Flight of the Norwegian National Treasury facts for kids

The Flight of the Norwegian National Treasury was an amazing journey! It was when Norway moved its huge gold supply to safety during World War II. The goal was to stop Nazi Germany from getting their hands on it.

Norway's national gold was about 50 tonnes (that's 50,000 kilograms!) of gold. In 1940, this gold was worth about 240 million Norwegian Kroner. That's like US$1.8 billion today!

When Germany invaded Norway in April 1940, the gold had to be moved fast. It went from Oslo by land to Åndalsnes, then by ship to Tromsø. From Tromsø, Allied (friendly) forces helped ship the gold to Britain. They did this even with German attacks from the ground and air. Later, the gold traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to North America. Most of it was sold to help pay for the Norwegian government that was living in exile (meaning they were outside Norway). A part of the gold, ten tonnes, finally came back to Norway in 1987.

Saving Norway's Gold: The Great Escape

This section tells the story of how Norway's valuable gold was moved to safety. It was a race against time to keep it from falling into enemy hands during World War II.

Evacuating Gold from Oslo

The gold was kept in a main vault at the Norges Bank (Norway's central bank) in Oslo. In the 1930s, as tensions grew, plans were made to make the gold easier to move. When World War II started, these plans sped up.

The gold was packed into many crates and barrels. There were 818 crates, each weighing 40 kilograms. Another 685 crates weighed 25 kilograms each. Plus, there were 39 barrels of gold coins, each weighing 80 kilograms. In total, this was about 53 tonnes of gold!

Early on April 9, 1940, news arrived that German ships were nearing Oslo. Orders were given to move the gold to a vault in Lillehammer. Forklifts from local businesses helped load the gold onto 26 civilian trucks. The last trucks left Oslo just hours before the German army, called the Wehrmacht, arrived.

Gold's Journey by Train and Lorry to Åndalsnes

The gold stayed in Lillehammer for a few days. But the Germans kept advancing, so it had to move again. The gold was loaded onto a train and traveled across the country, away from the German forces.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian government and King Haakon VII were also trying to avoid the Germans. German paratroopers (soldiers who jump from planes) tried to reach Lillehammer to capture the King, government, and gold. But they were stopped by Norwegian defenders at Midtskogen. Norwegian soldiers, including the poet Nordahl Grieg, were sent to Lillehammer to guard the gold train.

The train left Lillehammer on April 19 and reached Åndalsnes on April 20. British troops had landed there a few days earlier. Åndalsnes was bombed many times by the Germans. Luckily, the train was not damaged. It was moved to Romsdalshorn station, just outside Åndalsnes. The British learned about the gold and agreed to help move it to Britain, and then possibly to America.

The gold was to be split among three ships. The first ship, the British cruiser HMS Galatea, left Åndalsnes on April 25. It carried 200 crates of gold.

Shipping Gold to Tromsø

No more gold was loaded at Åndalsnes because German troops were getting closer. Also, there were more air raids. The remaining gold was moved by 23 to 28 lorries to Molde. There, it was to be loaded onto the British cruiser HMS Glasgow. The King and the government were also on this ship, heading to Tromsø and then to Britain.

Molde was being bombed when they arrived. 756 crates and all 39 barrels of gold were loaded onto Glasgow. Late on April 29, the ship's captain decided they couldn't wait any longer. He ordered the ship to sail north to Tromsø. About 18 tonnes of gold were left behind. This included 301 large and 246 smaller crates.

The coastal steamer Driva took on most of the remaining gold. But bombing stopped the loading. The 30 crates left by Driva were moved by lorries to Gjemnes. The steamer was supposed to pick them up on its way north to Tromsø.

Driva was attacked by German planes several times. It was even beached (pulled onto the shore) to avoid sinking. The gold was then moved to five fishing boats from Bud and Hustad. These boats were named Heimdal, Barden, Svanen, Leif, and Gudrun. As hoped, the small fishing boats did not attract attention. They arrived at Gjemnes safely and picked up the 30 crates that had been brought by road.

The five boats continued north to Titran, arriving at the island of Frøya on May 3. The soldiers who had guarded the gold from Jørstadmoen were sent home. The gold was then moved to two larger fishing boats. These two ships left on May 4 and arrived in Tromsø on May 8.

Gold's Overseas Journey to Safety

In Tromsø, the gold was loaded onto the British cruiser HMS Enterprise. The cruiser first sailed south to Harstad, then departed on May 25. Enterprise survived two German air attacks on its way to Scapa Flow in Scotland. From there, it sailed to Greenock, where the gold was brought ashore.

The gold was then taken by train to the Bank of England's vault in London. Finally, the gold was shipped in parts across the Atlantic Ocean to America and Canada. Out of the 50 tonnes of gold that left Oslo, only 297 gold coins were lost. These were from a barrel that was damaged while on a British ship.

The gold was slowly sold in the United States. This money helped fund the Norwegian government that was living in exile. Ten tonnes of gold coins were returned to Norway in 1987.

See also

• Gold reserves of Norway
• Operation Fish
• Moscow Gold
• Romanian Treasure, the Romanian gold reserves sent (alongside other valuable objects) to Russia for safekeeping during World War I, but never returned.