30 November 1939: WINTER WAR
The first time the circumpolar area of Europe was affected by WWII was when the Soviet Union invaded Finland on 30 November 1939. As a result of this war, the "Winter War", the Finnish border town of Salla was lost to the Red Army. The liberation of Salla thus became one of the aims of the Finnish government in 1941. The Winter war also greatly affected Swedish public opinion and almost 10 000 Swedes volunteered to defend Finland.
9 April 1940: INVASION OF NORWAY
German forces invade Norway. One major goal is to seize the port of Narvik from which Germany receives a major part of its Swedish iron ore.
10-13 April 1940: DIETL CUT OFF
The German Gebirgsjägers (mountain troops) in Narvik are cut off from naval support as the Royal Navy completely destroys the German naval force around Narvik. Mountain troop general Eduard Dietl orders 2 600 of the stranded German sailors to join his land force.
14 April 1940: ALLIED FORCES IN NARVIK
British, French and Polish forces start landing around Narvik from this date. A total of 24 500 allied troops disembark in the area. The Germans in the area can only be supported from the air, and with great difficulty.
18 April 1940: GERMAN MEDICS THROUGH SWEDEN
The Swedish government gives in to German demands and allows a German train with medical supplies, food, clothing and medical personnel to pass through Sweden to the almost encircled forces of general Dietl. This causes alarm in Sweden but the government decides to let the transition of German medical supplies continue camouflaged as goods purchased by a Norwegian firm in Narvik. Many sources testify that ammunition and German soldiers were among the medical goods and personnel.
17 May 1940: NO ENTRY FOR GERMANS
The German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop requests that three trainloads of weapons and fighting troops be allowed to pass through Sweden to Narvik. The Swedish government does not concede, German combat units are under no circumstances allowed to pass through Sweden.
28 May 1940: NARVIK CAPTURED BY ALLIES
Norwegian and other allied forces capture Narvik from the Germans. The remaining small German force retreats towards the Swedish border. However, the same day on the continent Belgium capitulates as a result of German Blitzkrieg.
7 June 1940: DIETL RETREATS TO SWEDEN?
Norwegian forces successfully battle the remaining German troops by the Swedish border. General Dietl considers to retreat across the Swedish border into the Swedish county of Norrbotten and be interned together with his soldiers.
9 June 1940: DIETL CAPTURES NARVIK AGAIN
As a result of the allied defeat on the continent the Norwegian government ceases hostilities on Norwegian soil and Narvik is swiftly captured by Dietl for the second time.
15 June 1940: SWEDEN FEELS THREATENED
With the fighting in Norway being over the German government uses the Swedish government´s own words to make the Swedes open up their country to German troop transports. During the campaign in Norway the Swedish government had stated that it could not act against its stridande broderfolk, literally "struggling brother people". This argument appealed to the Germans as "brother people" sounded like national socialist jargon. However, as combat operations now had ceased the Swedes should "naturally" permit transition of military goods and soldiers on leave. If Sweden would not allow this it would be considered as a "directly unfriendly act". The Swedish government reckoned this was close to a threat of war against Sweden.
18 June 1940: GERMANS ON SWEDISH RAIL
The Swedish government allows the German armed forces to use Sweden's railway system for transports to and from Norway. However, the German soldiers are to travel unarmed and not be part of unit movements, they should only be on their way to or from leave.
26 June 1940: GERMAN UNITS THROUGH SWEDEN
The German troop transports start rolling through Sweden and from the very first transport Trondheim-Östersund-Kiruna-Riksgränsen the 26th of June the Germans break against the rule of only transporting soldiers on leave. Thus the concession of the 18th of June is the starting point for three years of German transports through Sweden, many in violation of Swedish rules. A total of 2 140 000 German soldiers and over 100 000 German military railway carriages cross Sweden until the traffic is officially suspended the 20th of August 1943.
27 September 1940: GERMAN BASE IN LULEÅ
After several months of preparations by the German military attaché in Stockholm, general Bruno von Uthmann, a German military supply base is founded in Luleå. At its peak period the base will consist of three main areas: several warehouses in the city centre; the largest storehouses on the Karlshäll side of the Karlsvik peninsula and the sheds in Gammelstad. New rail is laid to make a direct connection to the national railway system, making it possible to load two trains per day that are sent off to the occupation troops in Norway and later to the troops in Finland attacking the Soviet Union.
4 October 1940: SS TROOPS TO LULEÅ
A top secret German naval troop transport through Swedish waters reaches the iron ore port of Luleå. The ship Isar is escorted by the Swedish Navy. The ship carries the complete and fully armed second battalion (1 000 men) of the SS Totenkopfstandarte (meaning death´s head regiment) "Kirkenes". This completely motorized unit is then transported from Luleå by train to Narvik and from there to the Norwegian province of Finnmark which borders the Finnish Petsamo area, beside Soviet Russia.
January 1941: ZINDEL TAKES COMMAND IN LULEÅ
The German supply base in Luleå gets a new commander: Oberleutnant (lieutenant) Walther Zindel, a veteran of the campaigns against Poland and France. He does not wear a uniform in Sweden and is no nazi. Initially he eats lunch every day at the Stadshotellet (City Hotel) together with the town elite. Swedish police and customs officers are assigned to him, to run and guard the German supply base.
4 March 1941: BRITISH RAID ON LOFOTEN
800 British commando troops attack the Lofoten islands and sink the world´s most modern floating factory, the "MS Hamburg". After the raid the whole Lofoten region is reinforced with new bunkers etc.
22 June 1941: GERMANY ATTACKS SOVIET UNION
Operation Barbarossa, the attack on the Soviet Union, commences, but in the far north ground forces are not commited against the Soviets until one week later. However, the German army and Waffen-SS move from Norwegian Kirkenes into Finnish Petsamo on this day (start 0300 hours) and arctic units of the Luftwaffe bomb several military and industrial targets on the Kola Peninsula. The complete 163d German Infantry Division is allowed to pass through Sweden, starting on the eve of the great invasion. The division makes a stop in "the Gibraltar of Sweden", the fortress-town of Boden, on its way to Karelia.
29 June 1941: DIETL ATTACKS MURMANSK
The Gebirgskorps (mountain army corps) "Norwegen" under lieutenant general Eduard Dietl launches Operation Platinfuchs, an attack against Murmansk. The corps consists of the 2nd and 3d mountain divisions and the separate Finnish "Ivalo" Border Guard Battalion. One armour battallion equipped with tanks mark I and II and French Hotchkiss tanks is briefly employed in support.
1 July 1941: SS ATTACK ON SOUTH KOLA
The XXXVI army corps by Salla attacks in the direction of Kandalaksha, by the White Sea. The corps consists of the SS Division "Nord", the 169th Infantry Division and the Finnish 6th Infantry Division.
4 July 1941: MURMANSK NOT REACHED
The Gebirgskorps "Norwegen" was supposed to have occupied Murmansk by this date, but the closest they got was about 40 kilometres from Murmansk, as the crow flies.
31 August 1941: START OF LEND-LEASE
The convoys with American and British Commonwealth lend-lease weapons and goods start arriving in the ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. The tanks, aircraft, lorries, food etc supplied by the western allies greatly influence the fighting on the Eastern front. The very first convoy, codenamed operation "Dervish", reached Arkhangelsk 31 August.
8 September 1941: THE THIRD TRY
The SS unit that saw Luleå, the second battalion of SS Infantry regiment No 9 (formerly the SS Totenkopfstandarte "Kirkenes") takes part in the third attempt to reach Murmansk. The battalion immediately suffers heavy losses on the western side of the Litsa Bay. The survivors of the second and third battalions form a new battalion and are then sent to SS Division "Nord" on south Kola.
22 September 1941: GERMANS STOPPED AT LITSA
After having lost almost 10 000 men (killed and wounded) Dietl admits that he has not been able to reach any of the main objectives. It seems impossible to reach much further than the western bank of the Litsa river. Indeed, the German army never does, only the Luftwaffe.
CONTINUE TO TIMELINE 1942-1945Updated 28-04-2001