Narvik: The Struggle of Battle Group Dietl in the Spring of 1940 (Die Wehrmacht im Kampf)

"Buchner, by way of Ancker, has presented an intensely detailed historical account and counterfactual analysis of the strategic dilemmas faced by German and Allied forces at Narvik. As such this book may be of particular interest to those engaged in wargaming and military simulations as a well as historical enthusiasts more generally." ― Naval Historical Foundation

Published for the first time in English, this is a German account of the German invasion of Norway in the spring of 1940. It focuses on the efforts of Group “1” led by Eduard Dietl. This group of Gebirgstruppen was landed at Narvik in early April by ten destroyers. These ships were then all sunk by the Allies. Dietl’s troops were outnumbered by Allied troops but his defense utilized ammunition, food and sailors from the sunken ships and his men retook Narvik once the Allies abandoned their efforts to push the Germans out of Norway.

Table of Contents

Foreword
1.The Way to Narvik
2.Consolidation of conditions in the battle group Narvik
3.The fight for the south flank
4.Defensive fight with the Windisch group in the north
5.The sections Narvik and Erzbahn until the end of May
6.The situation in the north worsens
7.Large-scale attack against Narvik section
8.Final battle of the group Narvik
Notes
Appendices
Bibliography
Index

ALEX BUCHNER was born in 1920 in Starnberg, Bavaria. Having left school, he volunteered to join the German Army Mountain Troops in 1939. By the end of the war he was a first lieutenant and an officer commanding a company. He spent two months in an American prisoner-of-war camp and was released on 25 July 1945. After re-armament and the founding of the Bundeswehr, he remained engaged with the army and retired as a major (reserve).

A native English speaker of German and Danish descent, Janice W. Ancker holds a PhD in Germanic Languages and Literatures from University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, with a focus on 20th century European social and political history. She grew up listening to stories and experiences of family members who served during World War II. Later, as a military family member, she lived and taught in Germany for more than ten years. She is the translator of Jutland (M. Epkenhans) Hitler’s Wehrmacht (R. Müller), and The Forgotten Front: The Eastern Theater of World War I, 1914–1915 (G. Gross).