Wilhelm Mohr

PART III –Friends and Allies: AWartime Memoir
War in Europe had been raging for six months when the German
attack on Norway was launched on 9 April 1940. Admittedly, it was an
imaginative and bold enterprise. The potential of air power demonstrated
itself. Norwegian forces were unable to repel the invasion, nor
could British expeditionary forces, aided by French and Polish forces,
maintain their positions given the looming threat in Europe. The campaign
lasted until 7 June, when evacuation from North Norway took
place.
It should be noted that there were more British than Norwegian
soldiers killed during the 1940 Norway campaign, and the French and
Polish forces also suffered losses. Added to this were the significant
losses of merchant and naval sailors at sea – notably the aircraft carrier
HMS Glorious with a ship’s company of about 1,500 all ranks, only 39
of whom survived. In addition, there was a Royal Air Force squadron
of Hurricanes on board that had previously so gallantly operated from
Bardufoss, and on evacuation had managed, so conspicuously, to land
all its aircraft on the carrier.
In Britain, the War brought Churchill to the helm. The nation
braced itself for whatever the future might bring.
For Norway, the War was not over. HMS Devonshire had safely taken
both HM King Haakon and his government to Britain, as well as the
remnants of trained naval and air force personnel, now impatiently hoping
for any available opportunity to play their part in the war effort.
At this time northern France was overrun. German forces were
poised for the invasion of Britain. I am reminded here of Churchill’s
words, ’that crisis is the moment of opportunity’. These words were as
encouraging to us as Norwegians as they were to all the British.
The Norwegian ambition was clearly to establish an identifiable
national contribution to the War effort as quickly as possible. To this
end the Norwegian Merchant Fleet was already operating with a significant
number of modern ships with good capacity, of which the tanker
fleet, in particular, filled an essential requirement. After training in
Canada, Norwegian naval and air force units were rapidly formed and
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