Battle of Midtskogen

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Battle of Midtskogen Part of Norwegian Campaign, World War II Overview of the battle. Norwegian forces in green symbols. German forces in red symbols. Date April 9–10, 1940 Location Elverum, Østerdalen, Norway Result Norwegian victory Belligerents Norway Nazi Germany Commanders Cpt. Oliver Møystad Eberhard Spiller† Strength 100+ soldiers/militia, 2 Colt M/29 heavy machine guns 100 paratroopers Casualties and losses 3 wounded 2 killed, ? wounded

Nazi occupation of Norway Drøbak Sound – Midtskogen – Dombås – Namsos – Åndalsnes – Hegra – Vinjesvingen – Narvik – Gratangen – Operation Archery – Norwegian heavy water sabotage – Telavåg

Midtskogen farm is situated approximately five kilometers west of the town Elverum at the mouth of the Østerdalen valley in southern Norway. The place is known in Norwegian history for the battle fought there on the night between the 9th and the 10th of April 1940 during World War II between a German raiding party and an improvised Norwegian force. The Germans were out on a raid to capture the Norwegian King, Haakon VII, and his cabinet and thereby forcing Norway into submission.

[edit] Opposing forces

The Norwegian defenders mustered a numerically slightly superior force, the core of which was a rifle company of the Royal Guards (Hans Majestet Kongens Garde) and a number of hastily mustered volunteers, consisting mostly of members of local rifle clubs.

The German party consisted of approximately 100 paratroopers in a convoy of commandeered Norwegian civilian vehicles. Though somewhat numerically inferior the Germans were vastly superior in terms of training and firepower, possessing numerous modern submachine guns, light machine guns and hand grenades.

[edit] Battle

The opposing forces clashed at around 1.30 AM on the 10th of April with the German vehicles crashing into a Norwegian roadblock. The ensuing firefight continued until 3 AM, ending with both forces pulling back. The Norwegians were reinforced and regrouped into new positions; the Germans, realizing their raid had failed, retreated to Oslo.

[edit] Aftermath

Memorial stone to commemorate the battle. "Here Norwegian forces stopped the enemy's attempt to capture the King, Crown Prince, Storting and government".

The casualties on both sides were light. The Germans suffered two men killed in action and an unknown number of wounded. One of the German fatalities was their military attache Hauptmann Eberhard Spiller. Norwegian losses were three men wounded in action. The action may have been small, but as it prevented capture of the King and cabinet it probably saved Norway for the allied cause and proved a major boost to Norwegian morale, being very low due to the early German successes in the Norwegian Campaign.

[edit] References

• Andreas Hauge: Kampen på Midtskogen 1940, article published 1995 (Norwegian)

The same author has also written the two-volume "Kampene i Norge" (English: "The battles in Norway") covering the entire Norwegian Campaign, with summaries in English.