As the clock ticks towards the 9th April, the 70 year anniversary of the start of the Blitzkrieg, the invasion of Denmark and Norway, the first action the German Fallschirmjägers would see, the first defeat of the Third Reich; Operation Weserubüng started.
The invasion marched on with some degree of success. Spearheaded by the German pride, the heavy cruiser Blücher, up the Oslofjord, Blücher was loaded with all kinds of things, from planes to trucks, from musicians to horses. The <<Phoney War>> ended as she met heavy fire from Oskarsborg Festning in the early morning. Colonel Birger Eriksen said; "I will either be coutrmarshalled or treated as a war hero. Fire." as he ordered fire on Blücher. An unfortunate shell hit the airfuel storage, and set the ship ablaze. Now that this once stealthy pride, crawling up the fjord disguised by the dark was lighting up the entire capital, the torpedobatteries nearby could launch what they had. The ship ofcourse sank, and is still located at the bottom where oil leaks from the hull and is visible even to this date.
This shock that strook Oslo sent shivers trough all of Norway. Norway tried hard to remain neatural trough this war as well. The Royal family grabbed whatever they could of national treasures and ran away, going north, covered by Norwegian resistance getting even the elite Fallschirmjägers on the retreat, before the Royal family got to Molde and from there to England.
[ Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dr%C3%B8bak_Sound ]
To talk of something else, we can mention Denmark. Denmark, the flat country that borders to Germany capitulated already after six hours. The morning of 9th April, German planes took off from several Danish airports with warsupplies to Norway.
Norway turned out to be a great challenge for Germany, with a widespread population all willing to fight, and one of the roughest terrain in all of Europe. Before Norway capitulated, the Germans started to invade France and the Netherlands. Two months after 9th April, Norway capitulated. The last fighitnig position in Norway was still manned by the Royal Norwegian Army at Hegra Festning, a 1920's hilltop fort. It is said that nearly a thousand Germans died trying to take the hill. When Norway capitulated, the soldiers at Hegra did the same.
The 10th April, an allied expeditionary force consisting of British, French and Polish soldiers, including the 10th D.B.L.E of the French Foreign Legion, went to Narvik to take the iron ore shipment from Germany. This was a success, and was the very first defeat Hitler had during WWII. Many thousand died here, and Germany finally sieged the town again. I'd like to especially say thanks to the Poles who participated in this, when they didn't even have a homecountry anymore.
After the brief introduction, let's kick this GB off!
Norway WWII hosts a very, very wide range of subjects to build... All from ships such as the Blücher, Tirpitz, Bismarck, and thousands of others both US, UK and German... Even Russian at some point. Even Norwegian warships too, and our armed merchant fleet. Norway had the third largest merchant fleet at the time, and much of that was armed during WWII, going from England to Norway and back.
Not to even mention the U-boats Germany had stationed here since they occupied, till the war was ended. Some of the largest U-boat bunkers were built here.
That was only the naval part. You have planes, from the Gloster Gladiators outclassing the BF109 (Yes, I am serious), to JU-52 dropping out Fallschirmjägers (German paratroopers saw their first combat ever in Norway). Even a Mosquito bombing the Gestapo headquarters in Oslo, or a spitfire reconnaisance? You can even do a Lancaster, and even a Horsa glider full of special forces!
In late-war, even a P-51D Mustang dogfights against BF109-G's are possible. Did I mention the B17's too?
As for armour, you had two panzerdivisions in Norway. One left for the Eastern front in summer of 1942, and the other was probably the only panzerdivision ever to use Panzer I tanks from start to end as their main force.
French armour were also inserted in Narvik (The very first defeat Germany had during WWII), and the German prototype Neubaufahrzeug were set into combat-use here. 4 were produced, one stayed in Germany and the other 3 were all scrapped at the end of the war. As a matter of fact, you can EVEN build late-war Russian tanks, as the Russians also invaded North-Norway at the end of the war...
Else of that, you can do the very unknown Police Forces (No police, it was a covername), French Foreign Legion, French army, Russian army, Gestapo, Norwegian resistance (Looked to be one of the firecest during WWII), Royal airforce in all forms and kinds, USAAF, Luftwaffe, the great naval ships, the hundreds, if not a thousand U-boats stationed here.....
After this too long post, you may see the scale of the chaos that happened up here in the North.. Sadly, it is very rarely spoken off!
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Rules:
1. Open to any modeller regardless of modelling skill
2. Any ship, aircraft, AFV or figure model that represents participants in the conflict are eligible.
3. Any scale
4. OOB or as much after market as you want.
5. Cross over builds with other GBs are welcome.
6. Incomplete builds are allowed.
8. No "What ifs"
9. Must have fun
[Thanks to Darson over at the Pacific for the rules which I slightly rewrote!]
Timeline: 9th April - 15th August (4 months)
A badge will come later. Suggestions are welcome!
So just sign up and start building!
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Hope you will all come and enjoy yourself up here!!
-Lasse, the Norwegian...