Det som går ned må komme opp-An Alternate Royal Norwegian Navy TL

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Welcome to my first try at a timeline! This timeline is planned to cover the interwar Royal Norwegian Navy, possibly spanning the Second World War as well. There will be some slight changes in Norwegian elections, but they will be minor. This won’t be a complete Norway wank, however it will benefit from the events in this TL. Feedback is welcome, and I will try and update about twice a week.
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Prologue

Oslo, Norway, September 1921
The depression had hit Norway and the rest of Scandinavia hard. Prime Minister Otto Blehr and the rest of the government were under pressure to do something to help their people. Options were debated endlessly. In the end, it was decided that funding for the military, already proportionally lower than many other nations, would be cut down, and the savings used to help relieve the depression. When informed, the top brass in the Royal Norwegian Navy were dismayed, but with no choice, they began to discuss options to keep as much of the fleet in commission as possible. The eventual plan was:

Place the Coast Defense Ships Harald Haarfagre and Tordenskjold in reserve
Cancel all Trygg class Torpedo Boats except for the lead ship
Scrap the old destroyer Valkirjen
Scrap all Torpedo Boats but the 4 Laks, 3 Storm, 3 Teist, 3 Grib, 2 Orn, and 2 Hauk classes-of 40 torpedo boats in commission, 23 are scrapped.
Scrap Submarine Kobben to partially pay for a B-class unit
Cancel all B-Class Submarines except for the first two units
Scrap the 1880’s vintage gunboats serving as minelayers
Scrap the ancient cruisers Viking and Frithjof

The fleet would consist of:
2 Coast Defense Ships Eidsvold and Norge
2 Tordenskjold class laid up
3 Draug class Destroyers
1 Trygg class Torpedo Boat
17 old Torpedo Boats
2 B-class Submarines
3 A-class Submarines
1 Minelayer Froya
2 Minelayers Glommen class

Ships would also receive refits less often. Top Naval officers were now extremely concerned about Norway’s capability to defend itself.
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For Reference: Norwegian Navy 1920

 

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Chapter I: Johan Nilsen

Johan Nilsen was born on April 9, 1887 in Narvik, part of the county of Nordland, Norway. He grew up fishing for Cod in his family’s business. However, from approximately age 12, Johan began to show high interest in joining politics. After finishing secondary school at age 20, he was accepted into the Royal Frederick University, from which he graduated five years later with a Master’s Degree in Political Science. Nilsen ran for several local offices, with increasing degrees of success. In 1924, he ran for parliament, but was defeated handily by an incumbent. Despite this, Johan immediately began planning to run in 1927. He ran on his previous successes that had allowed him to win local offices. Nilsen was especially popular among the fishing industry, which he had grown up in. One of his selling points was that he was something different than previous career politicians, that the people had his ear. Despite this, polls in the months before the 1927 election showed Johan far behind the same opponent that had beaten him soundly. Johan made many last minute speeches, and the campaign ramped up its advertising. One October 17, 1927, the 1927 Norwegian Parliamentary Elections were conducted. In a stunning turn of events, Johan Nilsen was elected to the Storting at the age of 40, barely edging out his opponent. The rookie MP’s future would be bright if he did well in his new position.

In the weeks after his election, Nilsen had toured Nordland, making speeches and promoting himself, as well as preparing to go to Oslo for the beginning of the new Storting in the coming weeks. He was busy in his office when his secretary knocked on the door.
“Mr. Nilsen, you have a visitor,” she said.
“Let them in,” Johan nodded.
A naval officer, standing a bit below two meters in height strode into the room, wearing the rank of Captain.
“Mr. Nilsen, I would like to congratulate you on your election to the Storting,” the man shook Johan’s hand. “I am Oscar Pedersen, Captain of the Battleship Norge. I’m sure you’ve seen us around the area,” he smiled.
“Of course. Norge is one of our best, largest ships,” Johan answered. “So, Captain, what can I do for you?”
“My ship is returning to Horten Naval Base in two days, and with approval by higher ranks, we decided to offer the county’s elected Storting members that are still here a ride to the capital aboard one of our finest ships.”
“Isn’t this a bit unusual?” Johan asked Captain Pedersen.
“It is little trouble, we would be quite happy to have another guest aboard our ship. I have cleared it with the area commander,” the Captain replied.
“Very well, I will be at the docks in two days. What time?” Johan questioned.
“We will send a boat at seven o’clock in the morning.”
“Thank you,” Nilsen shook Pedersen’s hand.
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Chapter II: Breakdown

The ship’s boat worked its way out to Norge, the graceful Ofotfjord in the background. It was a cold, calm day. Johan was wrapped in a heavy coat, as were the three staff members that were coming with him. The ride was more for show than being practical-anyone or thing else he needed would go to Oslo in a less showy method.
Norge was a handsome ship, with a large turret fore and aft, the superstructure perfectly proportioned to the rest of the battleship, two handsome funnels, and uncrowded decks. The boat pulled alongside Norge. A group of sailors in parade uniforms were waiting for Johan at the top of the gangway, and Captain Pedersen stepped forward.
“Welcome aboard His Majesty’s Ship Norge, Mr. Nilsen!”
Nilsen was then introduced to several other MP’s from Nordland county that were either newly elected or reelected, and most of whom he knew to some degree. He was shown his cabin, and then given a tour of the warship. Having grown up on much smaller fishing boats, being aboard a vessel this large was a rarity for him.
Johan stood on one of the bridge wings as Norge began her journey up the fjord, to the sea where she would then turn south, headed for Oslofjord.

Johan returned to his cabin when Norge turned south. Captain Pedersen had mentioned that the ship had been completed in February of 1901, and while well taken care of, it seemed like the ship had been hardly modified in the nearly 27 years she had been in commission, apart from the old Hotchkiss guns installed for anti-aircraft duty. He knew that, during the depression earlier that decade, the navy’s funding had been cut, but like most people, he hadn’t really cared, and the government had used the money to help with the depression, so most people had supported the move. But if this ship, one of the navy’s best, was 27 years old, and hadn’t had a fairly extensive refit, he wondered if the Royal Norwegian Navy was still capable of protecting Norway from hostile countries with its aging fleet. Maybe it was time to increase funding, and buy new ships. It wouldn’t be long before the ship was 30, and that was a very old age for a frontline ship needed to protect his nation.

The next morning, Johan returned to the bridge after breakfast in the galley. He was climbing the stairs to the structure when he heard voices. He recognized Pedersen’s, but not the other voice.
“So, what you’re telling me, is that with all of these important people, we either have to stop for repairs or try to return to Oslo on one screw?” Pedersen sounded unhappy, which he probably had a right to be.
“If we keep running on two, that bearing will burn out, and believe me, you do not want that happening. Money’s tight already, and the amount it would take if-”
“I get it, I get it. Helm, all stop. Chief, go disengage the starboard screw. We’ll try to limp to Bodø on one screw, we’re only a few miles out. This is gonna look really bad, Chief.”
“I know, sir, but with the tight budget, we have to cut corners if we want a fleet even close to the size of what we had ten years ago.”
Johan strode up the last few steps to the bridge. Pedersen and what looked like the Chief Engineer were standing together in the rear of the bridge, and Johan walked up to them.
“Good morning, Captain.”
“Hello, Mr. Nilsen. Enjoying the Norge?”
“She is a nice ship,” Johan smiled. The Chief Engineer saluted Captain Pedersen and began his descent to the lower decks.
“We’re having some difficulties, and are going to make a stop at Bodø to see if we can repair them, but we’ll have you to Oslo in no time,” Pedersen replied.

Norge anchored off Bodø over an hour later. The Chief Engineer soon reported that the wear was worse than he had thought, and the ship would need to be drydocked for repairs, as she had several areas starting to show their age. This would be a very embarrassing affair for the Royal Norwegian Navy, with one of the best vessels in the fleet breaking down with several members of Storting aboard. Transportation was booked on a passenger ship on its way south for the MP’s, and Norge would be escorted to Horten Naval Base to be drydocked for repairs. While it was a PR disaster for the Navy, the incident gave the five members of the Storting aboard something to think about: if this was the condition the whole fleet was in, would it have a chance against an invader?
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Chapter III: The Rookie MP

Johan’s first few weeks in the Storting, Norway’s Parliament, had gone smoothly enough. He’d gotten along with some fellow MP’s, filled out endless paperwork, done interviews with newspapers, participated in debates, pretty much what people think of when they think of Members of Parliament and their contemporaries in other countries. However, the incident aboard Norge stayed in the back of his mind. If the navy didn’t even have the money to keep its ships operational, that did not bid well if Norway had to defend herself. Nilsen had mentioned it to the others that had been aboard Norge, and they also shared their concern, and the Rookie MP was intrigued at the possibility of making a name for himself by championing the Navy. Johan got his chance a few weeks later, after a Storting session, when he noticed a few senior MP’s standing together to the side of a hallway.
“Hello, gentlemen. I’m Johan Nilsen-” he introduced himself.
“The fisherman from Narvik!” one of the men that he vaguely recognized shook his hand.
“Yes, that’s what some people call me.”
“What can we do for you?” another asked.
“Well, as you know, I was aboard the Battleship Norge about a month ago when she had some trouble.”
“Dang navy, always wasting money because their ships break. I tell you, it’d be better if we just reduced it to a fishery protection service and used the money for more efficient areas!” one laughed.
“But what if someone attacks us?” Nilsen asked. “We need a way to defend ourselves! Our best ship is in such a bad condition that she has a serious issue with her propeller shaft out of the blue! If she was in a battle, that wouldn’t have ended well!”
“Now, hold on a second,” one of his listeners said. “Someone attacks us? Who? The Germans? They’re weak from the last war, and the British and French would defeat them in about a week! The Swedish haven’t gone to war in over a century! Denmark-hah! The Soviets? They’d have to cross the Baltic, and then face a British Fleet! No, we’re safe from everyone, because there is no one who will invade us without the Great Powers stopping them! We should use the money for better things!”
“But what if the Great Powers can’t stop them?” Johan asked.
“Can’t stop who? They are the most powerful nations in the world! They’d never let someone invade Norway!”
“Thing is-”
“Mr. Nilsen, all of your ideas are what ifs, not facts! If there is a threat, we will consider arming ourselves, but there is no threat, especially with the British and French looking out for countries like us!”
Johan Nilsen walked away, embarrassed. In the coming weeks, he was branded as a militarist, a hawk, someone who wanted to spend all of the nation’s money on weapons of war instead of improving the standard of life. This was a major setback, and he began to wonder if he was wrong.
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Chapter IV: Research

Mid-Late 1928
After hearing the news that the Royal Norwegian Navy was putting several torpedo boats temporarily in reserve so that it could pay to repair and look over the Norge to make sure nothing else was about to cripple her, Johan decided to dive into his attempts to make the Royal Norwegian Navy respectable again. To do that, he needed the Storting to approve the funding. To win over the Storting, he needed respected allies. To win over allies, he needed a case, and an idea of what the reform he wanted would look like. He interviewed current and retired Norwegian Admirals as well as strategists. He purchased publications like several volumes of Jane’s Fighting Ships, learning about different types of warships. He knew his way around a ship from his fishing days, but he’d barely heard of such things as Aircraft Carriers. Real Battleships, like the new Nelson class the British were commissioning across the North Sea, had over four times the displacement of the ‘Battleship’ Norge. Norge wasn’t even classified as a Battleship! Cruisers were similar sized to the Norge and Eidsvold, Norge’s sister, but faster. The Draug Class Destroyers were obsolete compared to even the oldest ships in the larger navies. Norwegian submarines were the closest to modern vessels the navy possesed.
One thing that caught Johan’s eye was the Motor Torpedo Boat. These were large motor launches, equipped with 1-4 torpedo tubes and some light machine guns. With their high speed and agility, they could transform the narrow fjords dotting the coast of Norway into death traps for invading or attacking forces. But he still needed to answer one of the main problems: who would attack Norway?
An obvious candidate was the Soviet Union. But shipping an army across the Baltic would be difficult unless the Soviets wanted to invade from the north, where they only had a token fleet. Another possibility was Sweden. Although peaceful, Sweden was right next to Norway, and the two countries had had some bad blood when they split in 1905. The Swedes had a vastly superior fleet, mainly because of their Sverige class Battleships, one of which could defeat the whole Norwegian battleline with their four 28cm guns. The Swedes were also building new destroyers. However, the Swedes were not likely opponents, and lacked the overwhelming land strength needed to guarantee they would win.
Johan also researched Germany. There had been some radical nationalists trying to gain power in Germany, which was still recovering from the Great War. One of these attempts had been what became known as the Beer Hall Putsch, in Bavaria. The NSDAP, the party that had attempted the coup, was led by Adolf Hitler, who had been released from prison a few years ago. Hitler had published a book, called Mein Kampf, some excerpts of which Johan glanced over in a newspaper article about books selling many copies. He was alarmed by some of the crazy content in the book, and hoped that this radical would never rise to power in Germany, and was sure the UK and France would never allow it. The world was at peace, and while Johan would continue his research in the coming years, he wouldn’t have justification for his plans for a while.
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Chapter V: The Scare

Early 1930
On October 24, 1929, the American Stock Market collapsed. Soon, the world began to spiral into a depression. Having had a depression in the early 1920’s, which had been fairly bad, Norwegians were angry about having another less than a decade later. Anger at the government became widespread for letting this happen, and among the chaos, Norway’s communist party began gathering followers, leading to widespread fear of a communist coup against the government, which was mostly left, but not communist. Adding to the fears was the fact that Norway was right next to a powerful communist country, which was probably aiding the revolutionaries in Norway.
Rumors began spreading of Russian plans for invading Norway. Several people swore they saw Russian warships on the coast. To reassure the country, an impromptu Navy Day was held. The four coastal defense ships paraded around Oslofjord, the two Tordenskjold class with skeleton crews after they were abruptly pulled from reserve. The three destroyers and a few torpedo boats steamed around the ships, and the submarines submerged and surfaced. It was an impressive display, and nearly worked. However, over the next few days, reports surfaced of the horrible conditions of some of the ships in the fleet. An editorial published in a newspaper by a ‘high ranking Admiral’ stated that if a Soviet battleship showed up off Oslofjord, it would have no problem getting by the ancient coastal guns and elderly ships of the navy. Faith in the armed forces was rattled, but mainly because they weren’t in the condition to fight, not because they were the ones scheming to overthrow the government.
Despite the widespread panic at the time, historians maintain that the 1929 Red Scare was blown out of proportion in part by the media. While the government was certainly left leaning, it didn’t want to go communist. Military units specifically created to stop Communist riots were kept ready, but never deployed. The Red Scare was never as large as most people thought, and most people were opposed to the idea of a communist takeover. Furthermore, no Soviet plans to support the communists with direct military involvement have ever been recovered. The Red Scare abated in the summer of 1930, just in time for the 1930 Storting elections that took place that fall.
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Quick Note: I’m not trying to make this political, just set the stage for the navy’s modernization.
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Chapter VI: The 1930 Elections

Late 1930

Johan finally had a possible threat-the Soviets. In the months prior to the 1930 elections, he began trying to sell the idea of modernizing the armed forces. They wouldn’t be hugely expanded, but they would be brought to a similar standard as those of countries such as Germany. He argued that IF a large navy appeared in Norwegian waters, there was no way the current, aging fleet could even slow it down, and if the attackers got a good hold on important locations, retaking them with the help of another powerful country would be difficult, and it would be better to make them pay in men and material for the homeland. He also argued jobs would be created by building and crewing the new ships, helping with the depression. He was also alarmed by the rise of the author of Mein Kampf, the book that had abhorred him. Nilsen’s line that he didn’t want the country to be militaristic, he just wanted it to not rely on ships from thirty years ago really struck home. The fact that the military had largely stayed loyal to the government during the Red Scare helped support for the modernization movement.

Johan had been popular in Nordland County for some of his work that didn’t involve modernizing the armed forces of Norway, but the jobs lure was very appealing to the voters. Johan beat out a Labour challenger for his reelection without too much sweat. The Conservative-Free Minded Liberal coalition tied the Labour party’s lead in the Storting. One thing that hurt the Labour party was the continued lack of support for the military because of political differences. The Conservative-Free Minded Liberal coalition had followed Nilsen’s strategy and supported modernizing the armed forces, which would create jobs, ironically leaning on something that they had been part of ridiculing less the two years prior to increase their chances of winning. The final results of the 1930 election were:

Party	Seats
Labour	44
Conservative+Free Minded Liberal(Coalition)	44
Liberal	30
Farmers	26
Communist	5
Radical	1
Total	150

After a long deliberation period, C.J. Hambro was elected Prime Minister of Norway.
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Chapter VII: The Vote

Late 1930-Early 1931
After speaking with coalition leaders, Johan, now the leading voice for the so called ‘Modernization Movement,’ introduced a bill to fund a ten year program to run from 1932-1942 to Storting as a Private Member’s Bill. The program would allow (and stipulate) that the Navy and Army would modernize their forces, with separate funding allocated to each air service, and only expand an approved amount. The bill was submitted to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence on 18 January 1931, and submitted to Storting ten days later.
The first reading took place on 1 February 1931. The Labour and Communist parties heavily opposed the bill. The Conservative party was in favor, the Liberal and Farmers’ parties were open to both sides of the debate. In the end, the jobs created by the program, its success with voters in the recent elections, and the questionable ability of the Army and Navy to do their jobs with the neglect from the funding began to sway the on-the-fence MP’s. The first reading passed 80-70.
Three days after the first, the second reading was held. If the bill passed again, it would then go to the King and Prime Minister to be signed into law. Having figured out what worked to convince MP’s to side with the ‘Modernization Movement,’ Johan and his allies began emphasizing the points that everyone related to, the most persuasive reasons to approve of the bill. The Labour party emphasized that this was going too far, and wouldn’t help the depression. In the end, the Modernization Movement was a bit more successful in its arguments, and the bill passed 81-69. The bill became an Act of Parliament. King Haakvon VII signed the bill, and it was countersigned by Prime Minister C.J. Hambro. The armed forces would be modernized and slightly increased, creating jobs and allowing the nation to be able to protect her sovereignty effectively.

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How a bill is passed in Norway

 

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Chapter VIII: The Plan

Early 1931
With the new funding, a plan for the Royal Norwegian Navy, beginning in mid-1931, and ending in mid-1939, was drawn up. The so-called ‘Eight Year Plan’ would scrap all current vessels in the fleet with the exceptions of the Minelayer Frøya, one of the best in the world, the Minelayers Glommen and Laugen, which served in Oslofjord, and the two B-class submarines, which would be laid up. The large guns from the four Battleships would be put ashore in coast defense batteries. The realization that Horten Naval Base was too easy to bottle up given its proximity to the bases of possible aggressors led to the plan to build enlarge the base in Bergen, while Horten would be a secondary base. The building program was as follows:

DD 1 Sleipner-enlarged Alesund to act as flotilla leader for DD’s
DD 5 Alesund-average sized destroyers
SS 6 C-small, well armed coastal submarines
Seaplane Tender Loki-similar to Yugoslavian Zmaj to serve as mobile seaplane base
40 MTB’s-design in progress
Convert 1 Freighter to ferry MTB’s
Purchase 8 squadrons of 12 seaplanes for maritime patrol
Purchase 2 squadrons of 12 torpedo bombers for torpedo attacks
Build 2 new minelayers based off Frøya
Build 8 subchasers for ASW in wartime, patrol in peacetime.
Modernize existing coastal artillery
Install old guns from the 4 BB’s for coast defense
All fishery protection vessels modified for easy conversion into minelayers
Attach a few trawlers with a 6-pounder each to each coastal battery as a patrol/auxiliary

Crew Estimate(Not including aircraft): 2600
Approx. Crew Levels 1930 TTL: 1800
Approx. Crew Levels 1920 OTL: 2525

The nearly 800 jobs created by the need to expand the manpower of the Navy was good, as were the number of people hired by shipyards to build and scrap the new ships, along with the work required to build shore batteries. The plan was as follows:

1931
Begin training program for expansion, finalize designs

1932
Lay down DD 1 Alesund, 1 ML in Karljohansvern shipyard, SS 1 C in Fredrikstad shipyard, order DD 1 Sleipner, DD 1 Alesund in UK

1933
Lay down 4 subchasers in other yards

1934
Lay down DD 1 Alesund, 1 ML in Karljohansvern, SS 1 C in Fredrikstad shipyard
Complete DD 2 Alesund, DD 1 Sleipner, SS 1 C, 1 ML
Complete 4 Subchasers
Convert Freighter to carry MTB’s

1935
Begin building up Bergen as a base
Begin Modernization of coastal artillery
Begin 12 MTB’s in various small craft yards
Begin 4 Subchasers

1936
Order seaplane tender Loki in UK
Lay down DD 2 Alesund in Karljohansvern, SS 1 C in Fredrikstad shipyard
Complete DD 1 Alesund, 1 ML, SS 1 C
Complete 4 Subchasers
Complete 12 MTB’s
Lay down 12 MTB’s

1937
All old ships not kept are scrapped by now
Lay down 12 MTB’s
Begin construction of new coastal artillery(Battleship artillery)
Complete 12 MTB’s
Lay down SS 2 C in Karljohansvern, 1 in Fredrikstad shipyard

1938
Complete 12 MTB’s
Lay down 4 MTB’s
Complete seaplane tender Loki
Complete DD 2 Alesund, SS 1 C

1939
Complete 4 MTB’s
Complete SS 3 C
Complete coastal artillery modernization
Complete new coastal artillery
All aircraft to be delivered
Force by 1 January 1940:
6 DD
6 SS(+2 reserve)
5 ML
8 SC
40 MTB
1 AV
Coastal Artillery
8 Seaplane Squadrons(12 AC each)
2 Torpedo Bomber Squadrons(12 AC each)
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Chapter IX: The Ships

To help gain experience as well as speed up the program, the destroyers Sleipner, the enlarged leader, and Alesund, the first of five of her class, would be built in British yards. The seaplane tender Loki was too large for the skilled yards, and too specialized for the yards that built larger merchant ships, so she too would be built in British yards. That still left a lot of ships to be built in Norwegian yards, and the jobs created by the expansion and the need for workers at the yards made the politicians that had gotten the bill through Storting more popular.

Sleipner, laid down in 1932, was based off the British Codrington, but with a turning circle that much more closely resembled that of a normal destroyer, some minor tweaks, and high pressure Thornycroft boilers that gave her a top speed on trials of 37 knots, though it was lower in service. Norway didn’t have a large armaments industry, and therefore had to order the guns and torpedoes from other countries. A committee was formed on this, and decided to use guns from the Swedish weapons firm of Bofors, from which the Royal Norwegian Navy had been purchasing weapons for decades. Torpedoes and depth charges, however, would be purchased from the British. Sleipner was equipped with five 12cm Bofors Model 1924C guns in single mounts, with a shield protecting the mount’s front. The guns could elevate to 45 degrees, and fire approximately 10 rounds per minute. Two quad banks of Mark IX torpedoes were shipped, and two racks of 12 depth charges to sink the contacts that the ASDIC found were provided. A Model 1934 Bofors 40mm L/60 gun was mounted on each side of the aft funnel, rounding out a modern armament.

The Alesund class was based off the British C class, but like their leader, were equipped with high pressure boilers unlike the British destroyers. Four of the 12cm Bofors guns mounted on their leader were aboard in an ABXY layout. Two quad banks for Mark IX torpedoes sat amidships, and the two AA guns were mounted between the funnels instead of abaft the aft stack. Most ships attained 36 knots on trials though, again, service speeds were lower. Two racks of 12 depth charges sat on the stern. If the ships lost the charges, Y gun, and all torpedoes, 64 mines could be brought aboard, and the ships would then be fast minelayers.

The submarines were essentially sisters to the Swordfish class in the Royal Navy. These boats had six bow 53.3cm torpedo tubes each, and were well-handling vessels, especially when submerged. The two B type submarines were given refits to keep them around for a few more years.

The minelayers were armed with four of the same 12cm weapons that the destroyers shipped, in addition to five 40mm Bofors AA weapons. They could carry nearly 300 mines, and achieved 24 knots on trials. The lead ship was named Olaf Tryggvason. Froya, essentially a tiny Tryggvason, was given a pair of Bofors AA guns, and landed her torpedoes, allowing her mine complement to be increased to just under 200. The two Glommen class, built during the Great War for service in Oslofjord, sacrificed one of their low velocity 7.62cm guns for a Bofors AA gun.

Loki was based on the Yugoslavian seaplane tender Zmaj. Her purpose was to provide a mobile base for the seaplanes. While there were slips for boats in most fjords, Loki would provide better repair facilities than some boatyard. The ship was given an old 7.62cm gun from Norge on the bow for defending against other ships. The gun was in a high-elevation mount. Three twin Bofors mountings, one on the stern, one on each side of the ship, meant that she could defend herself well enough from air attack for a ship.

The subchasers were simple enough ships. They resembled the American 110-foot ships from the First World War, but were larger, with a full displacement of 105 tons instead of 85. They had a low velocity 7.62cm gun on the bow, a 12.7mm Browning machine gun on the stern, and a load of depth charges ready. The main purpose for these ships was to secure entrances to fjords, and do escort work in coastal waters, though they could, unlike most craft their size, sail in the open ocean as long as it wasn’t too stormy. In peacetime, these eight vessels served as patrol ships.

The MTB’s certainly weren’t giants like the British MGB’s or American PT boats that would commission in the coming decade, but they could serve the role of torpedoing anything that entered their fjord very well. The MTB’s closely resembled the 20 ton MAS424, but were armed with a Browning 12.7 on the bow instead of a Breda 13.2 on the stern, and like the boat they were based on, some small depth charges on the stern. The British were beginning to retire aircraft and older submarines armed with the Mark VIII 45cm torpedo, and a number of these torpedoes were bought. Each MTB had one torpedo tube per side, and one reload per tube, allowing them to stay in action against big ships longer since they could reload and attack again. The ex-merchant vessel Snar was bought, given derricks and mountings to carry and launch up to 4 of the MTB’s. A 6-pounder was mounted on the bow, with another on the stern, and a single Bofors gun jutted up from the superstructure. The MTB’s weren’t super seaworthy (most weren't’), but could navigate fjords. The main purpose of Snar was to transfer MTB squadrons between the North and the south, because of the long distance (for an MTB) and rough seas.
The trawlers supporting the coastal artillery each carried a 6-pounder on the bow, and either sweeps or minelaying equipment depending on the task currently at hand. They also served as patrol ships when needed.

The three larger fishery protection vessels, Nordkapp, Senja, and Fridtjof Nansen had alterations to allow them to be swiftly converted to minelayers, increasing the number of minelayers from five to eight, not including the trawlers attending the coastal batteries.

Finally, mobilization plans were drawn up, allowing the reserves to be quickly brought to active duty. Trawlers would be requisitioned, armed with a 7.62cm gun, 6-pounder, or 3-pounder, and given sweeps, depth charges, or a few mines. If completed, the ships of the program would make invading Norway a much more difficult task than it had been since the early 1900’s.
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Chapter X: The Fortifications

Weapons available for coastal batteries:
8-21cm guns from Norge, Tordenskjold classes
12-12cm guns from Tordenskjold class
12-15cm guns from Norge class
42-7.62cm guns from various classes
16-3 pounders from Norge, Tordenskjold class
Lots of 3.7cm pom-poms from early 1900’s ships
Lots of old 45cm torpedoes from early 1900’s ships

A review of locations for the new artillery batteries was conducted in early 1931.

Oslofjord:

Oscarsborg Fortress
3-28cm guns
4-50cm torpedo tubes

Battery Kopaas
3-15cm guns
2-5.7cm guns

Other
2-12cm guns
4-28cm howitzers
4-5.7cm guns

Several smaller fortifications with small guns were positioned in the approaches to the fjord.

Because of a lack of manpower, only the fortress itself was manned, which would not be good in wartime. The 28cm guns were in good condition, as were the 35 year old torpedoes, which was a miracle

Kristiansand

Odderøya Fortress
3 batteries of 2 15cm guns
4-24cm howitzers
2-21cm guns
2-65cm guns

Again, only a handful of batteries could be manned, and the archaic methods of calling up reserves meant this couldn’t be changed for at least a week if reserves were needed, which was not good.

Bergen

Bergen Fortress

2 batteries of 3 21cm guns
3 24cm howitzers
4 50cm torpedo tubes

The heavy weapons had been designed for a different time, when the ships they were to fire on moved slower. The area they had to fire at approaching vessels was small, and they had an estimated 10 minute firing window from when a ship would enter their firing arc and leave.
Several outer forts serving as tripwires for approaching forces were located in the narrows, and were armed with 6.5 or 5.7cm guns.

Trondheim

2 21cm guns
3 15cm guns

2 21cm guns
2 15cm guns

2 15cm guns

Each battery had a handful of 6.5cm guns for torpedo boat defense.

It was decided that Ofotfjord(Narvik), and Boknafjord(Stavanger) would be given shore batteries, while Bergen’s small outer fortresses would be armed well enough to effectively fight surface ships. The extra guns were emplaced as follows:

Narvik
2 batteries of 2 21cm guns
1 battery of 4 old 45cm torpedoes
3 batteries of 2 12cm guns
2 batteries of 3 7.6cm guns

Stavanger
2 batteries of 2 21cm guns
1 battery of 4 old 45cm torpedoes
3 batteries of 2 12cm guns
2 batteries of 3 7.6cm guns

Bergen fortresses
4 fortresses covering the main entrances to Bergen were upgunned. Each was now armed with:

1 battery of 2 15cm guns
2 batteries of 2 7.6cm guns
1 battery of 2 45cm torpedoes

Anti-Aircraft:
The main fortresses(Trondheim, Bergen, Oslo, Narvik, Kristiansand, Stavanger) would be given an AA battery of 4 7.6cm AA guns, and 2 batteries of 2 4cm Bofors weapons.
The smaller Bergen fortresses were armed with one battery of 2 4cm Bofors guns each.
With the approaches to the larger cities, most of them very strategically important, protected by shore batteries, which would be aided by torpedo carrying ships and reconnaissance seaplanes, invading Norway would cost many men and ships.
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Chapter XI: The Aircraft and Army

In the summer of 1933, a survey of suitable fjords for operating seaplanes was carried out, and facilities that could be used to help support the seaplanes were noted on maps. Concerns about whether 10 squadrons of seaplanes could be supported on the current funds led to the program being cut to 8 squadrons. It was decided that, instead of specialized torpedo bombers and scouts, all 8 squadrons would be equipped with aircraft capable of scouting, bombing, or carrying a 45cm torpedo. In June, 1934, a committee visited the United States to find a suitable aircraft for Norway’s needs. After meeting with several aircraft companies, the committee decided that the Northrop A-17 would suit its needs. There was just one problem: the A-17 was a land plane, and no one had a version with floats available. Soon, a contract for an improved A-17 with floats was negotiated, the new version having a more powerful engine, and a full glass bubble canopy for the crew. This versatile new aircraft would give Norway a maritime patrol and strike capability to defend her coasts.

The Army’s structure was modernized, and the unorthodox Divisions were done away with. The Regiment, consisting of one battalions of regular infantry and a 2 of reserves in wartime, was the new structure for the Royal Norwegian Army. The Regiments stationed in the mountains on the Swedish and Finnish borders had 75mm field guns in pre-positioned sites, and were meant for fighting invaders in the mountains. They had a handful of light mortars and 3.7cm cannon that they could move with them, along with machine guns that were easily moved and not too heavy. The Regiments based in coastal cities were more specialized for repelling landings. Each had a number of bicycle infantry for quick responses to reported landings, and was equipped with light mortars, 3.7cm cannon, and machine guns like their mountain counterparts. Coordination between the infantry and coastal guns was increased, allowing the deployment of the infantry to landing sites to be influenced by the coastal artillery reports-where the enemy ships were, and where they were heading, so that the infantry could be defending the right place. A modern mobilization system was put in place so that the army could call up reserves and be at full strength within days of the call. The army put more money into training the infantry into a more effective force.

The Royal Norwegian Army Air Service, like its maritime counterpart, would also retire all of its old aircraft, and purchase 8 squadrons of 12 new planes. Four squadrons would be Gloster Gladiator fighters to clear the skies of enemy aircraft, and four would be Henschel Hs 123 ground attack aircraft to assist the ground forces in repelling invaders.
With the new aircraft and modern army, once you got past the navy’s ships and army’s coastal artillery, your landing forces would have to get through a prepared defense force backed up by aircraft, and beating all of these would require one strong invasion force.
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Chapter XII: Threat Assessment

Mid-March 1936
Johan Nilsen was reading an official report for the members of Storting’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, which he was now a leading member of. The report detailed Germany’s annexation of the Rhineland-and the decision by the British and French to do nothing about it. Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, whose book had so troubled Johan nearly a decade before because of its Nationalist and extremely Racist ideas, was clearly rearming, and if Hitler continued his rhetoric, Germany would eventually go to war with at least one leading European country, which could draw in others and possibly Norway because of its strategic location. Of course, this could also be a little far fetched considering that Hitler could also be trying to expand to what one could call Germany’s natural borders. After all, the Treaty of Versailles was a little harsh on Germany, so maybe the Germans simply wanted to be a relevant country again, and were just trying to have similar borders to those of 1914. Still, Johan was concerned. He grabbed a sheet of paper lying nearby, and thought of what could be added to the armed forces in a Neutrality Bill. His ideas included two small submarines, a handful of new MTB’s, a few small minesweepers, giving the coastal artillery some extra AA, giving the army some new equipment, and increasing air facilities.
Nilsen gazed out his window into the harbor. He could see the Battleship Norge, last of her kind in the Navy and soon to be sent to the scrapyards, at anchor. Her guns, like those of her sister, would be sent to Ofotfjord to guard his hometown of Narvik and the other cities in the fjord. Johan had easily won reelection in 1933 for his creating jobs with the Modernization Program, and was hugely popular in Nordland county, which he hoped the Navy and Army would be able to defend.
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Chapter XIII: Alarm Bells

Late March-Early April, 1938
On 12 March 1938, Germany annexed Austria. On 16 March 1938, Johan Nilsen and 12 of the 15 other members of the Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs and Defence voted to create a committee to recommend a program to increase Norway’s armed forces to fully guarantee her neutrality.
Johan, a very influential member of Storting, began gathering other MP’s to pass the bill. The influential Labour MP’s quickly caught wind of his meddlings, and started a movement against him. After all, weren’t the Army and Navy still in the middle of their last expansions? Germany wasn’t a threat, they were simply expanding into Austria, which wanted to join Germany. They wouldn’t invade anyone who didn’t want an invasion, and the British and French would stop them if they did, right? This wasn’t like the Red Scare, there were no signs of a coup, no signs of a German intervention.
Nilsen and his coalition argued that with all of the major powers beginning to rearm, Norway should increase the military so that defenses meant for early 1930’s attackers could resist 1940’s attackers. Adding to this, they reasoned that the other countries were increasing their militaries, so Norway should, since the Eight Year Plan was more about getting modern equipment, and the armed forces were at similar levels in terms of manpower to 1920. This proposed expansion wouldn’t be huge-a few auxiliaries and small warships, new AA batteries for the coastal guns, the increase in size of the Army, the purchase of some new fighters. The last program was a success, wasn’t it? New jobs constructing fortifications and the base at Bergen, new jobs building ships, new jobs manning ships, new jobs in the army, new jobs flying airplanes… why shouldn’t this new program be created, for more new jobs?
Privately, Johan stressed to any MP’s he could find Hitler’s true ambitions. Uniting the ‘Aryan race,’ was something that, disturbingly enough to him, some of the MP’s didn’t have a problem with. The same was true with persecuting Jews. Johan wasn’t much less racist then most people of his time, but he wasn’t as extreme as the Fascists in Germany either, and Hitler’s ideas of conquering other countries and scapegoating people who were then punished being used by a potentially very powerful country set off alarm bells in Johan’s mind.
In early April, Johan began a correspondence with another man attempting to warn of Hitler’s expansionism and persecution, Winston Churchill. Churchill applauded Johan’s spearheading of the Eight Year Plan, and urged him to do everything in his power to push an expansion through Storting to make sure Norway wouldn’t fall to a potential Nazi invasion. In mid-April, the committee created by The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence reported back with its findings and recommendations. The proposed plan was:

Build two small submarines
Install minelaying equipment on the 3 seagoing fishery protection vessels
Requisition two suitable merchantmen for conversion to minelayers
Build four minesweepers
Add two 4cm L/60 Bofors to each fortress protecting the cities
Authorize the creation of two additional army regiments
Purchase two squadrons of modern fighters-either Hawker Hurricanes, Curtiss Hawk 75s, or Fokker D.XXIs
Build eight good sized MTB’s
Requisition another freighter to carry MTB’s

Johan proposed the bill on Monday, 25 April, 1938, as a Private Member’s Bill. The Standing Committee wrote and submitted its recommendation to Storting. The recommendation was in favor of the Neutrality Bill. On 2 March, 1938, the First Reading was begun.
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Chapter XIV: HNOMS Sleipner

25 April, 1938. 25 Nautical Miles off Bergen
HNOMS Sleipner, the largest ship in the Royal Norwegian Navy according to her crew, though not according to those of the Seaplane Tender Loki, MTB Carrier Snar, and the two Olaf Tryggvason class (there had been a couple of drunken bar fights over the topic in the past few years), was doing something not very typical of a destroyer in combat: going under 20 knots. Kommander Oliver Larsen was in command of the flagship of the 1st Destroyer Squadron. Today, Sleipner’s five powerful 12cm guns and eight 53.3cm torpedoes wouldn’t be used.

“ASDIC contact dead ahead, 1500 yards!” came a report.

“Prepare for the attack run,” Larsen ordered. “Signal Odin to attack them if we miss, Gyller is to stay in position to watch that pesky submarine.”

Sleipner quickly overtook the submerged target, losing it on her ASDIC as she passed over it. Gyller signalled to drop charges. Of course, since this was an exercise, they
weren’t dropped, or the RNN would have a brand new submarine sitting on the seafloor, something that would ruin many careers. Instead, a loud ping was fired off by the ASDIC operator.

“Hard to starboard!” Larsen commanded the helmsman. Sleipner began circling the spot she had pinged. The Alesund class Odin approached in case the attack had failed, and Gyller watched closely.

Soon, the submarine broke the surface, and Odin turned away to avoid a collision. Larsen grinned at the 7.6cm gun in front of the conning tower painted with insignia C3 as cheers erupted from the men on the bridge and others on deck.

“Signal Gyller ‘good job’. Signal C3 ‘that all you got?’” Larsen told the signalmen. Several crewmen on the bridge roared with laughter at the second signal.

Sleipner led her two destroyers back to Marineholmen Naval Base, with the slower C3 following. They passed the outer forts and their trawlers, and entered Bergen, passing the sub-chaser UM-4 (UM short for ubåtmorder), which was on patrol. The Minelayer Bjorgvin was at the base, as were 12 MTB’s.

Sleipner was perhaps the most famous of the Eight Year Program’s ships. She had been completed in 1934 at Thornycroft in England, and had steamed into Oslofjord to a warm reception by the people of Norway as the first new ship of the so hotly debated program. She had impressed with her sleek lines, and outraced the old destroyer Draug with ease at a major publicity event. She’d outshot the Norge in a gunnery contest, and was known to be one of the best maintained ships in the fleet, with a well trained crew. The ‘kill’ today only added to her reputation.
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[CV(N)-6]

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Chapter XV: Another Vote

25 April, 1938-2 May, 1938

The debate in the first reading of the Neutrality Bill mirrored the recruiting attempts of the MP’s. Germany wouldn’t invade Norway, and the armed forces already had plenty of money vs. Germany was becoming expansionist and Norway needed to make sure it could continue to protect its neutrality. Voices were raised, and the atmosphere during the vote was heated.

The vote after 50 votes was 20-30 against the bill. After 100, it was 42-48. After every single member had voted, the bill was passed, 76-74. At least three days later, it had to be passed a second time to go to King Haakvon VII and the Prime Minister. Johan slept well that night after the busy day. He would have to work very hard to make sure that the votes to pass the bill were there in the second hearing. Before he retired, he wrote a now famous letter to Churchill, detailing just how frustrated he was with the people who thought that Hitler wasn’t a threat. Perhaps his most famous quote is this: “If we aren’t willing to take steps to protect our Democracy, we nullify it by inviting those who don’t believe in it to destroy it!” He would use a very similar line in the debate during the second reading on 2 May, 1938.

On Monday, 2 May, 1938, a debate exceeding the first in both loudness of voices and heatedness of arguments took place, and it was clear that the bill was now a Partisan bill, with Labour against and Conservative for it. Though the Conservative Party held a slight edge over the Labour Party in terms of seats, the vote had a 50-50 chance. Johan Nilsen lost his voice less than an hour into the debate. Many MP’s abstained. Only 95 voted this time. The bill passed, 48-47. However, it was clear that, without further provocative moves from Germany, passing any further rearmament bill would be extremely difficult, something that Johan recognized for the time being. The additions to the military would be:

Two submarines would be built in Horten shipyard. Based off the Estonian Kalev class, they were to have four 53.3cm torpedo tubes, 20 mines, and a Bofors 4cm L/60 gun. The subs would be laid down in July, 1938, and completed in March, 1940. They would be named D1 and D2.

The fishery protection vessel Fridtjof Nansen would have a 4cm L/60 gun mounted for anti-aircraft defense. She would be fitted with storage and rails for 60 mines, and would land her seaplane and two 3-pounders.

The two Nordkapp class would have a pair of 12.7mm machine guns fitted for AA, but instead of minelaying gear, these small vessels would retain their sweeps.

The fortresses in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Narvik, Trondheim, and Kristiansand would each receive a battery of two 4cm L/60 guns to improve their AA capabilities.

Four minesweepers, the lead ship to be named Otra, would be completed by February of 1940. Armed with two 4cm AA guns and capable of just 13.5 knots, they wouldn’t be of much value in a ship to ship battle, but could shoot back at aircraft and effectively sweep mines, as well as being relatively cheap.

The freighter Navarra, completed in 1921, was requisitioned and fitted to carry four MTB’s, as Snar was also doing. With 40(soon to be 48) MTB’s, it was felt that another carrier would be needed to carry the fragile boats from fjord to fjord. The ship was armed with a high-angle 3-pounder on the bow and stern.

The merchantmen Start and Kvernaas were requisitioned and fitted with minelaying equipment, a low-angle 6-pounder, and two 12.7mm machine guns. They could both carry up to 60 mines.

The 8 new MTB’s each displaced 60 tons, three times as much as the old MTB’s, and their capabilities showed it. Each was armed with a 2cm Oerlikon and four 45cm torpedo tubes, plus six full sized depth charges. These boats were much more seaworthy than the older vessels, and faster. Rumors have it that Norway’s intelligence services obtained plans for German S-Boats, and these new vessels were based on them, but no conclusive evidence has confirmed the story.

The army was given the funding to add two new regiments to its order of battle, so it wouldn’t be spread thinly throughout Norway.

The purchase of two squadrons of modern fighters by the Royal Norwegian Army Air Service took a bit. The Hawker Hurricane, Curtiss Hawk 75, and Fokker D.XXI were all world class fighters, and it took a bit to decide which aircraft type to purchase. The Hawk 75, armed with two machine guns, was thought to not have enough firepower, while the Hurricane, though well armed and probably the highest performing aircraft, would take longer due to the British buying most of them. The D.XXI was underpowered. An idea was proposed to fit Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines from America into the D.XX1 airframe, which would be shipped from the Netherlands in crates and mated with the engines at the Royal Norwegian Army Air Service factory in Kjeller. This would standardize engines with the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service’s floatplanes, which also used the Twin Wasp engine. The plan was adopted, and an agreement reached with Fokker and Pratt & Whitney. All 24 fighters were expected to be fully operational in July, 1940, though the first squadron would probably be ready in mid-March.

This was the scope of the expansion of the Norwegian Armed Forces prior to the Second World War, which began on 1 September, 1939, when Germany, which had annexed the Sudetenland and later Czechoslovakia in late 1938 and early 1939, respectively, invaded Poland. The British and French finally decided enough was enough, and declared war on Germany two days later. Norway began a policy of Armed Neutrality, hoping to stay out of this war, just as it had two decades before.
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Chapter XVI: Quisling’s Big Break

14 December, 1939
Viktor Quisling was sitting in a chair, waiting to be called into the office of the Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler. He couldn’t believe his luck: five days ago, he’d arrived in the country, impressing many high-up Nazis including Eric Raeder, the commander of the Kriegsmarine, Germany’s navy, and won an audience with Hitler himself. He’d gained influence in 1934, when people began questioning if the Conservatives, then the ruling party, were actually doing the country good, and while he hadn’t gotten a coup or a new election, that had been just enough for the Conservatives to lose the seats that gave them the majority in 1936, and Viktor had gained popularity ever since. He currently was the leader of the Nasjonal Samling, or the “National Unity” party, which was much further right than the Conservatives. Of course, the ‘36 election hadn’t gone as planned, as the Labour party, which was Left leaning, was now in charge, with the Conservatives nipping at their heels. Viktor didn’t like the Conservatives-while there were some who sympathized with him to an extent, and most didn’t think of the Jews as a problem. But what he had impressed so many people with was his plan to call up the Norwegian people to support the ‘liberators,’ who would protect them from the Red menace-after all, Stalin and his Bolsheviks were currently invading Finland, which shared a border with Norway, and it would seem logical to the Norwegian people that the Germans were just there to help them fight the Soviets.

Quisling was called to Hitler’s office, and there they spoke for nearly two hours about how the Soviets were invading Finland, plus the rumors that the British could blockade Narvik and therefore Germany’s iron ore. What really got Hitler’s attention was the Anti-Bolshevism among the Norwegian people, who’d had a Red Scare in 1929, and still remembered the threat of Soviet invasion. Since the Nazis were the enemies of the Bolsheviks, the people, and most of the military would hopefully allow the Germany forces to occupy their cities for protection. Hitler was also impressed by Quisling’s anti-semitist ideas, and agreed that he would serve as Norway’s head of government once it was captured. Hitler also got the idea that Norway was lightly defended-Quisling told him that the Navy had some shiny new destroyers, certainly no match for German battleships, that the coastal artillery was old and slow, with the only modifications being some new anti-aircraft guns, and that the Army Air Force had no modern aircraft.

The moment Quisling left, Hitler immediately ordered the preparations to be begun to invade Norway in the spring of 1940. In the coming months, a plan to land troops using warships in Norway’s larger cities, which would then be reinforced by a whole army corps, was formulated, while Denmark would be taken for the use of its northern airfields to assist. Literally every ship the navy had that could still go to sea was to be used. Nikolaus von Falkenhorst, who had fought in Finland in the last war, giving him experience in the Arctic, was given command, though the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe elements weren’t directly under his command.

The Battleship Bismarck was to be rushed to completion, at the cost of delaying the cruisers Prinz Eugen and Seydlitz, the Aircraft Carrier Graf Zeppelin, and some smaller ships. It was hoped Bismarck could be completed by early-April, but most cautioned the ship couldn’t be completed that fast, even with the extra labor and materials, and even if she were, she wouldn’t have undergone trials if she were to be used in the operation.
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Chapter XVII: Neutrality and the Altmark

Some 37 Norwegian merchant vessels were sunk while the country was still neutral. The number could’ve been higher had the Navy not ordered ships to hug the coast as much as possible, and sent its destroyers to escort incoming merchants, while securing fjords with smaller patrol craft. Northrop N-3PB floatplanes kept an eye on Norway’s waters, notifying the Navy when new merchant vessels entered Norway’s waters.

When the Soviet Union invaded Finland on 30 November, 1939, Norway, like much of the rest of the world, was sympathetic to the Finns. As it became clear that the Red Army was having a tough time against the Finns, volunteers from many countries, mostly Scandinavian, began to make their way to Finland. Active military personnel were not permitted to go to Finland, but over 700 Norwegians would eventually volunteer. Finnish refugees were accepted in Finnmark county as the Red Army advanced to their homes, and the Royal Norwegian Army strength on the Finnish border was increased. Fundraisers were conducted, raising money and guns for the Finnish war effort, among other things, and more and more volunteers began to go to Finland. A dozen of the older 7.5cm guns that had been the Army’s main artillery piece until 1935 were covertly transferred to the grateful Finns, while Norway allowed aircraft heading for Finland to use Sola Air Station as a base. However, the real highlight of Norway’s neutrality was the Altmark incident.

15 February, 1940
Near Bergen

Altmark’s Chief Engineer was staring worriedly at the gauges on his beautiful engines. Most were red-lining, as Altmark’s engines strained to get her to Norwegian waters before the British destroyer overtook her. Altmark was theoretically capable of 22 knots with her engines pushed, but with the wear from being at sea for months, he doubted she could go over 20. If the ship managed to get into Norway’s territorial waters and convinced the Norwegians to allow her to go to Bergen, the ship would be safe. If the Norwegians figured out that the ship had hundreds of prisoners onboard, or that she had some 3.7cm anti-aircraft guns, they would probably deny her entrance, and she would be captured.


On the bridge, Heinrich Dau watched as the British destroyer’s silhouette slowly grew. The destroyer was probably doing over 30 knots, but was still at least 15 kilometers out. Altmark was only about 5 kilometers from Norwegian territorial waters where, he was sure, the Norwegians would protect a civilian ship. Altmark’s guns were disguised, and every effort was being made to make sure that the prisoners had no clue about what was going on, so that they couldn’t alert an inspection committee. A plan had been set up to make sure that an inspection party would think that Altmark was just a German merchant tanker, and nothing else. He smiled as he saw a floatplane approaching the ships. That meant that the Norwegians would send a force to protect him. Altmark was saved.


HNOMS Sleipner sliced across the North Sea at flank speed. She’d been escorting a pair of cargo ships, but a report of a German tanker being chased by a British destroyer called for a warship. Odin, which was south of Bergen on escort duty, was also coming, though she was a ways out, while Gyller was raising steam in Marineholm Naval Base. Commander Oliver Larsen hoped this would be an easily handled incident. Lookouts reported a merchant ship ahead. That would be the ship being pursued. The ship was at battle stations, with guns fully manned, and torpedo tubes ready to discharge their deadly fish

Sleipner closed on the German vessel, the name Altmark written on her bows. When they were close enough, Larsen keyed the megaphone. “Tanker Altmark, this is His Majesty’s Norwegian Ship Sleipner. Please identify yourself.”

A reply came from the Altmark, “Am Norddeutscher Lloyd Line tanker Altmark, pursued by British warship. Requesting escort to Bergen, inspections welcome.”

Larsen turned to his XO. “Seems legit,” he shrugged. “If the inspection turns up anything fishy, we’ll force her to leave immediately.”

“Sir!” a signalman burst onto the bridge, which, unlike those of British destroyers, was fully enclosed to help with the cold weather. “HMS Cossack, the ship after Altmark, says she is carrying prisoners from the Graf Spee!”

Everyone had heard about the Graf Spee’s demise at the River Plate, and if that were true, along with the German ship faking her identity, Larsen could make her leave. He decided on a compromise.

“XO, the water doesn’t seem too rough, does it?”

“No, sir. Calm day.”

“Okay. I want you to take a party to inspect that tanker over on the motor boat.” He turned to the signalman. “Signal Cossack to send a boat to conduct a joint inspection, tell that to Altmark as well. Tell Cossack that if Altmark is clean, she will be allowed to enter Norwegian waters, and she must back off.”

The XO was in the process of launching the boat when Cossack’s reply was received. “Captain Vian thanks you for your willingness to uphold your neutrality, a boat will be sent.” Larsen breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully the tense situation could be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.

The investigation turned up nothing. Dau had managed to keep his prisoners unaware of the situation, and routed the investigation to not inspect where they were. The respective boarding parties were on the forecastle, and from there they would proceed to their boats and leave (the British very unhappily), when a gust of wind caught a tarp covering some of the clutter there. A British seaman moved to catch the tarp, but stopped when he realized what he was looking at: a twin 3.7cm gun, concealed behind an inconspicuous disguise of tools and cargo. He gave a shout, and the British party began waving at Cossack to get Vian’s attention. Some British sailors quickly took down the disguise around the gun, pointing at it, while the rest of the British sailors began brawling with the Germans to keep the gun uncovered to get Cossack’s attention. Sleipner trained her guns on Altmark, while Odin appeared to the south.

Cossack gave a great puff of smoke as she surged forwards, her guns turning to track Altmark. Many of the brawling sailors, along with the Norwegians attempting to break up the fight, lost their balance as Altmark turned sharply to starboard, aiming to ram Cossack. Vian, seeing this, cut his speed, causing Altmark to miss him, and brought Cossack alongside Altmark, the port quad 0.5 inch machine gun raking the rear decks. The destroyer grazed Altmark’s side, armed British sailors and marines spilling over her gunwales. The one-sided battle was quickly won by the angry Brits, three of them waving cutlasses, and the boarders, along with the Norwegians, went below decks, quickly finding the 300 odd prisoners. A famous exchange took place when a sailor shouted “are there any Englishmen here?” and was met with a large number of yelled confirmations. He replied, “well, the Navy’s here!” and was met with cheers.

A tense situation had developed. The British had attacked Altmark, which, though now revealed to be a combatant, was in neutral waters, and the Norwegians had not given the British approval to take control of the tanker. With 2(soon 3) destroyers, Larsen also had a large enough force to defeat Cossack if it came to that. An agreement was eventually reached that the British were allowed to keep the liberated prisoners, but the Norwegians would intern Altmark and her crew. In early March, as part of the Norwegian government’s appeasement to Germany to stop her from invading, Altmark and her crew were allowed to return to Germany.


The Altmark Incident was an important morale boost for the British in the midst of the Phoney War, and the crew of Cossack were met with a hero’s welcome when they docked at Leith. The ship was immortalized in a painting entitled ‘The Royal Navy’s Last Cutlass Action,’ showing the sailors, led by men with cutlasses, jumping aboard Altmark as Cossack draws alongside, guns blazing. Several medals were awarded, and nearly everyone in the United Kingdom and France knew of the battle within the week.

Adolf Hitler was enraged that the Norwegians hadn’t enforced their neutrality, and the Altmark Incident pushed him into a frenzy. He ordered Operation Weserübung to be conducted on April 9, and any chance of the invasion not happening was squashed. Fitting out ships for the invasion was continued at a quickened pace, and plans were soon finalized for invading Norway and Denmark.

Kommander Larsen expected to be reprimanded for his failing to stop Cossack from boarding Altmark, but all Kontreadmiral Tank-Nielsen did was tell him to carry out his own inspection next time. Privately, the higher-ups felt that Larsen had done an okay job-after all, there were British prisoners aboard the Altmark, which turned out to be armed, and going out of her way to sail through Norwegian waters. Larsen had managed to get the British to chill-if he’d found nothing in an only Norwegian inspection, they may have done what they did anyway and board Altmark. Cossack approached Altmark from the side opposite Sleipner, so Larsen couldn’t have fired effectively, and it happened extremely fast, so it was okay he hadn’t been able to get between the ships. The British got what they wanted, and had been given fair cooperation by the Norwegians, but not a free hand, so Norway’s neutrality would still be taken seriously by them. Altmark and her crew were returned to Germany, but as she was armed and carrying prisoners, the Germans didn’t (publicly) complain too much. But privately, they were planning to do much more than just complain.
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Chapter XVIII: Invasion?

Johan was concerned that the Navy and Army he had worked so hard to modernize a decade before would actually need to be used in the next few months. The Swedish had covertly shared the speculation that the Germans were building up forces for an invasion of a Scandinavian country with Norwegian intelligence, though this hadn’t really gotten off the ground. The higher-ups in intelligence had informed the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence that some sources seemed to confirm their fears. But, at the same time, Norway and Germany had normal relations, and it was believed that if Germany interfered, it would only be in response to a British invasion. The British were respecting Norwegian neutrality more after the Altmark Incident, which, to them, showed that Norway wasn’t trying to get close to Germany, and wanted to stay neutral. Johan really hoped this was right. The Prime Minister sure thought so.

Johan rubbed his face, and looked out his office window, out at the lights of Oslo, and the Oslofjord. Downfjord, he knew, the heavy guns of Oscarsborg Fortress stood guard to the seaward approaches to Oslo, and further south, the RNN ships based in Horten. It was 23:21 on 7 April, 1940. In two days, he would be 53, and could hopefully get away from the office for some time with his family. Johan knew it was late, and gathered a few papers to bring home. He was about to take his coat and leave, when there was a knock on his door.

“Come in,” Johan called.

The door opened, revealing Carl Hambro, who had served as Prime Minister of Norway from 1930-1933, and was now President of Storting, as well as Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs. Hambro, a personal friend of Johan’s, as well as the Johan who was Prime Minister, had been another leading proponent of the ‘Modernization Movement.’

“Those reports keeping you up late stressing too?” Hambro asked.

“Yeah. Nygaardsvold sure doesn’t believe them.”

“I agree, it’d be nice if he would recognize how strategically important our country is, but he’s trying to keep us out of the war, which is better than fighting a war. He is doing what he believes is best for the country, as we are. He has listened, to an extent, by allowing us to mobilize the armed forces to three-quarters of their strength.”

“I guess you’re right, maybe I do think a bit more negatively of him than he deserves. I just wish he’d put the armed forces on a higher state of alert than they are-mobilizing all of those men will be useless if they don’t know to shoot back!”

“The commanders of our forces have a bit more freedom than they did ten years ago. If there are warships coming up the fjord, they’ll shoot. Johan, I think it’s time for us old men to turn in.”

“Yeah, you’re right. See you tomorrow, Carl.” They shook hands.

Kristiansand
Oscar Pedersen looked down at the fo’castle of his command from the bridge, his nose wrinkled. He was not a young man, having had retired from the Navy in 1930, his last command being the Battleship Norge, the guns of which were guarding some fjord or another. Now, he was in command of the minesweeper Senja. Pedersen had known he wouldn’t get the best of ships when he’d been called out of retirement as part of the mobilization, but he was now in charge of a tiny minesweeper armed with a 3-pounder and two machine guns. If anyone got past the coastal guns, Senja wouldn’t be able to stop them. Pedersen shook his head at how much of a downgrade this tiny ship, though more modern, was from Norge.
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[CV(N)-6]

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Chapter XIX: Orders of Battle

The Wehrmacht would invade Denmark in the early hours of 9 April, while landings would begin at Norwegian ports in the late hours of 8 April and early hours of 9 April. The order of battle for the first wave invading forces in Norway was as follows*:

To Oslo: CA Lutzow, CA Blucher, CL Emden, R18, R19

1. Horten: TB Mowe, TB Kondor, TB Albatros, R17, R22
2. Rauoy: R20, R24
3. Bolaerne: R22, R23

To Kristiansand: CL Karlsruhe, TB Luch, TB Greif, TB Seeadler, S-Boat-Tender Tsingtau

To Egersund: MS M1, MS M2, MS M9, MS M13

To Stavanger: Cargo Ship Roda, invasion force to be airlifted

To Bergen: Troopship Rio de Janeiro, CL Koln, CL Konigsberg, ML Bremse, TB Leopard, TB Wolf, S-Boat Tender Carl Peters, 5 S-Boats

To Trondheim: CA Admiral Hipper, DD Z5, DD Z6, DD Z8, DD Z16, Cargo Ships Sao Paulo, Levante, Main, Tankers Skagerrak, Moonsund

To Narvik: DD Z2, DD Z9, DD Z11, DD Z12, DD Z13, DD Z17, DD Z18, DD Z19, DD Z21, DD Z22, Cargo Ships Baarenfels, Rauenfels, Alster, Tankers Kattegat, Jan Wellem

Distant Support: BB Scharnhorst, BB Gneisenau

Seagoing Combatants To Denmark: B Schleswig-Holstein, 6 M-class Minesweepers

Covering Minelaying in Skagerrak: B Schlesien

To Sail From Hamburg Noon April 9: BB Bismarck, TB Iltis, TB Jaguar

U-Boats:
U-Boat Group 1: Narvik

• U-25, U-46, U-51, U-64, U-65

U-Boat Group 2: Trondheim

• U-30, U-34, U-37, U-38, U-47

U-Boat Group 3: Bergen

• U-9, U-14, U-56, U-60, U-62

U-Boat Group 4: Stavanger

• U-1, U-4, U-6

U-Boat Group 5: Alesund

• U-48, U-49, U-50

U-Boat Group 6: Orkney Islands

• U-13, U-57, U-58, U-59

U-Boat Group 7 Patrol area: Egersund

• U-2, U-3, U-5

U-Boat Group Nine Patrol area: Shetland Islands

• U-7, U-10, U-19

Norwegian Order of Battle at Landing Sites**:

Oslo
DD Alesund
ML Olaf Tryggvason
ML Glommen
ML Laugen
MS Otra
MS Rauma
SS C1
SS C2
MTB-41 through MTB-48(new MTB’s similar to S-Boats)
MTB-9 through MTB-16
SC UM-5
SC UM-6
4 Auxiliaries on patrol
1st Infantry Regiment
2nd Infantry Regiment
3rd Infantry Regiment
4th Infantry Regiment
1 Squadron of Fokker D.XXI fighters
2 Squadrons of Gloster Gladiator fighters
2 Squadrons of Hs 123 bombers
2 Squadrons of N-3PB floatplanes

Kristiansand
ML Fridtjof Nansen
MS Nordkap
MS Senja
MTB-5 through MTB-8
SC UM-1
SC UM-2
3 Auxiliaries on patrol
6th Infantry Regiment
1 Squadron of N-3PB floatplanes

Stavanger
ML Start(converted)
MTB-1 through MTB-4
3 Auxiliaries on patrol
1 Squadron of N-3PB floatplanes
8th Infantry Regiment

Bergen
DD Sleipner
DD Gyller
DD Odin
ML Bjorgvin
MTB Carrier Snar
MS Orkla
MS Tyr
SS D1
SS D2
SS C3
SS C4
MTB-17 through MTB-28
SC UM-7
SC UM-8
8 Auxiliaries on patrol
9th Infantry Regiment
1 Squadron of Gloster Gladiator fighters
1 Squadron of Hs 123 bombers
2 Squadrons of N-3PB floatplanes

Trondheim
ML Froya
SS B1
SS B2
MTB-29 through MTB-36
SC UM-3
SC UM-4
3 Auxiliaries on patrol
1 Squadron of Gloster Gladiator fighters
1 Squadron of Hs 123 bombers
1 Squadron of N-3PB floatplanes
12th Infantry Regiment

Narvik
DD Heimdal
DD Aeger
AV Loki
ML Kvernaas(converted merchant)
MTB Carrier Navarra
SS C5
SS C6
MTB-37 through MTB-40
2 Auxiliaries on patrol
1 Squadron of N-3PB floatplanes(operating from Loki)
15th Infantry Regiment

Flensburg, Germany
Flensburg was a very good site for the task the radiomen had. The powerful radios they had with them could send a message to all of Denmark, and most of southern Norway. The task was to get the southern Norwegian fortifications to allow the German fleets up their fjords. The way they were doing it was by broadcasting messages from a ‘British fleet’ approaching the Skaggerrak. Messages were broadcast as if they were from certain ships, the names of which the ships attacking Oslo and Kristiansand would use when challenged. As hoped, the ruse was received by the Norwegians, who took it seriously, and the southern forts were given notice of the British fleet in the area, along with the names of the ships thought to be in the fleet. With luck, the forts would let the Germans pass.
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*Landing forces as per OTL
**Total of 18 Infantry Regiments, only 9 in landing areas, all air and naval forces shown