Memorial Battle of Narvik 1940 Øse

This monument is one of six memorials commemorating the first victory of the Allied forces over the Germans. This victory took place in this region in and around the city of Narvik.

On 6 April 1940, the German invasion of Norway began. Narvik was an important target because, despite its northern location, it had an ice-free harbour from which iron ore could be shipped. The German force tasked with capturing Narvik consisted of ten destroyers and 1,900 soldiers from the 3rd Mountain Division. The attack on Narvik was further supported by the battleships KMS Scharnhorst and KMS Gneisenau, which acted as protection for the troop transports. On the morning of 9 April, the attack group sailed into the Ofotfjord via the Vestfjord. The two Norwegian destroyers defending the harbour were no match for the German ships and, after refusing to surrender, were quickly sunk. German troops entered the city and the occupation of Narvik was a fact.

The British response initially led to two naval battles in the fjords around Narvik. While the first naval battle was more or less evenly matched, the second naval battle on 13 April 1940 ended in a British victory. A large part of the German invasion fleet was lost, while British losses were relatively small.

After the German defeat at sea, their land forces were isolated. The Norwegian army, which had been reinforced with British, French and Polish units, launched a counterattack and, after weeks of fighting, Narvik was recaptured by the Allies on 28 May 1940.

Meanwhile, fighting continued in France, and the British government decided to evacuate its troops from Norway. Between 4 and 8 June, all British, French and Polish troops were evacuated by ship.

On 8 June, Narvik fell back into German hands and Norway was forced to capitulate a few days later. Nevertheless, the Battle of Narvik is recorded as the first Allied victory during the Second World War.

Next to the large monument is a second memorial in honour of the 6th and 14th French Chasseurs Alpins battalions, who fought side by side with the 6th Norwegian Division for the liberation of Norway.

The monument is located along the E6 from Narvik to Nordkjosboten. It is approximately 25 km after Narvik and 16 km before Gratangen.

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