Capture of Arendal 1940
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 9 April 1940 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1940 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | World War II era (1939–1945) | derived from year |
| Location | Norway | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Operation Weserübung | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 58.4253, 8.7620 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Capture of Arendal occurred on 9 April 1940 and saw the German torpedo boat Greif land a force of bicycle troops and seize an invasion beachhead at the Norwegian port town of Arendal. The main aim of the landing, part of the German invasion of Norway, was to sever the undersea telegraph cable between Arendal and the United Kingdom.
The German force landed unopposed, with the Norwegian torpedo boat based in the town choosing to evacuate rather than take up the fight against the surprising arrival of the Germans. The Norwegian naval commander cited concern for civilian casualties and a glum view of his chances as reasons for not resisting.
While the initial German occupation of Arendal took place without serious incident, panic broke out the following day and led to many civilians abandoning the town, following unfounded rumours of an incoming British bomber raid.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Capture of Arendal (revision 1372930494), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Grimstad Bay 1811 · 12 km
- Battle of Lyngør 1812 · 31 km
- Battle of Nesjar 1016 · 88 km
- Altmark incident 1940 · 142 km
- Battle of Vinjesvingen 1940 · 144 km
- Battle of Holmengrå 1139 · 147 km
Other battles of the Operation Weserübung
All 3 battles of the Operation Weserübung →
Browse more: battles in Norway · Europe · World War II era battles