April 9, 1940: The Day War Came to Norway!

#71 Week 15

Author

Sigrun Sørumgård
April 09, 2025

Today marks 85 years since the Germans attacked Norway. What do you know about this day, the people and events surrounding this day?Where does the name “January” originate?

  1. What was the name of the German military operation for the invasion of Norway?

  2. Who was the Norwegian king on April 9, 1940?

  3. What was the name of the German cruiser that was sunk in the Oslofjord by Oscarsborg Fortress?

  4. What was the name of the Norwegian prime minister when the war broke out?

  5. What other country was invaded by the Germans on the same day they invaded Norway?

  6. Why was Narvik a strategic and important target for both the Germans and the Allies?

  7. How many days did it take for Norway to officially capitulate to Germany?

  8. Which Norwegian defence commander led Oscarsborg Fortress during the attack?

  9. The first clash between Norwegian and German forces occurred at the far end of the Oslofjord. The patrol boat "Pol III" was sunk by the German torpedo boat "Albatross". The captain of "Pol III" was the first Norwegian to fall, what was his name?

  10. The gold transport was a secret operation to save the Norwegian gold reserves and was launched on the morning of April 9. How many tons of gold reserves were taken out of Norges Bank?

The Wonder Wall

  • The gold reserves were transported by truck first to Lillehammer, then by train to Åndalsnes. From there, part of the gold was transported to the Rosyth naval base in Scotland by the cruiser HMS Galatea on 23 April. The remaining gold reserves were transported by truck and ferries to Molde, where another part was transported to Scotland by the cruiser HMS Glasgow on 29 April. The third and final part of the gold reserves was taken north by boat to Tromsø, and left Norway by the cruiser HMS Enterprise on 24 May. From Scotland, the gold transport continued by train to London and the Bank of England. During June and July, the gold was shipped across the Atlantic, where it was deposited in the Federal Reserve Bank in New York and the Bank of Canada in Ottawa, respectively.

  • Oslo and Narvik were the two most important targets. Oslo had the largest port in addition to the king, government and headquarters of the Norwegian military. Oslo was also a hub for the railway lines to Sørlandet, Stavanger, Trondheim and Bergen. Furthermore, Fornebu Airport was located just outside the city. It was important as a landing ground for transport aircraft in and out of the country, but also as an airfield for fighter and bomber aircraft for further operations in Norway.

  • The attack force was divided into five groups with the targets Oslo, Arendal, Kristiansand, Egersund, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Narvik.

Yesterday´s Questions & Answers

  1. Which song was a huge hit for ABBA in 1974 and won the Eurovision Song Contest?

    "Waterloo". The song won the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 for Sweden and was written by Benny Andersson, Stikkan Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus.

  2. Which artist released the hugely popular single "I Will Survive" in 1978?

    Gloria Fowles (born 7 September 1943), professionally known as Gloria Gaynor, is an American singer, best known for hits from the disco era, and perhaps most notably the song "I Will Survive" (1978).

  3. What was the name of David Bowie's alter ego from the 1970s?

    Ziggy Stardust was Bowie's way of rebelling against the norm. Bowie's alter-ego creation burst onto the music scene in 1972 with the release of his fifth studio album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

  4. Which disco queen was behind the hit song "Hot Stuff" in 1979?

    Donna Summer

  5. Who was the lead singer of The Doors until his death in 1971?

    Jim Morrison

  6. What was the name of AC/DC's debut album from 1975?

    The band made their debut in Australia with the album High Voltage in 1975, followed by T.N.T. the same year. When the band released their third album in Australia, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap in 1976, they were signed to Atlantic Records, which released the album High Voltage internationally. The international edition of this album contained songs from both the two Australian albums High Voltage and T.N.T.

  7. What were the names (and are) of the three brothers in The Bee Gees?

    The Bee Gees consisted of twins Robin Hugh Gibb (1949–2012) and Maurice Ernest Gibb (1949–2003) and their older brother Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (1946–).

  8. What British city are Black Sabbath from?

    Black Sabbath is an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define the genre with their first three albums Black Sabbath, Paranoid (both 1970) and Master of Reality (1971).

  9. What were the names of the five members of The Jackson 5?

    The group consisted of brothers Jackie (born 1951), Tito (1953–2024), Jermaine (born 1954), Marlon (born 1957) and Michael Jackson (1958–2009). With Michael as the frontman, The Jackson 5 had their breakthrough in 1969 with the single I Want You Back. Over the next decade, The Jackson 5 were one of the biggest names in pop music.

  10. What was the name of Queen's 1975 album that contained "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Love of My Life" and "God Save the Queen"?

    A Night at the Opera