Travel guide to the fortifications in Northern Norway. Part 1
Germany remained in Norway for almost five years. During that time, it built a large coastal artillery fortification system to protect the coastal shipping routes and Reichstrasse 50 ending in Kirkenes, which also connected to Petsamo in Finland. The main weapons of the artillery batteries were a mixed collection of cannons, mostly captured as war spoils. After the armistice with Finland, the Soviet Union began its attack on Germany's northern forces, and Finns were also forced to drive its former brother-in-arms out of their country. On October 3, the German troops received permission to abandon the mines in Kolosjoki and fell back, with delay, to the Lyngenfjord line (Operation Nordlicht). The Soviet troops only followed as far as the Tanafjord and the Tana River. When falling back, the German troops took most of their coastal guns with them and blew up the fortifications. Some fortifications were blown up thoroughly, in some cases only the bastions were blown up, and some targets were left unblown. This book is a travel guide to the coastal artillery base and field fortifications east of the Tanafjord and river (Tana). It is based on two reconnaissance trips made in 2024 to most of the sites presented in the book. The fortifications were found where they were supposed to be based on preliminary research. The book tells some about the history and the armament of the fortifications and their current state. It doesn’t aim to be an exhaustive book from these perspectives. It is a travel guide with maps, aerial photos and driving directions that will help you find the fortifications yourself and make your own observations. Tilaa verkkokaupastamme - available in our web store Info:
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Germany invaded Norway on April 9, 1940 and managed to capture the country within two months. The original purpose of the occupation was to secure the supply of iron ore from Sweden and disrupt transport to Murmansk. However, the nickel and copper of Kolosjoki in Petsamo soon became more important than the Swedish iron. The Finnish nickel became vital to the German war economy.