Army Norway (Wehrmacht)

Last updated
Army Norway
German: Armee Norwegen
ActiveDecember 1940 – December 1944
CountryFlag of Germany (1935-1945).svg  Nazi Germany
Branch Heer - decal for helmet 1942.svg German army ( Balkenkreuz.svg Wehrmacht)
Size Army
Engagements Eastern Front
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Eduard Dietl
Lothar Rendulic

Army Norway, (Armeeoberkommando Norwegen, abbreviated AOK Norwegen), was a German army operating in Norway and Finland during World War II. It was one of the two army echelon headquarters controlling German troops in the far north. Army Norway was directly subordinate to OKH, the high command headquarters of the Wehrmacht. It was created from Army Group XXI in December 1940, itself a successor of the XXI Army Corps, and disbanded in December 1944, with its tasks and assets taken over by the 20th Mountain Army.

Contents

As of 15 January 1941, the actual strength (Iststärke) of Army Norway was 129,759 personnel in total. [1]

Operations

On 27 June 1941, shortly after the beginning of Operation Barbarossa (22 June), Army Norway consisted of XXXVI Command (SS Kampfgruppe Nord, 169th Division), Mountain Corps Norway (2nd Mountain Division, 3rd Mountain Division, 199th Division, 702nd Division), XXXIII Command (181st Division, 196th Division) and LXX Command (69th Division, 163rd Division, 214th Division). [2]

A Headquarter Detachment of Army Norway took part in Operation Barbarossa in 1941. In talks between Finnish and German staffs in Helsinki in June 1941, the Germans were given military responsibility over northern Finland; Army Norway was to take Murmansk and the Murmansk railway. The plan was codenamed Operation Silberfuchs (Silver Fox). In January 1942 this HQ detachment became Army Lapland and was responsible for all German forces in Finland. In June 1942 it was renamed 20th Mountain Army.

Commanders

Commander-in-Chief

No.PortraitCommanderTook officeLeft officeTime in office
1
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2006-0529-501, Nikolaus v. Falkenhorst.jpg
Generaloberst
Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
(1885–1968)
19 December 194018 December 19444 years, 0 days

Assets

German Army of Norway (Falkenhorst)

See also

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References

  1. A.O.K. Norwegen, IIa. Abschrift für Kriegstagebuch. Iststärke nach dem Stande vom 15 Januar 1941. Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv (BA-MA) RW 39/14, fol. 189.
  2. Schramm, Percy E., ed. (2005). Kriegstagebuch des OKW: 1940–1941, Teilband 2. Augsburg: Verlagsgruppe Weltbild GmbH. p. 1137. ISBN   3828905250.