Norwegian campaign order of battle


The German operation for the invasion of Denmark and Norway in April 1940 was code-named Weserübung, or "Weser Exercise." Opposing the invasion were the partially mobilized Norwegian military, and an allied expeditionary force composed of British, French, and Free Polish formations. The following list formed the order of battle for this campaign.

Germany

XXI Gruppe

On 1 March 1940, the German 21st Army Corps was renamed Group XXI and placed in charge of the invasion of Norway. The group was allotted two Mountain and five Infantry divisions for this task. It was led by the commanding officer of the XXI Korps, General der Infanterie Nikolaus von Falkenhorst. His Chief of Staff was Oberst Erich Buschenhagen.
The Luftwaffe's X Fliegerkorps was commanded by Generalleutnant Hans Ferdinand Geisler; it had operational command of all Luftwaffe units participating in Operation Weserübung.
Baltic Sea and Norwegian Waters
Naval Group Command West – Generaladmiral Alfred Saalwächter
Battleship Force – Vizeadmiral Günther Lütjens
Objective: Narvik
Warship Group One – Kapitän zur See and Kommodore Friedrich Bonte
Transporting:
Landing Group
Tanker Group
Objective Trondheim
Warship Group Two – Kapitän zur See Hellmuth Heye,
Transporting:
Landing Group
Tanker Group
Objective Bergen
Warship Group Three – Rear Admiral Hubert Schmundt
1. S-Boatflotilla – Kapitänleutnant Heinz Birnbacher
Transporting:
Landing Group
Landing Group Stavanger
Objectives Kristiansand and Arendal
Warship Group Four – Kapitän zur See Friedrich Rieve
2. S-Boat-Flotilla – Korvettenkapitän Rudolf Petersen
Transporting
Objectives Oslo and Oslofjord
Warship Group Five – Rear Admiral Oskar Kummetz
Objective Oslo
Objectives Son and Moss
Objective Horten
Objective Rauøy Island
Objective Bolærne Island
Objective Egersund Cable Station
Warship Group Six – Korvettenkapitän Kurt Thoma,
2 Minehunting Flotilla
Objectives Korsör and Nyborg
Warship Group Seven – Kapitän zur See Gustav Kleikamp
School Flotilla of Commander in Chief Baltic Approaches
Objectives Copenhagen
Warship Group Eight – Korvettenkapitän Wilhelm Schroeder
Warship Group Eight supported in the waters of the Belt by 13. Patron-Flotilla – Kapitänleutnant Dr. Walther Fischer
Objectives Middelfart and Belt Bridge
Warship Group Nine – Kapitän zur See Helmut Leissner, F.d.V.O
Objectives Esbjerg and Nordby
Warship Group Ten – Kapitän zur See and Kommodore Friedrich Ruge F.d.M. West
12. Minehunter Flotilla – Korvettenkapitän Karl Marguth
2. Minesweeper Flotilla – Korvettenkapitän Gert von Kamptz
Objective Thyborön
Warship Group Eleven – Korvettenkapitän Walter Berger
4. Minehunter Flotilla – Korvettenkapitän Walter Berger
  • M-61, M-89, M-110, M-111, M-134, M-136
3. Minesweeper Flotilla – Kapitänleutnant Hagen Küster
  • R 33, R 34, R 35, R 36, R 37, R 38, R 39, R 40
  • – Oberleutnant zur See Gustav Czycholl
Mine Sweeper Covering Group
Laying minefields to the Skagerrak to protect the German resupply route to southern Norway.
  • Schlesien
Minelaying Group – Kapitän zur See Kurt Böhmer:
  • Roland – Korvettenkapitän Karl von Kutzleben
  • – Kapitänleutnant Dr. Ing. Karl-Friedrich Brill
  • Preussen – Korvettenkapitän Karl Freiherr von der Recke
  • Königin Luise – Kapitänleutnant Kurt Foerster
  • M6, M10, M11, M12
U-Boat Force Force – Rear Admiral Karl Dönitz
U-Boat Group One
Patrol area: Narvik, Harstad, Vestfjord, Vågsfjord
  • ,,, ,
U-Boat Group Two
Patrol area: Trondheim, Namsos, Romsdalsfjord
  • ,
U-Boat Group Three
Patrol area: Bergen, Ålesund, Shetland Islands
  • ,,,,
U-Boat Group Four
Patrol area: Stavanger
  • ,
U-Boat Group Five
Patrol area: East of the Shetland Islands, Vågsfjord, Trondheim
  • ,,,, ,
U-Boat Group Six
Patrol area: Pentland, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands
  • ,,,
U-Boat Group Seven
Never assembled
U-Boat Group Eight
Patrol area: Lindesnes, Egersund
  • ,,,
U-Boat Group Nine
Patrol area: Bergen, Shetland Islands
  • ,,
Unassigned to a group'
Operating in the area of the Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, and Bergen
Due to the speed and surprise achieved by the German forces, the Norwegian military was only able to partially mobilize their military. Actual unit strengths only achieved a portion of their listed organizations. Some of the Norwegian forces were ad hoc battalions. The commander of the Norwegian Army at the time of the invasion was General Kristian Laake. He was replaced by Colonel Otto Ruge on 11 April.
Unlike the armies of most other nations, the Norwegian 'division' was more of an administrative and mobilization unit, rather than a fighting unit. The most important tactical unit of the Norwegian army was the regiment. When mobilized, each regiment was supposed to muster two battalions of infantry of the line, and one battalion of landvern.

Norwegian Army

At the time of the German invasion, the Norwegian Army was only partially mobilized, and thus only the following land units were immediately available to the Norwegians;
At the outbreak of the German invasion, the Norwegian Army Air Service consisted of:
Of the Norwegian Army Air Service's aircraft, all were shot down, destroyed or captured by the Germans during the campaign, except two Fokker C.Vs and one Tiger Moth that were flown to Finland on 8 June 1940. The three biplanes were intended to form a Norwegian Army Air Service training unit in Finland under the command of Captain Ole Reistad, but were eventually taken over by the Finnish Air Force.

Royal Norwegian Navy

The Royal Norwegian Navy during the campaign consisted of:
The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service consisted of:
Of the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service's fleet of aircraft, four Heinkel He 115s were evacuated to the United Kingdom at the end of the campaign, while one He 115 and three Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.11s were flown to Finland and taken over by the Finnish Air Force.

Allied

Mauriceforce

Commanded by Major-General Carton de Wiart V.C., this group began landing at Namsos on 14 April.
Commanded by Major-General Bernard Charles Tolver Paget, this force landed at Åndalsnes starting 18 April.
Commanded by Major-General Pierse Joseph Mackesy, this force landed at Harstad, north of Narvik, between 15 April and 5 May.
Commanded by Lieutenant-General Claude Auchinleck, this force resulted from the reorganisation of British forces in the Narvik area on 13 May 1940.