Between 1942 and 1945, Norwegian soldiers operated a coastal artillery battery in
Scotland. This article attempts to provide a short summary of their history. Also included
is a short account of the dramatic events at Sørøya in Finnmark, Norway in 1945. Sources
and suggestions for further reading can be found at the bottom of the page.
1942
In 1942, the Norwegian High Command in exile, acting on a suggestion from Norwegian Naval Command, decided to form a coastal artillery unit. The plans were approved by the British War Office.
In Norway coastal artillery had sorted under the navy, hence the newly formed unit sorted under Sjøforsvarets Overkommando (Naval Command). However, British coastal artillery sorted under the army. Accordingly, the Norwegian coastal artillery came under British army command and sorted under 501 Coast Regiment. On the Norwegian side Captain Wenzel Landgraff in London was appointed head of the coastal artillery.
Personell with prior training as coastal artillerymen were in June transfered from The Norwegian Brigade. Initially just six officers and 21 other ranks, the coastal artillery would by May 1945 number 71 officers and 574 other ranks. Under command of captain Reidar Godø the newly formed unit, supplemented with one officer and 43 other ranks from the British army, took charge of Fort Nigg on the northern coast of Cromarty Firth, Scotland. British personell was subsequently replaced by Norwegians. Fort Nigg was a provisional "Class B" fortification built at the start of the war. It was armed with two 15 cm cannon, and was operative - "State of Readiness: Immediate". Two companies of The Norwegian Brigade were based nearby, in Camp Nigg.
Organizing enough personnell for the new Norwegian coastal artillery proved a problem. A few were transfered from the navy and army, but not enough by far. Some of the Norwegian workers on the Orkneys as well as Norwegian fishers who had sought refuge in Buckie, Scotland, were amongst those mobilized to fill the empty slots. On the 29th of May 1943, the last of the British personnel (excepting 5 volunteers) left fort Nigg.
A more permanent solution to the personnell problem would be transfer of Norwegian exiles from Sweden. The first contingent was planned to arrive in the spring of 1944, and in November 1943, the battery moved to Fort South Sutor on the south side of Cromarty Firth to make room for the new arrivals. Captain Godø was replaced by Captain Hans Volckmar, who was in turn replaced by Captain Alf Furre.
A Norwegian coastal artillery training unit was established at Fort Nigg in the summer of 1944. It was later relocated to Naval Barracks Cromarty. Captain Godø was now in charge of both the training unit and the operative unit at Fort South Sutor.
The fact that Norwegian coastal artillery sorted under the navy, while British coastal artillery sorted under the army, caused certain administrative problems. In November 1944 responsibility for the coastal artillery was transfered to the army also on the Norwegian side. In London, lieutenant colonel Leif Husjord had replaced captain Landgraff.
Norwegian coastal artillerists
trained in Sweden
May 1944 - May 1945
From May 1944 to May 1945, 1334 Norwegian refugees were trained as coastal artillerists at Mauritzberg outside Norrköping, Sweden. To maintain the fiction this was not military training, the unit was officially educating harbour police, "havnepoliti".
Mauritzberg sorted under the Norwegian naval attache in Stockholm. Most of the refugees sent there had earlier served in the pre-war Norwegian coastal artillery. The education given was mainly theoretical, a starter course for personnel that would later be transferred to Fort Nigg. 369 men were transfered before the end of the war.
As the war drew to a close, the Swedish authorities loosened up on the restrictions put on the training. From January 1945, the Muritzberg unit were allowed personal weapons. From april 1945, a 10,5 cm coastal artillery battery and an anti-aircraft battery was put at their disposal.
By 1945, British coastal artillery uinits had largely been dissolved as the need for a costal defense dwindled. The personnell was transfered to field artillery, anti aircraft artillery and even the infantry. Since anti aircraft artillery would be much more useful in the event of an invasion of Norway, it was decided to convert the coastal artillery units to one light and one heavy anti aircraft battery. The batteries would still sort under Norwegian coastal artillery, from April 1945 organized as a Coastal Artillery Group under major O. Kvammen. Their operative tasks would be support of the Norwegian navy during operations in Norway. Training resumed at Minden Barracks, Harts, England and Burrow Head Practice Camp, Wigtownshire, Scotland.
Sørøya
February 1945 - March 1945
Operation Crofter - the Norwegian participation in the liberation of Finnmark - contained plans for establishing a Norwegian naval base at Sørøya in Finnmark. The Coastal Artillery was tasked with defending the planned base. On the 9th of February 1945 captain Johan Godø was landed at Sørøya from M/K Vårøy. His orders were to aid the civillian population, prepare the area around Børfjord for naval operations, and to defend the island from German forces still raiding the area. He brought provisions and weapons (mainly of Soviet manufacture) for 50 men, and was authorised to recruit personnell from the civillian population hiding on the island.
On Sørøya, around 700-800 civillians had gone into hiding as the retreating Germans burned their homes and slaughtered their livestock. The refugees were living in caves under harsh winter conditions, were short of supplies and in general bad shape. A small relief expedition under lieutenant Per E. Danielsen had landed on the 26th of January, which suceeded in evacuating approx. 200 civillians eastwards on fishing vessels. On the 15th of February, four British destroyers escorting the returning convoy RA64 from Kola landed, evacuating 502 civillians that were carried to Murmansk and distributed onboard the convoy's merchantmen for the return journey to the UK. There were still around 100 civillians left on the island.
Underways to Britain, the convoy was attacked. One corvette and a merchantman was sunk. US merchantman SS Henry Bacon went down after being attacked by German torpedo planes. The civillian refugees was given priority for lifeboats, with the result that a large number of the crew perished. Captain Alfred Carini went down with 27 of his officers and sailors. Carini was post mortem awarded "Krigskorset med Sverd", the highest Norwegian wartime decoration.
Remaining on Sørøya were approx. 100 civillians and captain Godø's small force, now counting 70 men - mostly local volunteers. They had receivived supplies from the British destroyers, and on the 23rd of February they were reinforced with a group of Norwegians from Alta district. Among the new arrivals were a number of veterans from Narvik 1940, which proved a valuable addition. In the week following 1st March, Godø's men were repeatedly attacked by artillery and landing parties from German patrol boats. Seven Norwegians were killed, several severely wounded. According to Godø's reports, approx. 30 Germans were killed or wounded in these operations.
Meanwhile, on the 5th of March, major Knut Aas had become commander of the Coastal Artillery in Finnmark. The plans for the Sørøya base now called for a cadre of 30 artillerists to be transported from the UK, while the bulk of the personnell would come from the Norwegian forces trained in Sweden. 4 four-inch coastal artillery cannon, ten 37 mm cannon, ammunition and other equipment was being transported from the UK.
On the 8th of March, the Germans landed a force of 70 - 100 supported by aerial attacks. The radio station was destroyed, the radio operator and others captured. Refugee cabins were torched, fleeing civillians strafed. The next day Godø decided to send most of the remaining soldiers and civillians eastwards. He was left with a force of 13, including two girls from the Women's Corps ("lotter"). On the 14th of March, the Germans attacked again. This time they were mistakenly identified as Norwegian reinforcements, and succeeded in intercepting the Norwegians. Eleven were taken prisoner after a short exchange of fire where two Norwegians were wounded. Four, including captain Godø and one of the women, escaped. They rowed to Gammelvær on Seiland, where they were re-uinted with the group that had left on the 11th.
Due to transport problems, the group from Sweden that should have manned the planned battery never arrived. The base was never established.
Return to Norway and demobilization
In May 1945 the two AA batteries were again attached to the Norwegian Brigade and transported first to Tromsø, then to Bodø. Their guns were put in storage, and the artillerymen served as infantry untill they were demobilized in September/October.
"Kvithellhula"
Kvithellhula cave, which in midwinter 1944-1945 housed 35 refugees.
"Nordsandsfjordhula"
Nosandsfjordhula cave, which in midwinter 1944-1945 housed 133 refugees.
"Krigsminnesmerket ved Breivikbotn Kirke
"
War memorial at Breivikbotn church. The history of those that fell on Sørøya March - May 1945.
"Fort South Sutor, South Sutor Cromarty
"
Short history and a pictoral tour of the remains of the fort.
"SS Henry Bacon"
Picture and the bare facts of the sinking.
"Legislation recognizing S.S. Henry Bacon"
In 2002, the US Congress passed a legislation recognizing the crew of the SS Henry Bacon.
"Norwegian Embassy Honors WW II Liberty Ship Heroes"
The Norwegian Embassy in Washington honours the crew and captain of the SS Henry Bacon. Details of their deed.
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Eystein Fjærli: | Den norske hær i Storbritannia 1940-1945 | Tanum-Norli, 1982 |
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Forsvarsdepartementet | De norske polititroppene i Sverige 1943-1945 | Forsvarsdepartementets presse- og informasjonsavdeling |
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Julian Holmås: | Historien om Skottlandsbrigaden 1940-1945 | Forlaget Grenland, 1997 |
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Asbjørn Ribsskog: | Kystartilleriet under den annen verdenskrig 1939-1945 | Athenum, 1998 |
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Reidar Nielsen: | Folket i hulene | Tiden, 1976 |
Last updated: 30th March 2001