Norway
certainly had no up-to-date fleet of aircraft in 1940. No real bombers
or heavy fighters, but mostly trainers or WW I – style biplanes armed with
6,5 or 7,92 m.m machineguns, and a limited stock of small bombs. A few
modern aircraft, like the Italian purchased ”Klippfiskbomber” Caprioni
and some Hawks had been purchased - but, with a few exceptions, too late,
and they never came operational in time.
The Germans
later handed these over to Finland.
When the Germans launched their attack on Norway, the Norwegian air force
consisted of two separate units – the Royal Norwegian Air Force and the
Royal Norwegian Naval Air Service. Each was respectively an integral part
of the Army and the Navy, and under their direct control. Both forces were
modest in size, and the existing aerodromes were few and mainly situated
in coastal areas.
The
pilots and the ground organisation may have lacked experience, especially
in tactics, but certainly did their best with the weapons available.
No aircraft was properly equipped with offensive equipment such as bombsights,
and the aircraft were usually neither properly armed, nor suitable in a
fighter role.
The Norwegian army aircraft did, however, notably, manage to down about
10 German aircraft, He 111´s and Me 110´s, all but four during
the Invasion on the 9th of April 1940, and most by Gladiators which soon
were lost.
The
Norwegian pilots actually not encounter German fighter aeroplanes in any
larger scale, except when attacked, after the first days of April. This
was a wise manoeuvre, since the Norwegian managed to continue using aircraft
during the whole German campaign.
The
Navy He 115 and MF 11 seaplanes rendered valuable service during the whole
campaign in Southern Norway. Night and day, operating from the fjords and
from frozen lakes they bombed and harassed German transports and positions
on the West Coast. Together with the Army Fokker C-V´s and Tiger
Moths, they carried out communication flights, serving as links between
the isolated groups of the fighting forces in different fjords and valleys.
At
the conclusion of the fighting in South Norway, Army staff officers were
flown to the North of Norway in the naval aircraft, which were still able
to make the long flight. Naval seaplanes too damaged to do this flight
flew over to Scotland.
Some
of these, which were repaired with British assistance, were again flown
across to Northern Norway and continued the struggle there.
M.F
11
(Forsvarsmuseet)
*
In
Northern Norway the Naval Heinkel He 115 and M.F 11 seaplanes, and the
Army Fokkers and Tiger Moths put up an almost continuous service for reconnaissance
and communication purposes. The three first mentioned types also rendered
remarkably good service by bombing and machine gunning German military
objectives – transports, troop concentrations, airfields, machine-gun and
artillery positions etc.
The army and navy airforce were used for the first time in close operations
co-ordinated between ground forces and aircraft during the battles of Narvik,
and performed quite good concerning the situation. Anyway, the Norwegian
airforces continued operating their aircraft mostly for recce, - bombing,
cargo and courier missions. The last one was of vital importance, since
Norway had lost all her capital cities during the first day of war, and
members of the General staff and the Government, as well as allied VIP’s
needed the continuos use of aircraft badly when moving in rural Norway.
They
were seriously instructed, however, to mann the rear gun when on flight…
The
Battle between Norway’s two obsolete airforces, and the 1200 aircraft-strong
“Luftwaffe”, was like WW I pilots and aircraft meeting WW II´s reality.
After
the withdrawal of the Allied forces, some of the seaplanes were flown to
the Shetlands.
ARMY
(”Hærens
flygevåpen”)
South Norway
*
Type
/ Unit
|
Number
of A/C
|
Location
|
Bomb
Wing (“Bombevingen”) |
|
|
Fokker
C.V.E |
7
|
Kjeller,
Sola |
Tiger
Moth |
2
|
Sola |
Caprioni
Ca 310 |
4
|
Sola |
* |
|
|
Scout
Wing (“Speidervingen”) |
|
|
Fokker
C.V.D |
9
|
Kjeller,
Sola |
Tiger
Moth |
5
|
Kjeller |
* |
|
|
Fighter
Wing (“Flygerbataljonen”) |
|
|
Gloster
Gladiator I |
5
|
Fornebu |
Gloster
Gladiator II |
6
|
Kjeller,
Sola |
Tiger
Moth |
2
|
Fornebu |
* |
|
|
“Staben
Btt” (Staff) |
|
|
Tiger
Moth |
1
|
Kjeller |
* |
|
|
“Flygeskolen”
(Flying School) |
|
|
Fokker
C.V.D |
9
|
Øyeren |
Tiger
Moth |
15
|
same |
Scimitar |
3
|
Kjeller |
* |
|
|
“Kjeller
Flyfabrikk” * |
|
|
Moth |
2
|
Kjeller |
Curtiss
Hawk |
6
|
Kjeller |
* |
|
|
* |
|
|
|
Central Norway
|
|
* |
|
|
“Trøndelag
Flyavdeling” |
|
|
Fokker
C.V.E |
9
|
Værnes |
Moth |
1
|
Kjeller |
Tiger
Moth |
3
|
Værnes,
Kjeller |
* |
|
|
* |
|
|
|
North Norway
|
|
* |
|
|
“Hålogaland
Flyavdeling” |
|
|
Fokker
C.V.D |
3
|
Seida |
Fokker
C.V.D |
3
|
Banak |
Tiger
Moth |
1
|
Bardufoss |
*Note:
Most
Aircraft stationed at Kjeller were not ready by the German attack. Kjeller
is the national Aircraft Factory, and was quickly put out of order by German
warplanes.
*
Fokker
C.V.D
(Official
picture)
*
The
Norwegians did actually capture some aircraft in operational condition,
which they soon enlisted, manned by self-educated Norwegian pilots.
These were:
Type
|
Origin
|
Captured
|
Callsign
|
Dornier
Do 18D-3 |
German
|
09.10.39
|
8L
+ FK
|
Dornier
Do 18D-3 |
German
|
29.11.39
|
K6
+ KH
|
*
*
The
following aircraft were captured before the war, and were also used
by the Norwegian Navy Airforce:
*
Type
|
Origin
|
Captured
|
Callsign
|
Arado
Ar 196 A 2 |
German
|
08.04.40
|
Unknown
|
Supermarine
Walrus I |
British
|
08.04.40
|
Unknown
|
(Crew
from this aircraft voluntarily participated as volunteer crew members on
several Norwegian flight missions)
*
*
Gloster Gladiator
I & II (Biplane)
It
had 4 x 0.303 Browning MG´s. Speed about 220 kts. Wingspan: 9,83
m, weight 1459 kg.
Gloster
Gladiator I
(Official
picture)
Fokker CVD &
E (Biplane):
Had
a crew of 2, 1 x 7,92 MG fixed forward, 1 rear MG. Speed: 120 kts, wingspan
12,5 m, weight 1250 kg.
Tiger Moth (Biplane)
(D.H. 82 A):
Weapons:
2 x 7,92 MG´s. 109 kts, wingspan 8,95 m, weight 829 kg.
Norwegian Navy
Aircraft, 8 April 1940
(“Marinens flygevesen”)
“1. Flyavdeling”
(1st Flying unit)
Type
|
Location
|
Status
|
Ju
52/3m |
Oslo-Gressholmen |
Overhaul |
He
115 N |
Sola |
Ready
(“Marinens flystasjon Hafrsfjord”) |
DT-2B/C |
Horten |
Ready
(“Marinens flystasjon Karljohansvern”) |
DT-2B/C |
Horten |
Ready |
M.F.
11 |
Horten |
Ready |
M.F.
11 |
Horten |
Ready |
M.F.
11 |
Horten |
Ready |
M.F.
11 |
Horten |
Ready |
M.F.
11 |
Horten |
Ready |
Ba
28 |
Horten |
General
maintainance |
Ba
28 |
Horten |
General
maintainance |
M.F
11 |
Kristiansand |
Ready
(“Marinens flystasjon Kristiansand”) |
M.F
11 |
Kristiansand |
Ready |
M.F
11 |
Kristiansand |
Ready |
M.F
11 |
Kristiansand |
Ready |
M.F
10 B |
Kristiansand |
Ready |
**
“2. Flyavdeling”
(2nd Flying unit)
Type |
Location |
Status |
He
115 N |
Bergen-Flatøy |
Ready
(“Marinens flystasjon Bergen”) |
He
115 N |
Bergen-Flatøy |
Ready |
DT-2C |
Bergen-Flatøy |
Not
ready |
DT-2C |
Bergen-Flatøy |
Not
ready |
DT-2C |
Bergen-Flatøy |
Not
ready |
M.F
11 |
Bergen-Flatøy |
Ready |
M.F
11 |
Bergen-Flatøy |
Ready |
M.F
11 |
Bergen-Flatøy |
Ready |
M.F
11 |
Bergen-Flatøy |
Not
ready, engine failure |
* |
|
|
M.F
11 |
Sola |
Ready
(“Marinens flystasjon Hafrsfjord”) |
M.F
11 |
Sola |
Ready |
* |
|
|
M.F
11 |
Aunøya-Trondhjem |
Ready
(“Marinens flystasjon Aunøy”) |
“3. Flyavdeling”
(3rd Flying unit)
*
Type |
Location |
Status |
He
115 N |
Tromsø-Skattøra |
Ready
(“Marinens flystasjon Tromsø”) |
He
115 N |
Tromsø-Skattøra |
Ready |
He
115 N |
Tromsø-Skattøra |
Ready |
* |
|
|
M.F
11 |
Vadsø |
Ready
(“Marinens flystasjon Vadsø”) |
M.F
11 |
Vadsø |
Ready |
*
*
“Flygeskolen
Horten” (Flying school)
Type |
Status |
M.F
8 B |
Ready |
M.F
8 B |
Ready |
M.F
8 B |
Not
ready, repairs |
“Horten Flyfabrikk”
(Aircraft Factory)
|
Type |
Status |
DT-2B/C |
General
maintainance |
M.F
11 |
General
maintainance |
M.F
11 |
General
maintainance |
M.F
10 B |
General
maintainance |
M.F
8C |
General
maintainance |
Breda,
Ba 28 |
General
maintainance |
Breda,
Ba 28 |
General
maintainance |
M.F
12 |
General
maintainance |
M.F
8B |
Not
ready, changing engine |
*
Total Navy
aircraft:
*
5
MF8 B+C (2 operational)
3
MF10 B (2 operational)
19
MF11 (16 operational)
6
He115a (6 operational)
6
DT2 b/c (2 operational)
4
Breda Ba28 (none operational)
1
Ju52 (not operational)
|