Back to WWII sites in Finland and Russia
Photos of WWII sites in the Arctic are on this page.

Alta
The Alta museum is mainly devoted to the spectacular rock carvings in the area, but the museum also contains a section on WWII. The battleship Tirpitz and the Germans in Norway are featured here and - if you request it - a documentary film on WWII in the area is shown. Visiting address: Altaveien 19. In the Kaafjord not far from Alta there are some remains of the presence of the Tirpitz, like a memorial plaque in memory of the three Royal Navy midget submarines (X-craft) which attacked the Tirpitz here. Pieces of the smaller ships sunk around the Tirpitz may be seen on the beach some days (no promises!).

Berlevåg
This municipality on the Varanger Peninsula has a WWI French tank and a Port Museum (Havnemuseum) that includes a section on Soviet partisans (mainly Norwegian citizens trained in the USSR). The tank is a Renault FT-17 used here by the Germans for coastal defence. In the summertime one can reach the tank by 4WD car, first by finding the info board for the Veines fortress in Kongsfjord, 45 km before one reaches Berlevåg.

Bjørnevatn
This southern "suburb" of Kirkenes contains tunnels that were used to house more than 3000 inhabitants of Kirkenes in October 1944, hiding from the German-led evacuation. Several persons died and half a dozen children were born in the tunnels that can be seen still today.

Bjørnfjell
The railway station used by German paratroops is virtually unchanged. The fallen of the 13th Norwegian Inf. Reg. are honoured by a memorial some 20 m E of the station. You will find several ruins of German sentry huts north and south of the village. East of the railway station and close to the railway are a number of bunkers and a larger German house ruin. The HQ of general Eduard Dietl stands in perfect condition in the western part of the village, beside the railway tracks. After some 10 km along the road to Narvik there is a memorial by a major bridge. The memorial consists of two signs in metal on a rock, the upper in Serbo-Croat and the lower in Norwegian. The text describes how, on the night between the 17-18 of July 1942, 168 Yugoslavs were shot on this spot. These partisans were from a party of 600 Yugoslav slave-workers, of which only 80 survived the war. Their task was to construct the road between Narvik and Sweden, as the Germans feared that the railway leading to Narvik would be sabotaged. This did not occur however, so this German road project was to no use during the war. The modern "North Calotte road" between Sweden and Narvik is built almost completely on top of the old road that the slave-workers built. Thus the modern traveller should recall when using this road that it was built at the cost of hundreds of lives. There are many positions around the execution site.

Bodø
This city was almost totally destroyed by the Germans during WWII. Today it has one of the largest aircraft museums in Scandinavia with many unique WWII aricraft. The life-size dioramas of the museum are spectacular.

Fagerlimo
The site of a former German slave labour camp for Yugoslav partisans is marked by a memorial with text in Serbo-Croat and Norwegian. Lies close to the E 6 highway.

Gratangen
Some kilometres north of Gratangen hotel along the E6 there is a memorial to the Norwegian general Fleischer.

Hammerfest
In this Arctic port you may visit the Museum of the Reconstruction of Northern Norway. The displays vividly portray the wartime destruction and bring to life the enormous process to start all over again. Visiting adress: Kirkegata 21, Hammerfest. Telephone: +47 784 226 30.

Harstad
The largest landbased gun in the world can be seen here: the well-preserved 406 mm "Adolf" with a radius of over 50 kilometres. In the bunker underneath the gun there is an exhibition. The Adolf Gun lies within a military area, and may only be visited accompanied by an authorized guide. Regular guided tours during the summer. Location: Trondenes Fort, 3 km outside town. There is also a WWII section in the Trondenes Historical Centre, situated close to Trondenes church (also some 3 km from Harstad town centre).

Hopseidet
Some of the last Norwegian civilian victims of WWII were killed here by a German submarine. Their monument lies with a brilliant view of the Hopseidet bay.

Karasjok
All buildings except the church were destroyed by the retreating German army in this centre for saami culture. The church thus came to be used as an operating ward when Norwegain soldiers were wounded while clearing mines in the area during 1945. The greatest mine accident during WWII involving Norwegian soldiers happened here and this tragic event is commemorated by a monument.

Kiberg
The village of Kiberg lies not far from Vardø on the Varanger Peninsula and was once called "Little Moscow" because of the political affiliations of the inhabitants. The only museum devoted to the Norwegians who served as Soviet partisans/special forces lies in Kiberg. The village also has a monument to the Norwegians who were killed while serving as partisans. For more information call: (+47) 78988075.

Lakselv
The Banak airfield by Lakselv was vital to the Luftwaffe. At least some years ago there was a wreck of a Ju 52 south of Lakselv. Check out the pictures of it on the Aeroplane Crash Sites of Lapland

Longyearbyen (on Spitsbergen/Svalbard)
In Longyearbyen´s local heritage museum one can read about the fate of the local defence force. On the northern rim of the archipelago the northernmost German WWII base is still standing - an abandoned weather station.

Narvik
In April - June 1940 large numbers of Norwegian, German, Polish, British and French Foreign Legion troops fought over the fate of this strategic port. Narvik thus houses one of the major military museums of Norway, the Nordland Red Cross War Museum, in the very city centre on King´s street, Kongens gate. A French Hotchkiss tank used by the Germans for coastal defense stands just outside the museum. There are several remains of "Fortress Narvik" around the town.

Neiden
By Neiden Fjellstue there´s a monument for the Soviets who died fighting for Finnmark.

Rognan
Here you can visit the Saltdal Valley Museum which contains the Blood Road Museum about the many slave labour camps that were in the area during WWII. About 9500 Russian, Polish and Serbian prisoners laboured under inhuman conditions on these construction projects. The plan was to build, in just three years, a system of roads and railroads all the way to Kirkenes. Take a walk from Saltnes to Saksenvik, circa 2 km from the centre of Rognan and you will see a "blood cross" on the rock face. At Dalmovika stands another Blood Road monument with Norwegian and Serbian text. The road stretch between Satnes and Saksenvik was called the "Blood Road" by the POW slave labourers who worked here. In 1995 the road was thus named. One km from the bridge over the Saltdal river there is a monument for the Yugoslav prisoners who died here. 5 km north of Rognan, at the innermost point of the Botn Bay war cemteries, 700 m from the E6 highway. 1657 of the 2368 Yugoslav soldiers who died in Norway during the occupation lie. 100 m east lies the German war cemetery with 2 730 dead. Here there is also a plaque for the 2000 German sailors who went down with the battleship Scharnhorst.

Senjehesten
The peninsula of Senjehesten NW of Bardu has a German WWII fortress called Skrolsvik, also used by the Norwegian armed forces until 1989. Four German 150 mm guns have been preserved here. In the summertime the related WWII Senjehesten coastal defence museum is open. It has special exhibitions on the Soviet POWs who worked here and also on the civilians´ lives here during the war. For more info call: + 47 77 83 20 10 or e-mail: imtmus@online.no

Setermoen
Setermoen is the centre of the municipality of Bardu and is marked as "Bardu" on some maps. Here lies the Troms forsvarsmuseum, not to be confused with the Tromsø Defence Museum in Tromsø. The museum has exhibitions on the occupation, resistance incl. the Sepal bases and also postwar duties of the Norwegian army. The armour of the museum includes a US M 24 tank, ex-French German FT-17 and British and US scout cars. The museum lies almost in the city centre. For information on opening hours call +47 77 18 56 50.

Steigen
One of Europe´s largest gun positions lies on Engeløya island in the Steigen area. The conserved artillery position "Batterie Dietl" has been transformed into a museum. 514 Soviet prisoners died building these positions. The guns themselves had 406 mm calibre and a radius of 56 000 metres. No guns are left here but you can see a well-preserved one in Hardstad. Engeløya island also has many stone- and iron age attractions. For more info click here.

Svolvaer (on the Lofoten islands)
The Lofoten War Memorial Museum tells about the everyday life of the German soldier in Norway, the Lofoten commando raid and houses Norway´s largest collection of WWII uniforms and smaller militaria items. Visiting adress: Gamle Postgården in Svolvær. Telephone: +47 76 07 00 49 or 76 07 01 99.

Tromsø
The Tromsø Defence Museum consists of restored German bunkers, a German 105 mm gun, a German strobe light and a permanent exhibition about the German battleship Tirpitz, that once ruled the Northern seas. Many pieces of salvaged equipment are on display. The museum lies about 5 km south of Tromsdalen church, to the east of the E8 road. Open on certain days between June to August between 11:00 and 17:00. During May and September open only on weekends. For more info call: (+47) 77 62 88 36.

Vardø
At least some years ago there were several US/Soviet wrecks and one German wreck in this area: P-39, P-40, Ju 88, A-20 G. Check out the pictures of them on the Aeroplane Crash Sites of Lapland.

SWEDEN

Arvidsjaur
The K 4 Norrland Dragoon Regiment (rangers) has a small but interesting collection of war trophies donated by K 4 soldiers who served as volunteers around Salla in the "Winter War" during WWII. Only Swedish citizens may visit without prior notice and then only on certain summer days. If you are a foreign citizen you must contact the K 4 regiment at least two weeks in advance, applying for entry. Contact Arvidsjaur Tourism for all further information.

Boden
There are several spectacular remains of WWII in this city once known as "the Gibraltar of the North". The Svedjeberg Fortress provides visitors with a good idea of what service life was like in the fortresses that still surround Boden. But the largest and most spectacular fortress is the newly opened Rödbergsfortet. The railway station South Boden or in Swedish Bodens södra is still intact although no longer in use. It was here that the German 163d Infantry Division made an infamous stop on its way to the Soviet Union. The Divisional commander General Engelbrecht himself stepped out on this station. Boden also boasts an armour museum, with plenty of WWII era armour. The Garrison Museum in Boden displays all kinds of uniforms, small arms and photos from the history of this military cornerstone of Sweden. Contact the tourist board for more information re. these museums: tel: +46 (0)921 62 000.

Jokkmokk
This cultural centre for the Sami people was also a refugee centre during WWII. The Norwegian Foreign Office even had a branch here to take care of all the arriving Norwegians. Many Yugoslav, Soviet and Polish POWs from the slave labor camps of Arctic Norway also came here. A 22-year old Yugoslav partisan: Bozidar (Javor) Duric, died while escaping to Jokkmokk in 1943 and still lies here under a wodden memorial with a star above his name. Not far from his grave are four wooden crosses of Norwegian refugees who perished in or around Jokkmokk. The graveyard is called "the old graveyard" and lies some kilometre to the south-east before the town actually starts.

Kaalamaa
During WWII this village hid Finnish citizens opposed to "the Continuation War" against the USSR. Close by the site of the main hiding place there is a monument and parking place. Kaalamaa lies some 40 km north of Pajala and the monument is situated by the main road about one kilometre north of Kaalamaa.

Kallax
The Swedish Air Force base by the village of Kallax (not Kalix !) just south of Luleå has an interesting museum about e.g. the Swedish Air Force volunteers in Finland 1939–1940 and the period when Luleå was a USAAF air base 1944–1945. The museum may be visited on certain days by special agreement. Call the F 21 public relations officer to find a suitable time. Telephone: +46 (0)920 234000. On the territory of the wing are also two memorials about the Finnish and American episodes in the wing´s history: the F19 memorial and Operation Balchen memorial.

Karesuando
The "White House" was the HQ of Norwegian "police troops". There is a smal exhibition about them in this old house and on the top floor there is a map of the Sepal bases.

Kiruna
The Lapland Ranger Museum of Kiruna has uniforms, insignia and many photographs. To visit it, write to: museum-g66@postbox.mil.se or g66-museum@kiruna.se.

Kvikkjokk
The hostel belonging to the Swedish Tourist Federation (STF) in Kvikkjokk houses a small exhibition about a Hampden that crashed in the area. The map in the exhibition will lead you to the crash site. The few small items that remain from the aircraft are protected and may not be removed. All large parts have been salvaged by a group of enthusiasts from Timrå, Sweden, and the Brian Nicholls Hampden Project in East Kirkby, UK.

Lien
The German 20th Mountain Army was delayed in leaving northern Norway the spring of 1945 due to the activities of British and American sabotage units in the Trondheim area. Part of them were airdropped over the Swedish village of Lien. To commemorate the five men from the OSS NORSO Group who landed on the ice of lake Landösjön by Lien a memorial was set up by the lake 55 years after the jump. Lien lies in the municipality of Krokom in the county of Jämtland.

Luleå
The main German supply base in Karlshäll is almost intact. "RAUCHEN VERBOTEN" is still written in large letters on the side facing the water. This is what the storage houses looked like during the war and today. Karlshäll lies right beside the E 4 highway on the south side of the Lule river. Here´s a photo from 1941 of the German Army hay being stored right by the Luleå cathedral. Compare it with this photo of the same place today. The house on the street Stationsgatan 46, where Oberleutnant Walther Zindel once had his office, is still standing. In the cellar of what is today the restaurant "Bryggeriet" (the Brewery) large amounts of German army cheese and spirits were stored. "Bryggeriet" lies on Västra Varvsgatan 1. If you wish to experience the allied times in Luleå - visit Balchen´s Bar inside Stadshotellet, the City Hotel. This bar and the glass case in the hall contain photographs and items from the days when US airmen were a common sight in Luleå. Stadshotellet lies on Storgatan 15. The restaurant & disco "Magneto" on Storgatan 40 was once a photo studio where both German and American officers had their portraits taken.

Marieberg
Swedish WWII vehicles in action, bunkers and artillery 20 km N of Kalix at "Mariebergs viltfarm".

Porjus
Some kilometres NW of the Porjus hydro-electric station the remains of a Lancaster bomber may be reached by following a nicely marked trail. The aircraft, "Easy Elsie", was part of a force that tried to sink the Tirpitz when it was lying close to Alta. There is no fee to see the Lancaster, and no opening hours either!

Pältsastugan
This was once a secret base financed and equipped by the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS),and run by Special Operations Executive (SOE) and Norwegian resistance (Milorg) -trained Norwegian rangers. The name means "the Pältsa cabin" and the closest well-known geographical point is Treriksröset. In translation this name means roughly "the cairn of the three nations". It is the only place where Sweden, Norway and Finland meet. Some 15 km west of this point lies Pältsastugan, today a Swedish Tourist Federation (STF) base. This base was called Sepal I "Mons". There are remains of a trench dug by the Norwegian rangers based here.

Riksgränsen
The landscape photographer Sven Hörnell´s photo gallery has a small but interesting section on the area during WWII.

Unna Allakas
This Swedish Tourist Federation (STF) base on the Swedish-Norwegian border served as a OSS/Milorg Sepal-base during WWII. It was used for sabotage preparations and reconnaissance in Norway. Not much reminds the visitor about the war today. One building remains from the war years - the house belonging to the station manager. This base was known as Sepal II or "Anna" during the war. Unna Allakas is so small you won´t find it on ordinary maps. You´ll have to get a special mountain or tourist map for the area. The only routes leading to it are hiking paths from Norway and from Abisko, which lies about 50 km northeast of Unna Allakas.

Vassijaure
The only soldier of the Swedish Army to die of an enemy bullet during WWII was shot here on the railway station the 20th of May 1940. His name was Sven Sjöberg and his monument is right by the station.

Updated o2-11-2003

© Lars and Ann-Sofie Gyllenhaal