BATTLE FOR NORWAY 1940-1942: Despatches from the Front

Five verbatim despatches from the North-West Expeditionary Force in the early years of World War II give an eyewitness view of the battle for the north Atlantic. Norway and Sweden were initially neutral but because the Axis was dependent on Norway for iron ore, in April 1940 Germany took the decision to invade. The Allied C-in-C was Lieutenant-General Massy, and he was then instructed to take back Trondheim which was seen as the gateway to the north. Massy believed that his troops could only hold back the Germans if the Allies had complete control of the air, but attempts to land Gloster Gladiators on the frozen Lake Lesjaskog were a failure, dooming the whole expedition. Pressing on with operations against Narvik was initially successful but progress was short-lived when the whole expedition was summarily aborted. The Fleet Air Arm arrived in time to provide cover for the retreat. Massy's final Despatch on Operations in Central Norway was submitted in May 1946 and provides a fascinating overview. Captain Bernard Warburton-Lee was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, and an artist's impression of the first battle of Narvik gives an idea of the effect of artillery fire within the confines of a fjord. Rear Admiral Halifax's despatch on the first and second battles of Narvik, submitted in 1940, is a compilation of reports from commanding officers, revealing that the strategic situation had changed completely with the German attack on the Low Countries and France in May. Admiral Boyle, the Earl of Cork and Orrery, was ordered to evacuate northern Norway at the earliest possible moment as the troops, ships and guns were "urgently required for defence of United Kingdom". The evacuation is described in the third despatch. Operations did not cease, and further despatches from Admiral Sir John Tovey describe several unsuccessful daytime raids and finally a successful attack on the Lofoten Islands.174pp, photos.