The German Invasion of Norway: April 1940 by Haarr Geirr H

Author:Haarr, Geirr H.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / Naval
ISBN: 9781783469673
Publisher: Pen & Sword
Published: 2011-03-29T16:00:00+00:00

Main reluctantly following Draug westwards. (Marinemuseet)

The sulking crew of Main closely guarded on the afterdeck of Draug. (Marinemuseet)

Next morning, three British destroyers appeared and one of them, Sikh, escorted Draug to Sullom Voe on Shetland. British vessels in the port manned the rails, cheering as they arrived, and Horve ordered his crew to respond. After unloading the sulking German prisoners, Draug continued to Scapa Flow, where she arrived next morning. In a meeting with Rear Admiral Hallifax on 12 April, Horve was asked to join a British destroyer as liaison officer. This he willingly accepted, suggesting that other men from Draug could be useful too, and some fifteen officers and NCOs were sent onboard the destroyers of the Fourth and Sixth Flotillas about to leave for Norway.34

In 1942, Kaptein Horve was, with five other officers, awarded the War Cross with Sword by the Norwegian government in London, endorsed by King Haakon, for ‘outstanding merits during the invasion and afterwards’. After the war, the Military Investigation Committee concluded that, ‘under the circumstances and with the information available’, Horve’s decision was ‘acceptable’.35

Walkover

The port of Egersund is about eighty kilometres south of Stavanger and is one of the few places on this part of the Norwegian coast where a sizeable ship can find shelter and provisions. In 1940, it was also the starting point for a telegraph cable to Peterhead in Scotland, which the Weserübung planners decided would have to be under German control. Furthermore, they believed it necessary to secure the port to prevent it from being used by Norwegian or Allied troops to establish a bridgehead from where Sola-Stavanger might be threatened.

The narrow sound leading to Egersund stretches from the south, past Eigerøy, before one arm bends north-east into the harbour proper. In 1940, the port facilities and piers were largely on the southern side of the inlet. RNN presence in Egersund on the evening of 8 April was limited to the 24-year-old Fenrik Hjalmar Svae and his seventeen-man crew onboard the torpedo boat Skarv. The destroyer Gyller had its usual station in Egersund, but was in Kristiansand that evening.

There had been no army presence in the town so far during the Neutrality Watch. On the 8th, Oberst Spørck ordered a small unit from Madlamoen to move south, just in case. Arriving late in the evening, Kaptein Dæhli contacted Fenrik Svae onboard Skarv to discuss the situation while his men established quarters. Svae informed Dæhli that he had received orders from Kristiansand for increased preparedness and his ship was armed, fuelled and ready to leave at short notice. His suggestion to patrol outside the entrance to the Egersund Leads had been denied, and he had been told to stay in the harbour and keep an eye on things from there. Neither of the officers believed Egersund was under any immediately threat and decided to catch some sleep while it was still possible. Fenrik Svae usually slept at a hotel in town, but this night he decided to stay onboard.

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