APRIL 1940
| Day | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Berlin | Hitler issues order to invade Norway – ‘Zero Hour’ 0515 April 9th. | |
| 3 – 7 | German troopships and warships leave for Narvik, Trondheim, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Oslo and Bergen | Operation Weserübung |
| 8 | German troopship Rio de Janeiro sunk near Lillesand by Polish submarine ‘Orzel.’ Telegram from British Naval Staff warning of German warships off Norwegian coast.Hectic parliamentary activity in Oslo | Naval Actions |
| 9 -OsloHamar | 0015 – First air raid warning. 0135 – All clear 0410 – Second air raid warning. Electricity cut off 0415 – Planned arrival time of German Forces 0421 – The fortress at Oscarsborg, near Drøbak in the inner Oslofjord, opens fire on the German cruiser ‘Blücher’ causing her to sink. This action delays the arrival of the invading forces in Oslo and gives Norwegian authorities a breathing space to make plans. 0430 – German minister Bräuer presents ’ultimatum’ to Norwegian Foreign Minister Koht. Ultimatum rejected. Decision to evacuate the Royal Family, Cabinet and Parliament. (RFCP) 0500 – First Norwegian aircraft sent aloft at daybreak 0600 – All clear 0700 – Train carrying RFCP leaves Oslo towards Hamar and Lillehammer. Many delays. 0730 – Third air raid warning0735 – Norwegian aircraft attack German invading aircraft 0745 – Planned time of landing for German air forces 0820 – The first German plane lands at Fornebu. Other remnants of the air battles arrive shortly afterwards with their loads of soldiers and supplies. 1245 – A group of 4-500 German soldiers enters Akershus fortress 1300 – The last of 26 trucks loaded with Norway’s gold reserves left the city heading North. 1300 – Train with RFCP arrives. Short Parliamentary meeting followed by meeting of the National Council. 1400 – Oslo’s commander, Col. Schnitler, surrenders the city 1600 – Capt. Spiller, the German air attaché in Oslo, leaves the city with a group of paratroopers, a truck and three buses. Their aim: to head off and capture the King and members of the Cabinet. 1830 – Parliament meets again (142 MPs), to discuss German demands. Decision taken to negotiate. Adjourned 1940 1900 – Spiller’s group reaches Jessheim1930 – Quisling speaks on radio claiming that the Nygaardsvold Government had resigned and that the National Government, with himself as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, had taken over.2140 – Parliament convened in gymnasium of high-school. Mowinckel, Lykke and Sundby selected as negotiators. Hambro formulates the important Elverum Mandate that gave the Government authorisation to act “in the best interests of the country’s security and future,” until the next “ordinary” meeting of Parliament could be convened.Crown Princess Märtha and her three children driven towards Sweden. |
Blücher
|
| April 10 MidtskogenElverumOslo |
0130 – Spiller’s group attacks a farm where about 90 Norwegian troops are blocking the road to Elverum. The battle lasts almost two hours. Spiller is fatally wounded and his depleted group returns to Hamar. This is the first land battle of the war and Norwegian ‘success’ again gives the RFCP a breathing space. 0155 – RFCP leave by train‘Panic Day’– inhabitants flee city on rumours of bombing |
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| 11 | German aircraft bomb Elverum. Otto Ruge takes over as Commander in Chief Norwegian Forces | |
| 14 | British Troops to Namsos. Young Norwegians attempt to destroy important bridge near Oslo – perhaps the first act of sabotage? | |
| 15 | Appeal from some of Oslo’s leading citizens to avoid “sabotage and destruction.”Administrative Council established by Supreme Court in Oslo. Quisling forced to withdraw. RFCP at Otta | |
| 16 | Bishop Berggrav warns against civil resistance towards occupying forces; “only warriors wage wars.” | |
| 17 | British Troops to Steinkjer.RFCP to Vagå. National Council Meeting | |
| 18 | Ill-equipped and unseasoned British troops land at Namsos and Åndalsnes | |
| 19 | Food rationing imposed | |
| 20 | French Alpine Troops land at Namsos. German aircraft bomb Namsos | |
| 21 | German aircraft bomb Steinkjer | |
| 22 | Basis for Nortraship laid down at Cabinet meeting in Stuguslåtten in Romsdalen. | Nortraship |
| 23 | Åndalsnes bombed by German aircraft | |
| 23 | RFCP to Molde | |
| 24 | Hitler appoints Terboven as “Reichskommissar” – Governor – in Norway. | |
| 25 | Molde bombed by German aircraft | |
| 27 | In a letter to ‘Nationen’, Knut Hamsun attacks the RFCP which –“gave orders for mobilization and then ran away”. | |
| 28 | British troops ordered to evacuate from Southern Norway. Kristiansund bombed by German aircraft. | Escape by Sea |
| 29 | New, stricter rationing laws imposed. King George VI sends telegram to King Haakon and sends HMS Glasgow to evacuate “to wherever you want to go.” | |
| 30 | Kristiansund and Molde severely damaged by German bombs |
■ 1940 / Timeline / Last Updated December 3, 2013 by Geronimo Gando /
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