Capture of Arendal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Capture of Arendal |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the German invasion of Norway during the Second World War |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Germany |
 Norway |
||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Wilhelm-Nikolaus Freiherr von Lyncker(naval) Smith von Wesentahl(land) |
 Thore Holthe |
||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
163rd Infantry Division
|
unknown | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 90 soldiers 10 signals troops 1 torpedo boat |
19 sailors 1 torpedo boat 1 seaplane |
||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| none | none | ||||||||
The Capture of Arendal happened on April 9, 1940. During this event, a German torpedo boat called Greif brought soldiers to the Norwegian port town of Arendal. These soldiers were bicycle troops. Their main goal was to take control of the town. This was part of the larger German invasion of Norway. A key reason for the landing was to cut the undersea telegraph cable that connected Arendal to the United Kingdom.
The German soldiers landed without anyone stopping them. The Norwegian torpedo boat in Arendal decided to leave instead of fighting. Its commander worried about people getting hurt. He also felt his chances of winning were very low.
The Germans took over Arendal without any big problems at first. But the next day, people panicked. They heard false rumors about British bombers coming. Many civilians then left the town.
Five days after the Germans arrived, the first organized resistance group in Norway started in Arendal. This group was called the Arendal Group. They worked from April 14, 1940, until the Gestapo stopped them four months later.
Contents
Why Norway Was Invaded
After World War II started in September 1939, Norway said it would stay neutral. This meant Norway would not pick a side in the war. However, both the Axis (like Germany) and the Allies (like Britain) often ignored Norway's neutrality. For example, German U-boats attacked ships in Norwegian waters.
Norway's military was not ready for a big fight. They did not have enough equipment or training. They could not properly defend their country.
In February 1940, British ships entered Norwegian waters. They rescued British sailors from a German ship called Altmark. Norwegian ships saw this but did not stop it. Adolf Hitler was very angry about this. The next day, he ordered the invasion of Norway.
Hitler wanted to invade Norway for several reasons. He thought Britain might try to land troops there first. He also wanted to control Norway's natural resources, like iron ore. And he wanted to make it easier for the German navy to reach the Atlantic Ocean. A Norwegian leader named Vidkun Quisling told Hitler that Norway and Britain were planning an alliance. This made Hitler even more worried. General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst was put in charge of the invasion.
Getting Ready for the Attack
General von Falkenhorst showed Hitler his attack plans on February 29, 1940. Arendal was one of the first Norwegian towns to be captured. Like the town of Egersund, Arendal had a station for an undersea telegraph cable. This cable connected Norway to the United Kingdom. The Germans wanted to cut this cable. They also wanted to secure cables to Denmark and Germany.
Arendal was also important for telegraph messages in southern Norway. German soldiers were told to listen to Norwegian communications. Cutting Norway off from the outside world was a key part of Germany's plan. They hoped this would make Norwegians accept the occupation and not fight back.
The job of taking Arendal went to Gruppe 4 of the German invasion fleet. This group's main goal was to capture Kristiansand. A single torpedo boat, Greif, was sent to Arendal. It left Germany on April 8.
There was a lot of tension in Arendal that day. A German ship called Rio de Janeiro had been sunk nearby. This ship was secretly carrying German air force personnel. A Polish submarine had torpedoed it. Some German survivors told Norwegian police they were going to Norway to "help protect the country's neutrality." Twelve wounded Germans were taken to a hospital in Arendal. The local newspaper, Agderposten, printed a special edition about the sinking. It also reported on German ships moving near Southern Norway.
Who Was Fighting
German Forces
The German force sent to capture Arendal had 90 soldiers. They were from the 234th Bicycle Squadron. Their commander was Rittmeister Smith von Wesentahl. Ten signals personnel also joined them. These signal troops were to operate the town's telegraph station. They would also cut the cable to the United Kingdom.
The torpedo boat Greif brought the soldiers to Arendal. It was also there to help if the Norwegians fought back. Greif was commanded by Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm-Nikolaus Freiherr von Lyncker. Once the soldiers were in control of Arendal, Greif was to leave. It would then join the rest of its group in Kristiansand. The Germans did not expect any resistance in Arendal. The town had no forts or soldiers defending it.
Norwegian Forces
The only Norwegian military unit in Arendal was a small torpedo boat. It was called Jo. Lieutenant Thore Holthe commanded it. It had 18 sailors. After hearing about German ships, Lieutenant Holthe made his crew ready. He also brought out ammunition for the boat's guns.
Norwegian plans said an infantry company should defend Arendal. But no orders were given to call up these soldiers. So, Arendal had no land defense when the Germans attacked.
The Landing in Arendal
As Greif sailed towards Arendal, it ran into thick fog. This made the boat slow down. It arrived in Arendal later than planned. All German landing groups were supposed to arrive at 4:15 AM. But Greif got to Arendal at 8:20 AM. Earlier, at 1:00 AM, the Germans heard on the radio that fighting was happening in the Oslofjord. All lighthouses along Norway's southern coast had been turned off the night before.
Even though customs officers saw Greif coming, the reports did not reach Lieutenant Holthe on Jo.
When Greif entered Arendal harbor at 8:30 AM, Jo spotted it. Jo was about to leave to join other torpedo boats. Norwegian rules said Lieutenant Holthe needed orders to fire. Arendal was not a protected war port. He had no orders or information. Also, Jo was in a bad position to attack. Its torpedo tubes pointed away from the German ship. So, Lieutenant Holthe did not open fire.
Greif reached the dock without any real fight. Only a customs officer and his son fired a few rifle shots. The 100 German soldiers quickly got off the boat. They took over the town. By 9:00 AM, Greif left for Kristiansand. While Greif was there, Lieutenant Holthe thought about attacking. But he decided not to. The German warship had strong firepower. Also, many civilians were watching from the dock.
As Greif was leaving, a Norwegian seaplane (F.328) landed nearby. This plane was one of four that had escaped from Kristiansand. Before the Germans could react, the Norwegian aircrew realized Arendal was captured. They quickly took off again. German anti-aircraft guns fired at them. The plane flew south to the village of Fevik, which was not occupied.
The German bicycle soldiers took control of the town's railway station, post office, police station, and telegraph building. They cut the undersea cable to the United Kingdom. Unknown to them, this cable had not been working for over three months. The Germans also found many rifles. These rifles had been used to train civilian volunteers. Before the Germans reached the Norwegian military offices, the officers there had already left town.
What Happened Next
After Greif left Arendal, Lieutenant Holthe took Jo out of the harbor. He set up an ambush east of town. He thought the German warship might come back. Later that day, Jo went to Lyngør. There, it met two other torpedo boats. For the next eight days, the three boats tried to help Norwegian soldiers. These soldiers were fighting in Telemark county. The boats survived several air attacks.
Lieutenant Holthe and the other commanders thought about sailing their boats to the United Kingdom. But they decided it was not possible. So, on April 17, they sank their boats off Lyngør. The crews went home. The commanders tried to join Norwegian forces in Western Norway.
At first, the people of Arendal were calm about the invasion. But soon, rumors spread. People heard that Allied bombers would attack on April 10 at 12:00 PM. Most of Arendal's people fled the town in a panic early that morning. It took several days for most of them to return.
The German soldiers stayed in a school building. Their commander, Rittmeister von Wesentahl, met with local Norwegian leaders. He wanted to make sure they would cooperate. Arendal's mayor agreed to help keep the town calm.
On April 14, five days after the German invasion, some citizens of Arendal started the Arendal Group. This group is seen as the first organized resistance group in occupied Norway. The group was mostly men who worked in shipping. At first, they helped provide supplies to Norwegian soldiers fighting in Telemark. After that fighting ended in May, the group continued their work. They gathered information until the Gestapo found them on August 14, 1940. Nearly 100 people were arrested because of the Arendal Group.
See also
- List of Norwegian military equipment of World War II
- List of German military equipment of World War II
 | Frances Mary Albrier |
 | Whitney Young |
 | Muhammad Ali |
