos 7 and 1) to reconnoiter and probe to the south and west. His message at 0345 hours on May 14 stated that it was very important that an operation against Næverfjell be undertaken since 2/16th Inf would attack Storebalak that evening, before the remainder of 1/16th reached Brattebakken. Two platoons from Cos 1 and 7 seized Hills 875 and 860 in the morning of May 14. They reported that Kuberg and the north slope of Nævertind were occupied by the Germans. Major Hunstad arrived in Brattebakken shortly after noon on May 14 with Co 1 and the mortars. The machinegun company did not arrive until 0200 the following day and it took the trains two full days in the very difficult terrain.

  It was decided to attack Næverfjell as quickly as possible before the Germans could prepare their defenses. Two companies attacked that same afternoon, with heavy artillery support, and captured Hill 769 without losses. They proceeded against Hill 870. Fog on the top of the mountains facilitated the Norwegian advance and they stormed the German positions at 2100 hours. The Germans fled westward, leaving behind two killed and four wounded. They ran into a flank security force for the 2/16th’s attack on Storebalak and withdrew in an easterly direction, pursued by the Norwegian security force. Twenty-seven Germans surrendered the following morning (15 May) but a few slipped away from their captors later.

  The 2/16th Infantry was ordered to begin its advance against Storebalak at 1750 hours on May 13. The order to attack Storebalak was issued shortly after midnight and Hill 717 was secured by 1740 hours on May 14. The higher part of Storebalak, Hill 763, was still in German hands. The Germans had committed two companies in this area with orders to fall back to Kobberfjell if Storebalak could not be held. The terrain between these hills was open and dominated by German automatic weapons on the higher ground.

  The 1/12th Infantry sent one platoon towards Vassdalfjell on May 13 where Germans were reported withdrawing. The rest of the battalion moved to the southern end of Læigasvann. It resumed its advance the next day and occupied Vassdalfjell and Hill 697 by 0130 hours. From here, the battalion provided fire support for the 2/16th attack against Storebalak. If Vassdalfjell and Hill 697 had been occupied earlier, the Norwegians would have been in a position to harry Colonel Windisch’s withdrawal.

  As of May 15, the Alta Bn was on the north side of Hartvigvann and the 6th Brigade in positions on Vassdalfjell, Hill 717 on Storebalak, and Hill 870 on Næverfjell. They had established a foothold on the Kuberg Plateau, which served as a starting point for a continuation of the advance in the days that followed.

  The Bjerkvik landing deprived Group Windisch of its operating base and the southward drive by the French and Norwegians had opened Route 50 between Gratang and Bjerkvik. The Germans were forced into the mountain massif south of Bukkedal-Vassdal and the Norwegians had gained a precious foothold on the south side of both valleys. The French were pressing Group Windisch’s left flank. Two German companies holding Hills 548 and 482 facing west on Group Windisch’s left flank were driven out of their positions in the early evening of May 15 and barely managed to withdraw. The mountain plateau represented the last defensible area north of Rombakfjord and its loss would threaten the German headquarters and base complex at Bjørnefjell. Dietl considered the situation critical and did not believe Windisch could hold the new positions without reinforcements.

  A Question of Strategy

  General Dietl viewed a direct attack on Narvik as the logical next step by the Allies after his forces were expelled from Bjerkvik and had withdrawn to the mountains north of Rombaksfjord. While he assumed that the large Allied buildup was for the purpose of a direct attack on Narvik, he still viewed the threat from the north as the most dangerous. A Norwegian breakthrough resulting in the loss of Bjørnefjell would seal the fate of his command. His reports and frequent requests for immediate reinforcements in the following days painted a picture of a dire situation on the northern front. Dietl had concluded that unless that front was stabilized he would be forced to withdraw from Narvik, even if a direct attack against that city did not develop. He made it clear that the only avenue open to his exhausted forces if the northern front did not hold was a retreat to the mountains in the Bjørnefjell area.

  Dietl, however, was in desperate need of reinforcements to stem Norwegian pressures in order to carry out such a withdrawal successfully. Even if a withdrawal succeeded, lack of timely reinforcement would probably result in a retreat into Sweden. In a message sent on May 13, Group XXI requested OKW approval for such a move if it became necessary. The lead elements of Feurstein’s forces were still about 300 kilometers from Narvik and no one seriously believed that they would reach Narvik in time to save the situation.

  For the Norwegians, the stage was set to secure the key terrain on the high plateau. However, the
German defense line had been shortened considerably and if their losses in personnel and equipment could be replaced, they would be able to occupy the remaining defensive positions with stronger forces.

  Generals Fleischer and Béthouart felt the troops needed some time to rest before tackling the difficult tasks ahead. The attack on Narvik was expected within a few days and as soon as the city was taken, the offensive against Bjørnefjell would be launched. The timing of these attacks was unfortunate since it spared the Germans from having to face simultaneous offensives against both Narvik and Bjørnefjell.

  Béthouart assumed command of all Allied ground forces in the Narvik area when the British units moved south to stop General Feurstein’s advance. On May 14 he met with Fleischer at the 6th Division headquarters to discuss the offensive and establish a boundary between the French and Norwegian troops. It was agreed that the initial boundary would run from just northwest of Hartvigvann to the southwest portion of Fiskeløsvann. It was also decided that one Norwegian infantry battalion and a motorized field artillery battery would participate in the direct attack on Narvik. Fleischer selected the 2/15th Inf since many troops in this unit were recruited from the town and surrounding area. This battalion and the 9th Motorized Artillery Battery were removed from the front to Setermoen. They sat idle at Setermoen for almost two weeks because of repeated postponements of the Narvik attack. The newly mobilized 1/15th Inf was at Bardufoss preparing to move to the Bodø area. The Reserve Battalion, 16th Inf had completed its training period at Setermoen on April 30 but was not deployed to the front as a unit. By pulling the 1/15th out of the line, Fleischer reduced his forward-deployed forces to the equivalent of three and one half battalions since the 1/12th Inf was still recovering from its losses in Gratangen.