Battering Ram at Kvam

In an effort to shore up the crumbling defenses in southern Norway the British reassigned the 15th lnfantry Division to lead the defense in the Gudbrandsdal Valley on 23 April. The 15th consisted of regular troops originally destined for the …

1940-04-26

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In an effort to shore up the crumbling defenses in southern Norway the British reassigned the 15th lnfantry Division to lead the defense in the Gudbrandsdal Valley on 23 April. The 15th consisted of regular troops originally destined for the BEF in France but transferred to Norway in great secrecy. The German advance up the Gudbrandsdal Valley was led by Colonel Landle's 345th lnfantry Regiment of the 196th lnfantry Division. The First Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light lnfantry established a blocking position at Kvam on 24 April and the Germans assaulted on the following day. The initial German assaults were repulsed with heavy British losses but not without the loss of several German AFVs as well. On 26 April the 345th renewed their assault with infantry only and were able to penetrate between the defending companies, forcing a British withdrawal in the evening.

Kvam, Norway

The Battle for Kvam took place 25 and 26 April 1940, in the Gudbrandsdal Valley in the village of Kvam, Oppland, Norway, between British, Norwegian, and German troops. The Germans were moving rapidly north up the river valley to conquer central Norway. In the battle, soldiers from 1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment and theist Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI), together with their Norwegian counterparts, held a rapidly advancing German army at bay for two days. It was one of the hardest fought battles of the Norwegian Campaign.

Wikipedia: Battle for Kvam

German

British