21st Norwegian Army (Germany)

21st Norwegian Army ("Armeeoberkommando Norwegen", abbr. "AOK Norwegen") was one of the two army echelon headquarters controlling German troops in the far north of Norway and Finland during World War II. It was directly subordinate to OKH, the high command headquarters of the Wehrmacht. It was created from Group XXI in December 1940, and disbanded in December 1944 with its assets taken over by the 20th Mountain Army.

Operations

The German Norwegian Army took part in Operation Barbarossa in 1941. In talks between Finnish and German staffs in Helsinki in June 1941, the Germans were given military responsibility over northern Finland; Army Norway was to take Murmansk and the Murmansk railway. The plan was codenamed Operation Silberfuchs ("Silver Fox").

The Army was evacuated from Norway in 1945 as part of the Operation "Birkhahn" (Black cock). [pp.138-139, Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868-1961 [http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_34/rsnz_34_00_001270.html] ]

Assets

German Norwegian Army (Falkenhorst)

* From of January 1941:
** XXXIII Corps
** XXXVI Corps
** Gebirgskorps Norwegen

* From of July 1941: (during Operation Silberfuchs)
** XXXIII Corps
** XXXVI Corps
** LXX Corps
** Gebirgskorps Norwegen

* From of September 1941:
** XXXIII Corps
** XXXVI Corps
** LXX Corps
** Gebirgskorps Norwegen
** Finnish III Corps

* From of March 1942: (after creation of German Twentieth Mountain Army)
** XXXIII Corps
** LXX Corps
** LXXI Corps

See also

* 20th Mountain Army

References

* " [http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/ArmeenGeb/ArmeeNorwegen.htm Armee Norwegen] ". German language article at www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de. Retrieved May 11, 2005.