[烛光生存狂]-突袭挪威福尼布机场

http://www.greendevils.com/greendevils/fjwwii.htm

Assault on Fornebu

This text relies heavily on the splendid Norwegian book "Fornebu 9.April" by Cato Guhnfeldt.

A minute by minute account of the event can be found here.

Background

背景

An important part of operation Weserübung (the invasion of Norway and Denmark) was the seizure of three important airfields by paratroopers. It was the airfield outside Aalborg in northern Denmark, Sola outside Stavanger and Fornebu outside Oslo. The field at Aalborg was important as an advanced airbase with land connection to Germany and a staging point on the way to Norway. Sola was the biggest and best airport in Norway with a perfect position to control the sea approaches to southern Norway. Fornebu was still under construction, but nearly finished.

利用伞兵来控制3座重要的机场是“威悉”行动（入侵挪威和丹麦）一个重要的组成部分。它们分别是丹麦北部奥尔堡附近的机场，斯塔万格附近的索拉机场和奥斯陆附近的福尼布机场。奥尔堡的机场是德国人一个重要的前发基地，作为下一部进攻挪威的跳板。索拉是挪威最大也是最现代化的机场，也是控制挪威南部海岸的一个非常理想的位置。福尼布机场还在建设中不过马上就完工了。

The defense of the field

机场的防御

In the spring of 1940 Fornebu was base for Jægervingen, the fighter wing of the Norwegian army air force. It consisted of a squadron of Gloster Gladiator, of which only five where operative in the early morning the 9th of April 1940. The defense of the airfield was the ground crew of Jægervingen, with three AA-machineguns in pits at the eastern edge of the field, and two placed out in the open at the north end of the field. A few hundred meters west of the runways a searchlight platoon of the Oslo air defense was positioned. They had two AA-machineguns for close defense, but limited sight over the field due to a hill.

1940年春，福尼布机场驻扎着一个挪威陆军航空兵的战斗机联队。包括一个“角斗士”中队，1940年4月9日清晨，只有5架可以升空作战。

The Fallschirmjäger assault (airborne assault)

340 men are to be dropped at Fornebu by 29 Junkers Ju52 from 5. And 6.Staffel from Kampfgeschwader z.b.V. 1. This Kampfgeschwader is an ordinary air transport unit of Luftwaffe and has been training together with the paratroopers. The commander is Oberstleutnant Karl Drewes (44). In addition to the 29 transport aircrafts there is one Ju52 designated for signal communication and intelligence. A staffel of eight Me110 fighters, under oberleut. Werner Hansen, will provide protection and ground support for the fallschirmjägers.

The units involved are:

Commander Hauptmann Erich Walter (36)

Staff of 1.Bataljon under Oberleutnant Götte

1.kp under Oberleutnant Herberth Smidt

2.kp under Hauptmann Gröschke

They start from Schleswig at "Zeit Y", 4.30 am. The weather forecasts are less than good. The weather is cloudy and with fog from the sea up to 600m. Only half of the aircrafts have any person well trained in instrumental flying on board. A fact that Drewes has complained over repeatedly during the preparations. Nothing has happened though, and the demand for such personnel is very high due to the vast number of aircrafts heading for Norway in the 9th of April.

Over Skagerak the aircrafts has trouble to see each other at times. And an aircraft near the rear of the formation reports that two aircrafts behind it are missing. The fear in the command aircraft is that the two Junkers has collided in the clouds. Drewes, who has been skeptical over the possibility of this mission, orders the aircrafts to turn back. The commander of the Fallschirmjägers, who flies with the command aircraft, protests violently, as he doesn’t find the conditions totally hopeless but Drewes doesn’t change his mind. So with the Norwegian mountains in sight 26 aircrafts turn back while three aircrafts don’t catch the order and continues toward Oslo. A message is sent to the "Transportchef Land" at the High quarter in Hamburg; "Kehre wegen Schlechtwetter um" (Turns due to bad weather).

As one can see there is only one missing aircraft now. This aircraft might have been shot down by a British Blenheim, sighted by another of the Junkers, or flown into the ground by mistake due to the fog.

The three aircrafts that continues toward Oslo are two with the battalion staff and the special communication aircraft. It is ironic that the communication aircraft will be among them who doesn’t catch the message. Another possibility is that they ignore it because of their special status.

Another unit that continues on its way north is the eight Me110 that are supposed to support the assault.

The first wave of airlift

20 minutes after the paratroopers comes the first wave of the airlift. It is the 53 Ju52 from KGr z.b.V. 103, under Hauptmann Wagner, with soldiers from II/IR324.

The formation flies at the altitude 300m until they reach the fog over Skagerak, then they go down to sea level. All aircrafts have crewmembers well trained in instrumental flying and they manage to keep on the right course. The transports flies in groups of three, but during the long journey the groups became widely separated.

At 07.33 a message is received with an order to turn back. The message states "Wegen wetterlage ruckflug Schleswig" (Due to the weather fly back to Schleswig) and is signed Fliegercorps X. Wagner finds this order less reliable. It doesn’t state which formation it is directed to, and it is not signed by the "Transportchef Land" which is the nearest commander over KGr z.b.V. 103. It could be a message directed to another formation or it could be a false message. As they were close to the target and the weather showed signs of improving he decided to ignore the order. Some of the aircrafts in the group did return though.

When the headquarter of Fliegercorps X received the message from Drewes that the Paratroopers were turning back, the commander of X Fliegercorps Hans Giesler wanted to abandon the airborne assault on Fornebu. The commander of transport groups (Transportchef Land), von Gablenz, claims stubbornly that his forces can take Fornebu without the paratroopers and that it would be worthwhile to give them a try. Giesler doesn’t want to change his mind though, so von Gablenz has to give up, and the order is sent. One might speculate on if it is the reluctance of von Gablenz that leads to the "bad" formulation of the order.

On their way north they meet the returning transports of the abandoned Fallschirmjäger assault. The returning pilots signals to them by tipping the wings and some more of the aircrafts returns, while other think the signal is just a greeting.

Around 8 o’clock some of the aircrafts begin passing straight over Höytorps fort near Mysen at low altitude. This is probably because they have chosen the town Mysen as a reference point on the route to Oslo. They are by now split up in widely separated groups of three. The anti aircraft defense at the fort consists of 10-12 8mm Colt machine guns. They were alarmed at 7.00, and when the German aircrafts begin to pass they are fired at. The machine guns soon begins to malfunction though. This turns out to be because they have got the wrong kind of ammunition. Little damage was done to the aircrafts, except that one engine began to smoke.

Other aircraft follows Oslofjord and passes Oscarsborg fortress and the place where Blücher sank. The AA-defense of Oscarsborg fires at them but with no noticeable result. There is still a lot of oil burning on the water, and the German soldiers understands that there will be armed resistance.

The Norwegian fighter squadron (Jægervingen) at Fornebu

After a night disturbed by air raid alarms and the information that there are foreign warships in combat with

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