Battle of Hegra Fortress

Battle of Hegra Fortress
Part of the Norwegian campaign

Norwegian 7.5 cm gun position
Date15 April – 5 May 1940
Location
Hegra, Norway
Result German victory
Hegra Fortress capitulated 5 May after all other Norwegian forces in southern Norway had laid down their arms.[1]
Belligerents
 Norway  Germany
Commanders and leaders
Norway Hans Reidar Holtermann Surrendered[2] 15–20 April:
Nazi Germany Weiss[3]
20 April – 5 May:
Nazi Germany Kurt Woytasch[3]
Units involved
Norway A volunteer company of soldiers having served in Artillery Regiment no. 3 Nazi Germany 138. Gebirgsjägerregiment[3]
(15–27 April)
Nazi Germany 181. Infantry Division[3]
(27 April–5 May)
Strength
Positional artillery:[4]
4×10.5 cm guns
2×7.5 cm guns
(under Captain Evjen, with 25 men)
Field artillery:[4]
4×8.4 cm guns
(under 2nd Lieutenant Reitan, with 10 men)
Total force:[5]
250 volunteer soldiers
(most of whom had had a short national service with Artillery Regiment no. 3 (AR 3) before the war)
1 female volunteer nurse		 1 battalion
1 reinforced infantry company
1 artillery unit
(with numerous mortars, cannons and howitzers)[6]
Casualties and losses
6 killed
14 wounded[7]
200+ captured		 150–200 killed or wounded[7][8]
1 captured[9]
1 aircraft destroyed
1 aircraft damaged[10]
Civilian casualties:
One Norwegian civilian killed
2 Finnish civilian refugees wounded

The Battle of Hegra Fortress was a 25-day engagement in the 1940 Norwegian campaign which saw a small force of Norwegian volunteers fighting numerically superior German forces from a fortified position. After initial fighting around the Meråker Line railway line, the Norwegians pulled back into Hegra Fortress and held off further German attacks before surrendering on 5 May as one of the last Norwegian units active in southern Norway.

  1. ^ Nissen, Hans; Kirkhusmo Anders (2007). "Hegra Festning". Historisk kilde- og kunnskapsbase for Trøndelag (in Norwegian). Sør-Trøndelag County Municipality, Trondheim municipality and the Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority. Archived from the original on 14 August 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  2. ^ Brox 1988: 45
  3. ^ a b c d Brox 1988: 102
  4. ^ a b Brox 1988: 81
  5. ^ "Hegra Festning". Foreningen Hegra Festnings Venner (in Norwegian). 2009. Archived from the original on 26 March 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Brox88: 191 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Møller, Anders (24 November 2005). "Holtermann 08, Evne og Vilje til Handling". Norwegian Military Academy (in Norwegian). Retrieved 5 April 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ Brox 1988: 125
  9. ^ Brox 1988: 94
  10. ^ Soldat 1985: 14, 20