Jack Adams - Doomed Expedition: The Norwegian Campaign of 1940

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THE DOOMED EXPEDITION

THE
DOOMED
EXPEDITION

THE CAMPAIGN IN NORWAY 1940

JACK ADAMS

First published 1989 by Leo Cooper Ltd

Leo Cooper is an independent imprint of
the Octopus Publishing Group
Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, London SW3 6RB

LONDON MELBOURNE AUCKLAND

Copyright Jack Adams 1989

ISBN 0 85052 0363

Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Butler & Tanner Ltd, Frome and London

CONTENTS

3 September 1939 to 8 April 1940 Scandinavian Prelude

9 to 15 April 1940 The German Invasion. Norwegian Resistance and Allied Countermeasures

14 April to 31 May 1940 Operations in the areas of Narvik, Bod, Mo and Mosjen.

14 April to 3 May 1940 Operations based on Namsos

17 April to 3 May 1940 Operations based on Aandalsnes

12 May to 8 June 1940 The recapture of Narvik. Final evacuation.

ILLUSTRATIONS

MAPS

Drawn by Chester Read

Norway

Unsuccessful military campaigns tend to be forgotten, particularly by the losers. Such is the ill-fated campaign fought by the Allies in Norway in the Spring of 1940.

Years later the distinguished German historian, Professor Walther Hubatsch, insisted that: The Norwegian campaign occupies a special place among the campaigns and operations of the Second World War. He points out that its duration was relatively short, its theatre restricted and the forces engaged limited. Why special?

Because it was the first example of a modern combined operation by land, sea and air. It was the first modern trial of strength between air and sea power.

Here the experts are divided. Some maintain that it was the first real conclusive proof we have had of the undermining of sea-power by air power. Others say that the main effect of Germanys superiority in the air was psychological. Dr T. K. Derry, whose Campaign in Norway, written with full access to official papers, was published in 1952, formed the opinion that the effect of German air superiority was the most obvious lesson of the campaign, although no degree of foresight could at that time have prevented us from defeat. He goes on to say that the campaign was in many respects a novelty. Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart, VC, who commanded the Allied forces in the Namsos area, reinforces this view by saying that this was a campaign for which the book does not cater.

The weather conditions ranged from unpleasant to impossible, faced by the soldiers, sailors and airmen on both sides with courage and fortitude. They met with new and unusual problems. Most did not understand the strategic, economic, technical and political dilemmas besetting the field commanders and their staffs.

On the Allied side this was mainly due to an overwhelming lack of communication, aggravated by personality clashes among some of the top Commanders, (notably at Narvik between Admiral of the Fleet the Earl of Cork and Orrery and Major-General P.J. Mackesy, who commanded the Allied troops on the ground).

This book does not profess to be a full and comprehensive history of the campaign in Norway. In the space allotted there is, regrettably, no room for a full account of the famous sea fights, such as the first and second naval battles in the Narvik fiords. However, these are well documented and easily available. Furthermore, in a book of this kind a detailed analysis of higher strategy and the political in-fighting which caused changes of course, sometimes leading to catastrophe, may be of marginal interest to the general reader.

The book is concerned with the events on land in the geographic areas of Narvik and Bod-Mosjen, Namsos and Aandalsnes. The sea-borne operations which covered these confrontations are recorded as, without this naval back-up, movement on land could not have been sustained. Emphasis is strongly on unit action, and the participation of individuals and small groups.

Many of the troops taking part were specialized and well-trained. The French put in the Chasseurs Alpins as ski troops but failed to deliver the vital equipment needed to perform their role. With them came the Foreign Legion, swapping their semi-tropical station for the rigours of the Arctic.

The Poles sent their Highland Brigade (under French command), some of whom had already fought against the Germans. The scattered units of the Norwegian forces fought doggedly on their home ground, at first without allies. Their two brigades in the north, under the determined command of General Fleischer, played a crucial role in the recapture of Narvik.

Britain provided two first-class, well-trained Regular Brigades, together with five Territorial Army battalions. The latter had neither the training nor equipment and weapons to carry out the exacting task thrust upon them at such short notice.

The Germans sent General Dietls Mountain Division to the Narvik front. Having secured the Oslo area and the port of Trondheim on 9 April 1940, they poured a steady stream of reinforcements into Norway. The ground had been well-prepared beforehand with the help of German residents and tourists.

The Norwegian traitor, Quisling, helped to undermine the authority of the legitimate Norwegian government, who were forced to evacuate to the North, together with King Haakon and the Crown Prince.

The scene was set for the first significant land encounter of the war. The outcome for the Allies can perhaps be summed up in the words of Desmond Fitzgerald, the Historian of the Irish Guards hopes and plans ended in failure and depression. The campaign was a tragedy, made more grievous by the endurance of the few troops who did the fighting with inadequate material. From the beginning of May a sense of ineluctable fate hung over Norway.

JACK ADAMS
Freshford
October 1988

I owe a special debt of gratitude to Kingston Derry, OBE, who, with full access to official papers, wrote a definitive history of the campaign in Norway, which was published in 1952. From his home in Oslo he read and commented on the text of my manuscript. His familiarity with the Norwegian language (of which I am dismally ignorant) and his wider knowledge of the scattered operational areas, enabled him to offer advice and guidance which have been most helpful.

Professor Olav Riste, the Director of the Research Centre for Defence History at the Norwegian College in Oslo, kindly provided background material and helped with the compilation of the list of Norwegian units shown in Appendix A. He also found time to read and comment on Part Seven of the book.

The British Embassy in Oslo was particularly co-operative. The Military Attach, Lieutenant-Colonel Robin Gamble, Royal Green Jackets, opened the door to sources that may otherwise have been out of my reach.

The Director of the Red Cross War Museum at Narvik, Mr Nils Ryeng, went out of his way personally to guide me around the battlegrounds and, by translating German Army documents into English, threw new light on the operations in which 24th Guards Brigade took part.

Further south, at Bod, Captain Knut Stre of the Royal Norwegian Air Force acted as my guide through the still recognizable operational areas as well as allowing me access to his extensive collection of Norwegian, British and German photographs and documents relating to the campaign.

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