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Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung (german: Unternehmen Weserübung , , 9 April – 10 June 1940) was Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. In the early morning of 9 April 1940 (''Wesertag'', "Weser Day"), Germany occupied Denmark and invaded Norway, ostensibly as a preventive manoeuvre against a planned, and openly discussed, French-British occupation of Norway known as Plan R 4 (actually developed as a response to any German aggression against Norway). After the occupation of Denmark (the Danish military was ordered to stand down as Denmark did not declare war with Germany), envoys of the Germans informed the governments of Denmark and Norway that the ''Wehrmacht'' had come to protect the countries' neutrality against Franco-British aggression. Significant differences in geography, location and climate between the two nations made the actual military operations very dissimilar. The invasion fleet's no ...
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European Theatre Of World War II
The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main Theater (warfare), theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Nazi Germany, Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and end of World War II in Europe, ending with the Western allies, Western Allies conquering most of Western Europe, the Soviet Union conquering most of Eastern Europe and German Instrument of Surrender, Germany's unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945 (9 May in the Soviet Union) but the fighting on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern front continued until 11 May during the Prague offensive and the end of the Battle of Odzak on 25 May. The Allies of World War II, Allied powers fought the Axis powers on two major fronts (Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front and Western Front (World War II), Western Front) as well as in a Bombings of Germany, strategic bombing offensive and in the adjoining Mediterranean and Middle East ...
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Leonhard Kaupisch
Leonhard Kaupisch (1 September 1878 – 26 September 1945) was a German general during World War II who served as Supreme Military Commander of occupied Denmark. World War I and interwar period Kaupisch entered the army in 1898; from 1907 to 1909 he attended the war academy in Lichterfelde. From 1911 he served with the German General Staff in Berlin. During World War I, Kaupisch served on the General Staff and rose gradually in the ranks and in 1917 promoted to ''Major''. He also received the Iron Cross 2nd Class and the Knight's Cross of House Order of Hohenzollern in the same period. After World War I, Kaupisch moved into the new Reichswehr and was assigned to the ''Gruppenkommando 2'' at Kassel. In 1923 he took command of an artillery regiment. From there he moved to artillery school in Jüterbog. He continued his career in artillery until he departed in 1932 from his post with the level of Generalleutnant. On 1 April 1934, he joined the Luftwaffe where in December 1935 he w ...
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French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in the world, ranking seventh in combined fleet tonnage and fifth in number of naval vessels. The French Navy is one of eight naval forces currently operating fixed-wing aircraft carriers,Along with the U.S., U.K., China, Russia, Italy, India and Spain with its flagship being the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier outside the United States Navy, and one of two non-American vessels to use catapults to launch aircraft. Founded in the 17th century, the French Navy is one of the oldest navies still in continual service, with precursors dating back to the Middle Ages. It has taken part in key events in French history, including the Napoleonic Wars and both world wars, and played a critical role in establishing and securing the French colonial ...
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Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is consequently known as the Senior Service. From the middle decades of the 17th century, and through the 18th century, the Royal Navy vied with the Dutch Navy and later with the French Navy for maritime supremacy. From the mid 18th century, it was the world's most powerful navy until the Second World War. The Royal Navy played a key part in establishing and defending the British Empire, and four Imperial fortress colonies and a string of imperial bases and coaling stations secured the Royal Navy's ability to assert naval superiority globally. Owing to this historical prominence, it is common, even among non-Britons, to ref ...
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Norsk Krigsleksikon 1940–45
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the two official written forms: **Bokmål, literally "book language", used by 85–90% of the population of Norway **Nynorsk, literally "New Norwegian", used by 10–15% of the population of Norway *The Norwegian Sea Norwegian or may also refer to: Norwegian *Norwegian Air Shuttle, an airline, trading as Norwegian **Norwegian Long Haul, a defunct subsidiary of Norwegian Air Shuttle, flying long-haul flights *Norwegian Air Lines, a former airline, merged with Scandinavian Airlines in 1951 *Norwegian coupling, used for narrow-gauge railways *Norwegian Cruise Line, a cruise line *Norwegian Elkhound, a canine breed. *Norwegian Forest cat, a domestic feline breed *Norwegian Red, a breed of dairy cattle *Norwegian Township, Schuylkill County, ...
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Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the and the , of the , the German armed forces from 1935 to 1945. In violation of the Treaty of Versailles, the grew rapidly during German naval rearmament in the 1930s. The 1919 treaty had limited the size of the German navy and prohibited the building of submarines. ships were deployed to the waters around Spain during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) under the guise of enforcing non-intervention, but in reality supported the Nationalists against the Spanish Republicans. In January 1939, Plan Z, a massive shipbuilding program, was ordered, calling for surface naval parity with the British Royal Navy by 1944. When World War II broke out in September 1939, Plan Z was shelved in favour of a crash building program for submarines (U-boat ...
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William Wain Prior
William Wain Prior (18 July 1876 – 9 March 1946) was a Danish Lieutenant general and the Chief of the Royal Danish Army from 1939 to 1941. Life and career Following the death of Johan Christian Lund, in 1931, Prior became chief of the General Staff. On 1 December 1939, Prior replaced as chief of the General Command. World War II Before the Occupation of Denmark by Germany in 1940, Prior encouraged the Danish government to increase the strength of the army. These requests, however, were not accepted by the majority of the Danish parliament, who feared that increased military strength might provoke Nazi Germany. When Germany invaded Denmark in 1940, he argued that the Danish army should actively defend the country, even when Germany threatened through the dropping the OPROP! leaflets to bomb the capital of Copenhagen. However, the Danish government did not agree to this, due to concerns that major Danish cities like Copenhagen might suffer the same destruction that other c ...
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William Boyle, 12th Earl Of Cork And Orrery
Admiral of the Fleet William Henry Dudley Boyle, 12th Earl of Cork, 12th Earl of Orrery, (30 November 1873 – 19 April 1967) was a British Royal Navy officer and peer. He served as a junior officer on the China Station during the Boxer Rebellion and went on to serve in the First World War initially as a staff officer during the Gallipoli Campaign, Dardanelles Campaign and as then commander of the Red Sea Patrol: in that capacity, he led a six-day bombardment of the Turkish held port of Jeddah and worked closely with T. E. Lawrence in support of the Arab Revolt. In the inter-war years he was Reserve Fleet (United Kingdom), Commander-in-Chief, Reserve Fleet, President of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich and Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet. After succeeding a cousin and becoming Earl of Cork in 1934, he became Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth. Boyle also served in the Second World War, first as head of planning for Operation Catherine, an abortive naval offensive in the Bal ...
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Rasmus Hatledal
Rasmus Hatledal (1 February 1885 – 14 July 1963) was a Norwegian topographer and military officer. He was born in Stryn. He was appointed colonel and chief of the general staff in 1938. The post-World War II investigation committee, '' Undersøkelseskommisjonen av 1945'', appreciated Hatledal's mobilizing efforts in the 1940 German invasion of Norway. He was decorated Commander of the Order of St. Olav in 1949, and was also Commander of the Swedish Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Or .... References 1885 births 1963 deaths People from Stryn Norwegian Army personnel of World War II Norwegian prisoners of war in World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Commanders of the Order of the Sword {{Norway-mil-bio-stub ...
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Carl Gustav Fleischer
Carl Gustav Fleischer KCB (28 December 1883 – 19 December 1942Fleischer 1947, p. 216) was a Norwegian general and the first land commander to win a major victory against the Germans in the Second World War. Having followed the Norwegian government into exile at the end of the Norwegian Campaign, Fleischer committed suicide after being bypassed for appointment as commander-in-chief of the Norwegian Armed Forces in exile and being sent to the insignificant post as commander of Norwegian forces in Canada. Early and personal life Fleischer was born in Bjørnør Rectory (now Roan) in Sør-Trøndelag as the son of the Church of Norway pastor Carl Edvard Fleischer (1843–1885) and Johanne Sophie Fergstad (1850–1926). After his father died,Ording, Johnson & Garder 1951, pp. 614–615 Fleischer moved with his mother to grow up in Trondheim. His childhood home was one characterized by Christianity, simplicity and frugality. His ancestors had migrated from Elbing in East Prussia ...
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Otto Ruge
Otto Ruge (9 January 1882 – 15 August 1961) was a Norwegian general. Ruge was Commander-in-chief of the Royal Norwegian Armed Forces after Nazi Germany's assault on Norway in April 1940. Early career Ruge grew up in Kristiania (Oslo) in a family with strong military traditions. He attended Oslo Cathedral School. At only 20 years old, he was a military officer. He attended the Norwegian Military College (1905) and took the General Staff exam (1915). Colonel Otto Ruge became chief of the General Staff in 1933. In 1938 he resigned from the position and was appointed as inspector general of infantry. World War II In 1940, Colonel Ruge was promoted to major general and assumed command after the former commander-in-chief, Generalmajor Kristian Laake, who was supposed to go into retirement a few days after the German attack on Norway, displayed a defeatist attitude and consequently was relieved of command. General Ruge persuaded the government to fight the German invaders. H ...
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Kristian Laake
Kristian Kristiansen Laake (9 April 1875 – 3 August 1950) was a Norwegian military officer. He is best known for having commanded the Norwegian Army in the first days after the German invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940, and for having been replaced because of what was seen by the leading Norwegian politicians as passive leadership. Early life and family He was born in Ullensaker as a son of farmers Kristian Gulbrandsen Laake (1835–1875) and Karen Pedersen Taugland (1839–1903). His older brother Knut M. Laake, a cavalry officer, became a politician and activist, and Kristian Laake joined the Liberal Party as well. On 24 September 1901, Laake married Nes-born farmer's daughter Signe Henaug (28 November 1879 – 8 January 1960). The couple had three children, and in 1908 they acquired the farm Stalsberg in Skedsmo, Akershus. One of their daughters married entomologist Leif Reinhardt Natvig. Military career He finished his secondary education in 1894 and graduated from t ...
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