Army of Norway (Wehrmacht)
The Army of Norway was a German army operating in the far north of Norway and Finland during World War II. The Army of Norway was under Armeeoberkommando Norwegen, (English: Headquarters, Army of Norway, abbreviation AOK Norwegen)), which was one of the two army echelon headquarters controlling German troops in the far north.
Armeeoberkommando Norwegen was directly subordinate to OKH, the high command headquarters of the Wehrmacht. It was created from Group XXI in December 1940, and disbanded in December 1944, with its assets taken over by the 20th Mountain Army.
Operations
The German Army of Norway took part in Operation Barbarossa in 1941. In talks between Finnish and German staffs in Helsinki in June 1941, the Germans were given military responsibility over northern Finland; Army Norway was to take Murmansk and the Murmansk railway. The plan was codenamed Operation Silberfuchs (Silver Fox).
The Army was evacuated from Norway in 1945 as part of the Operation Uberbirkhahn.
Assets
German Army of Norway (Falkenhorst)
- From January 1941:
- XXXIII Corps
- XXXVI Corps
- Gebirgskorps Norwegen
- From July 1941: (during Operation Silberfuchs)
- XXXIII Corps
- XXXVI Corps
- LXX Corps
- Gebirgskorps Norwegen
- From September 1941:
- XXXIII Corps
- XXXVI Corps
- LXX Corps
- Gebirgskorps Norwegen
- Finnish III Corps
- From March 1942: (after creation of German Twentieth Mountain Army)
- XXXIII Corps
- LXX Corps
- LXXI Corps