Battles of Narvik
Narvik and Ofotfjord, Nordland, Norway
What happened
Norwegian forces under General Carl Gustav Fleischer, with British, French, Foreign Legion and Polish troops, fought German forces under General Eduard Dietl. Narvik's ice-free harbour shipped iron ore from Sweden by rail, and both Germany and the Allies wanted it. Germany captured the town in April 1940, and the Royal Navy sank most of the German destroyers in the fjord. After weeks of fighting in the snowy mountains, Norwegian and Allied troops retook Narvik on 28 May.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was the first major Allied victory on land in the Second World War. But it was short-lived, because the Allies had to withdraw when France was being invaded.
What came next
The Allies left Norway in early June, German troops returned to Narvik on 8 June, and Norwegian resistance ended on 10 June. Narvik's war museum tells the story today.
Did you know?
During the second naval battle, a plane launched from the British battleship Warspite sank a German submarine, the first submarine sunk by an aircraft in the war.
Timeline
- 9 April 1940Germany invades Norway and takes Narvik.
- 10 and 13 April 1940Two naval battles in the Ofotfjord.
- 28 May 1940Allied and Norwegian forces retake Narvik.
- 8 June 1940The Allies leave and Germany retakes Narvik.
- 10 June 1940Norwegian resistance in Norway ends.