2nd Division (Norway) facts for kids

The Norwegian 2nd Division was an important part of Norway's army during the early days of World War II. In 1940, this division, led by General Jacob Hvinden Haug, was in charge of defending Eastern Norway when Nazi Germany invaded as part of the Norwegian campaign.

What Was a "Division" in Norway?

In 1940, the word "division" in the Norwegian Army was a bit different from what it meant in other armies, like the British. For Norway, a division mostly meant a specific geographical area that the army was responsible for defending. It wasn't usually a large fighting group made up of many brigades, like divisions in other countries. Only Norway's 6th Division in Narvik was set up more like a typical division, with two brigades.

Soldiers and Their Gear

Even though the 2nd Division managed to gather many soldiers to fight the German invasion, most of them were not well-equipped. They lost a lot of important gear during the German invasion on April 9. The Norwegian Army in 1940 mostly had equipment from World War I. They had no tanks, no modern artillery, no special weapons to fight tanks, and no effective anti-aircraft guns.

Most soldiers used the old Krag–Jørgensen rifle from 1894. They did have some newer Colt M/29 heavy machine guns and light Madsen machine guns. Also, many soldiers had only received 48 days of basic training, which wasn't much. Some soldiers had more experience, like guardsmen or those who had fought as volunteers in the Finno-Soviet Winter War.

Challenges of the Area

The area the 2nd Division had to defend was very large. This made it hard for them to gather all their forces in one place. Because of this, the fighting often happened in many small battles across a wide area, usually involving groups the size of a battalion.

German Invasion and Battles

The 2nd Division lost a lot of supplies when the Germans quickly captured several of their storage depots in the first 24 hours of the invasion. Despite these losses, the division was still able to gather and organize several fighting groups:

• 4th Infantry regiment (two battalions)
• 5th Infantry regiment (one line battalion, one local defence battalion)
• 6th Infantry regiment (two line battalions, one local defence battalion)
• 2nd Dragoons regiment (five squadrons - dismounted)
• Engineers regiment (three pioneer companies, two signals companies)
• One improvised artillery regiment (named Hegstad after its commander)
• Two improvised infantry battalions (Thorkildsen and Larsen)

Later, the division received help from two battalions of the 11th Infantry Regiment in Gudbrandsdalen. However, by that time, many of the original units were very tired and no longer able to fight effectively.

Fighting in Valdres

Because the situation in Eastern Norway was so serious, the main fighting group of the 4th Division was moved to Valdres. This area was part of the 2nd Division's responsibility. This group soon faced heavy fighting against the Germans in Bagn and at Tonsåsen.

German Advance from Oslo

By the middle of April, the Germans began to move out of Oslo. They wanted to break through what was called the "iron ring" around the capital. General Hvinden Haug, who led the 2nd Division, has been criticized by some historians. They say he gave up strong defensive positions along the Nitelva river near Lillestrøm without a fight. This meant the Norwegian Army lost important gathering places and remaining supplies at Gardermoen.

Norwegian troops managed to stop the Germans for a short time in Hakadalen, at Bjørgeseter, and at Strandlykkja by Lake Mjøsa. They blocked two of the three main roads going north from Oslo. However, this didn't last. German tanks and Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive-bombers, which the Norwegians had no way to fight, defeated the Norwegians at the third exit at Klekken, near the city of Hønefoss. This made the Norwegian position impossible to hold, and they had to retreat from the areas they had successfully defended.

Retreat and Surrender

The Norwegians were pushed back northwards. They tried desperately to slow down the German advance while waiting for help from Allied forces. The first British units arrived at Lillehammer around April 21. But this was too late. On the same day, the Germans decisively defeated the Norwegians at the battles of Lundehøgda and Bråstad. This allowed the Germans to break through into the Gudbrandsdalen, which was a very important area in Eastern Norway.

For the rest of the campaign in Gudbrandsdalen, British units did most of the fighting. However, Norwegian units continued to help throughout the campaign. After the Allied forces left Southern Norway, General Hvinden Haug surrendered the remaining parts of his division at Åndalsnes on May 3, 1940.