Operation Weserubung and occupation of Norway

Operation Weserübung and the occupation of Norway

The German invasion of Norway took place on the night of April 8-9, 1940 during Operation Weserübung under the pretext of defending Norway from military aggression by Britain and France. Most and best of the Norwegian military armament was lost in just the first 24 hours. And the Norwegian government, including the Royal Family, managed to leave Norway and formed a government in exile.

The author of this archive is an unknown German soldier of one of the Wehrmacht's mountain rifle units, which participated in the occupation of Norway and were subsequently stationed in the occupied territory. Most of his photographs were taken in the town and municipality of Kristiansand in southern Norway, on the Atlantic coast. Kristiansand was also attacked by the German Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe on April 9, 1940, but the Germans met fierce resistance from Norwegian coastal artillery at Odderøya. Bombs and shells hit the city center, and accidentally the 70-meter-high church tower of Kristiansand Cathedral. The third attempt to assault the town was successful because the German signal flag was confused with the French national flag, and this misunderstanding was discovered by the Norwegian army too late. The town was occupied by a German force of 800 soldiers, most likely including the photographer.

Images from this archive show Wehrmacht troops marching through the streets of Kristiansand, where an advertisement for «Freia», one of the most famous brands of Norwegian chocolate, can be seen on the wall of a house. Also, there are portraits of German soldiers in the harbor against the background of the vessels, on the bridge and near the train station. The photographer captured many scenes of day-to-day life of soldiers: service, guard duty, moving, exercises, eating, sleeping and so on. The photos show German soldiers performing physical training and acrobatics with riding motorcycles without hands and various stunts. And of course, as soon as snow fell, German mountain fighters take to skiing. In fact, the culture of physical training had a special place in the policy of the Third Reich and this is particularly visible in the photos from this archive. Often soldiers can be recognized with awards for their sporting achievements on their uniforms.

The photographer is not insensitive to the amazing, and clearly new to him, Norwegian landscapes and fjords, which he often captured or in which he photographed other German soldiers. The highpoint of this archive is the footage of the German soldiers' Christmas celebration in their barracks. The celebration started with a traditional feast with portraits of loved ones in front of a decorated Christmas tree and ended with absurd role-playing scenes in semi-nudity with helmets on their heads and weapons in their hands.