Beacon of Hope

As the defenses of southern Norway crumbled before the German onslaught, a group of young Swedish men decided to try their luck and help their neighbors. Led by Conny Andersson, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, the group crossed the border in late April. They met large …

1940-04-30

AP148

As the defenses of southern Norway crumbled before the German onslaught, a group of young Swedish men decided to try their luck and help their neighbors. Led by Conny Andersson, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, the group crossed the border in late April. They met large groups of Norwegian refugees heading for Sweden. Some of the refugees decided to join the Swedes. After crossing a few mountains, the band reached the village of Selbu. It had already been claimed by a German patrol, but as there were no soldiers present, the Scandinavians decided that this was a suitable place to make a stand. The German garrison in the nearby village of Elveran begged to differ.

Selbu, Norway

The Norwegian campaign (8 April – 10 June 1940) describes the attempt of the Allies to defend northern Norway coupled with Norwegian forces' resistance to the country's invasion by Nazi Germany in World War II. Planning and 13 British ships setting steam, narrowly preceded the German invasion of the mainland on 8 April 1940. Planned as Operation Wilfred and Plan R 4, while the German attack was feared but had not happened, HMS Renown set out from Scapa Flow for the Vestfjorden with twelve destroyers on 4 April. British and German naval forces met at the first Battle of Narvik on 9 and 10 April, and the first British forces landed at Åndalsnes on the 13th. The main strategic reason for Germany to invade Norway was to seize the port of Narvik and guarantee the iron ore needed for critical production of steel. The campaign was fought until 10 June 1940 and saw the escape of King Haakon VII and his heir apparent Crown Prince Olav to the United Kingdom. A British, French and Polish expeditionary force of 38,000 soldiers, many days in, landed in the north. It had moderate success. A rapid strategic retreat took place after Germany's overwhelmingly quick invasion of France in May. The Norwegian government then sought exile in London. The campaign ended with the occupation of the entirety of Norway by Germany, but exiled Norwegian forces escaped and fought on from overseas.

German

Swedish / Norwegian

Scenario Type = Standard