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Geirr H. Haarr
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Battle for Norway April - June 1940 Hardcover – 30 May 2010

4.7 out of 5 stars 35 ratings
This is the second volume of Geirr Harr's monumental and unsurpassed account of the events at sea during the German invasion of Norway in 1940.

The early part of the book covers the operations off southern and western Norway where Norwegin and British forces attempted to halt the German advance out of the invasion ports and the stream of supplies and reinforcements across the Skagerrak. The second part focusses on the British landings in central Norway where the Royal Navy for the first time had its mastery challenged by air superiority form land-based aircraft. The author then covers the events in and around Narvik where Norwegian, British, French and Polish naval, air and land forces were engaged in the first allied combined amphibious landings the of World War II. Finally, the author focuses onthe events during the allied evacuation in June, in which the first carrier task force operations of the War, including the loss of the carrier Glorious, figure prominently.

As in the first volume, the narrative shifts continuously between the strategic and operational issues and the experiences of the officers and ratings living through the events, while extensive research has revealed aspects of the war that remain controversial to this day.

Praise for the author's first volume, The German Invasion of Norway

`This book, which is destined to become the definitive work on the subject, is probably the most important naval work of 2009.' Marine News

`...one of the most meticulously researched and incisive works of naval history encountered by this reviewer...simultaneously scholarly, engaging, objective...quite simply outstanding.' Mariner's Mirror

`An outstanding job ... unlikely to be surpassed.' Navy News
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  1. Print length
    200 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Naval Institute Press
  4. Publication date
    30 May 2010
  5. Dimensions
    16.51 x 3.81 x 24.13 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    159114051X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1591140511
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Product description

About the Author

Geirr H. Harr, a Norwegian living in Stavanger, works in environmental project development. Combining his academic training, research skills and a passion for naval history, he has delved into some of the more obscure aspects of the naval history of WWIT in Europe. His first book, The German Invasion of Narway, was published in 2009 to universal critical acclaim.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Naval Institute Press (30 May 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 200 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 159114051X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1591140511
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 16.51 x 3.81 x 24.13 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 35 ratings

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Geirr H. Haarr

Geirr H. Haarr

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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Henk Beentje
    5.0 out of 5 stars A new classic - definitive account
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 October 2010
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    The book: an account of the events of April to June 1940 in the Norwegian theatre of war, and the second instalment of Mr Haarr. His first dealt with the invasion between 9-14 April. 369 pages of text, well-illustrated with b/w photographs, followed by tables listing all the Royal Norwegian Navy ships of the time and their fates; the Norwegian army units; the German army and Luftwaffe units; the British naval forces, and the Allied land forces - including Polish and French units, don't forget!

    My opinion: very thorough and very readable, an excellent mixture of overview, detail and personal stories; plus the right mix of many photos right with the text that applies to them; and a range of maps, the one thing missing from the first volume! Excellent all around.
    Of course this makes for frustrating reading - the inexperienced allied troops, the mixed-up delivery of stores, the almost complete German air superiority, the distrust of the Norwegians by their allies, the muddled signals from senior command... "it was a poor way to start a war" Haarr says on page 114, talking about the Namsos operations, but it goes for the whole Allied effort. A hard training ground, with severe losses; but also the first radar-controlled intercepts at sea (from HMS Curlew), the first opposed landings using LCA and LCMs (at Bjerkvik)...
    I think the author is pretty objective, and has written the definitive detailed account of naval, air and ground operations of the period in this theatre. Excellent!
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Toby Tobias
    5.0 out of 5 stars a norwegian saga/Battle for Norway
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 September 2011
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    Geirr Haarr has written two excellent books both meticulously researched from all sides. crammed full of unknown factors like the U-Boat torpedoes malfunctioning in the colder waters of the north which was crucial to the outcome of WW11. lack of personnel at strategic points of the norwegian coast
    due to leave ,bearing in mind that the invasion was unthought of.
    The chain of command so instilled that it stultified the initiative of the younger officers at a crucial time.
    both books are the definative on the subject.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Derek Alcraft
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 January 2016
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    Superb, detailed account primarily from a naval perspective, with some rare photos too.
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  • Edna Burke
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Battle for Norway
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 June 2015
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    A treasure trove of information
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  • Sue H
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 August 2016
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    Excellent
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  • jack greene
    5.0 out of 5 stars The naval-air war in Norway
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 June 2010
    This is the second volume in Geirr Haarr's excellent study of the fighting in Norway in 1940. It is first and foremost a study of the naval war in Norwegian waters. It concludes where "The German Invasion of Norway" started. This 458-page book is chockfull of excellent photographs, many of them taken by Haarr's native Norwegians. As a photographic study with solid captioning, this alone makes the work of great interest. Haarr's use of Norwegian, English and German source material, including much archival research, is well done and shows.

    These two books taken together are a brilliant study of, as Haarr puts it, "for the first time ever, air force, army and navy operated intimately together with interlinked tasks and objectives." The first joint campaign of the modern era unfolded in Denmark and Norway in early April 1940.

    It is primarily a naval-air history of the campaign. In that, it will never be surpassed, unless Haarr gets an opportunity to produce an expanded (mammoth?!) study of the campaign at some future date. Many of the small boat and littoral actions are discussed in detail, as well as major Allied naval-air operations. The discussion of German air and naval operations is very informative. So while it disposes of much of the immediate land fighting and occupation of the vital Oslo region immediately after the events of April 8-9 (covered in volume one), in a few quick paragraphs, he does discuss the overall moves, delays and decision making processes of all the parties involved. Thus the reader understands what Quisling, the King, the Norwegian government, the Norwegian armed forces and the foreign governments and their forces were doing and why. Many of the myths carried in English language studies of this campaign are disposed of in Haarr's work.

    Weaknesses in the book are few. This volume, unlike the first volume, has adequate maps, though some are ambitious - the desire to stuff a quart into a pint bottle springs to mind. Haarr is weakest when he journeys ashore. Haarr argues that the German divisions were stripped of some heavy equipment when ordered to Norway when the reality was that the ideal German infantry division of the period was just that - an ideal. The majority of the units were short of equipment because of availability. For example, the reconnaissance battalions in the newer German infantry division of the period almost always lacked armored cars, and when available were older models. If you want to get into some of the controversy of actions (or lack!) taken by particular Norwegian officers you need to go to David G. Thompson's "The Norwegian Armed Forces and Defense Policy, 1905-1955". For example, the failures of the commanding Norwegian General, Kristian Laake, are quickly dismissed and not fully examined by Haarr.

    For anyone who finds this campaign as fascinating as I do, these two volumes must be on your shelf and you will find yourself often referring to them. Well done!
    19 people found this helpful
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  • J. N. Pond
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating History
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 February 2011
    The author Geirr H Harr has written an extrememly engaging history of the Battle for Norway during the 2nd world war. I was enthralled from the first chapter. I must confess to have a personal interest in the story as a family member took part. This book details the build up to the battle and the various battles and skirmishes. Full of fascinating details and rich in content. I've never managed to get through a book on the 2nd world war before without nodding off, this book kept me interested from start to finish. A must buy for anyone interested in military history.
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • PSG
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Follow-On to Haarr's Previous Book on Norway
    Reviewed in the United States on 14 February 2025
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    Geirr Haarr is one of the best authors of WWII history. The Norwegian campaign is not something you hear about often. The reason seem to be that because of the invasion of the low countries and France and the subsequent Battle of Britain occurred soon after. Those conflicts overshadowed what happened in Norway in the brief period from April to June 1940. But the Norwegian Campaign is filled with incredible stories of the battles that raged in the Fjords and across Norway. Haarr has combed primary documents, survivor accounts and personal stories to bring the Norwegian Campaign vividly to life.

    I have used Haarr's books to put together a two day presentation on the battles in the Narvik presented at the Osher Life Learning Institute classes in my local chapter in Ohio. It was very well received and I recommend Haar's books to all the class participants.
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  • Jonathan Lupton
    5.0 out of 5 stars A rare treasure of careful research and artful storytelling
    Reviewed in the United States on 19 June 2010
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    No English-language title previously written on the 1940 Norway campaign has approached this one's scope, depth, and accuracy. It emphasizes the naval and air war, yet author Geirr Haarr provides anecdotes and insights on the ground war I have not encountered elsewhere.

    One of the author's many revelations concerns the heartrending failures of trust, particularly between the British and Norwegians, which played directly into German hands. Just after the Germans occupied Oslo, the western press played up the role of Quisling's treasonous pro-Nazi government, stirring British fears of fifth column Norwegian Nazis. In reality, the Norwegians were devotedly pro-Allied, and determined to drive the Germans out. Once in Norway, most Allied officers quickly discerned local loyalties, and coordinated with hard-fighting Norwegian forces. But a few, most crucially Mackesy and Carton de Wiart, clung to biases that betrayed trust and fatally undermined Allied efforts.

    Harr shows how the Norwegian army, though ill-equipped, fought with tenacity, aptitude, and understanding of its unique home terrain. Well into the campaign Norway's navy retained partial control of key fiords in southern Norway. Had the western Allies made better use of Norway's own forces, history might have turned out very differently.

    Mr. Harr gives photos and descriptions of the little Norwegian "puffers," small ferryboats that shuttled troops and supplies, and were less vulnerable to air attack and grounding in difficult waters than larger, more cumbersome Allied vessels. He gives accounts from AA gunners who found themselves "on alert" twenty-two hours a day in Norway's high latitudes, firing away until ships' decks were crowded with cartridges, ammunition was low, and nerves were shot. He shows how the highly-regarded French Chasseurs Alpins, though first-rate soldiers, had trouble adapting to snow and terrain conditions that differed greatly from the French Alps.

    The author must have spent many years of thoughtful work crafting this title. There are enough maps to help you follow the action despite Norway's vast, complex geography. The photographs are ample - about one every other page - enhanced by captions that bring out details you could never get from text alone. I have never before encountered images of German mountain troops advancing in the obscure but important Helgeland campaign, or bemused Narvik civilians watching French troops marching for home, back to their transports after winning the town at great cost. Many photos come from Norwegian sources; this is probably their first appearance in English-language literature.

    The text is highly readable, with a nice blend of objectiveness and sensitivity to human situations. This title is the newly-established classic, a "must-read" for those with an interest in the tragedy and drama of Norway 1940.
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  • Rich Marsh
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating history that is rarely ever discussed.
    Reviewed in the United States on 25 June 2010
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    Most English books that cover the Norwegian Campaign of 1940 tend to end their interest around April 15th, 1940 - or within a week of the campaign's actual start. Geirr Haarr put that first week into its own book The German Invasion of Norway, April 1940and reserved the rest of the campaign for this second book. As a result, they miss the chance to learn many valuable lessons that the Norwegian campaign taught.

    Some of these lessons include:
    The importance of coordinated leadership and agreed upon goals.
    The importance of daytime control of the air, and control of enemy air reconnaissance.
    The first opposed amphibious operations of the war - including first use of dedicated landing craft.
    The effect of distant efforts to control local events.
    The fact that, in wartime, attack can come at any time from any source. (HMS Glorious learned that one the hard way.)

    This is an excellent, well-written book that brings out the many lessons of the Norwegian Campaign - and by implication asks us to find out why they had to be relearned again and again later in the war.
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  • mj swarts
    5.0 out of 5 stars the battle for norway
    Reviewed in the United States on 11 March 2013
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    forget everything you read about the (sea) battles for norway in 1940. This is the best I ever read. Must be years and years of research to finish this (actually 2 books ) book.
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  • John Darbo
    5.0 out of 5 stars I'm Norwegian decent
    Reviewed in the United States on 17 October 2018
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    Vivid view of the hellacious WWII occupation and battles.
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