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During the early part of the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War, the Norwegian 2nd Division, commanded by General Jacob Hvinden Haug, was responsible for defending Eastern Norway against Nazi Germany.
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Overview [link]
The term "division" in the Norwegian Army in 1940 did not mean the same as a division in British terms (a tactical formation consisting of two or more manoeuvre (infantry or armour) brigades with command and staff units and supporting troops). The only Norwegian division living up to this in 1940 was the 6th Division at Narvik fielding two brigades (6 and 7 Brigades).
In the 1940 Norwegian Army the term Division signified a geographical area of military responsibility. The division was, in pre-war planning, supposed to field one brigade and one or more local defence battalions (landvernbataljoner).
In 1940 the 2nd division was able to mobilise a not insignificant number of men to confront the German advance. However, the majority of the troops were poorly equipped even before the loss of critical equipment during the 9 April German invasion. The Norwegian Army of 1940 was basically equipped to First World War standards. There were no tanks, no modern artillery, no anti-tank weapons and no effective anti-aircraft guns. With the exception of a number of Colt M/29 heavy machine guns and light Madsen machine guns, the soldiers had to rely on the 1894 vintage Krag-Jørgensen rifle. In addition to this, the average soldier was poorly trained, many having only received 48 days of basic training, although there also were soldiers with longer service (guardsmen, soldiers who had been mobilised at the outbreak of the war between Nazi Germany and the United Kingdom and some who had served as volunteers in the Finno-Soviet Winter War).
Adding to these already formidable problems came the fact that the geographical area the division had to cover was too large to make a proper concentration possible, and consequently the campaign tended to be a number of battalion sized actions fought over a large area.
German invasion [link]
The 2nd Division suffered great losses of materiel when the Germans captured several of the division's depots and stores in the first 24 hours of the invasion, but in spite of this the division was able to mobilise the following formations:[1]
- 4th Infantry regiment (two battalions)
- 5th Infantry regiment (one line battalion, one local defence battalion)
- 6th Infantry regiment (two line battalions, one local defence battalion)
- 2nd Dragoons regiment (five squadrons - dismounted)
- Engineers regiment (three pioneer companies, two signals companies)
- One improvised artillery regiment (named Hegstad after the CO)
- Two improvised infantry battalions (Thorkildsen and Larsen)
The division was later reinforced by 11th Infantry Regiment's two line battalions in Gudbrandsdalen, but at that time most of the original units had been worn out and did not exist as fighting formations.
Due to the critical situation in Eastern Norway the field brigade of the 4th Division was transferred to Valdres (in the 2nd Division area of responsibility) and was soon heavily engaged against the Germans in Bagn and at Tonsåsen.
By the middle of April, the Germans started to advance out of Oslo to break the somewhat over-ambitiously named "iron ring" around the capital.
General Hvinden Haug has been criticised by historians for without a fight abandoning prepared and supposedly easily defensible positions along the river Nitelva at Lillestrøm thereby giving up the mustering places and remaining stores of the Norwegian Army at Gardermoen.[2]
Norwegian troops managed to halt the Germans temporarily in Hakadalen, at Bjørgeseter and at Strandlykkja by Lake Mjøsa blocking two out of three main routes out of Oslo going north. However this proved futile as German tanks and Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive-bombers, against which the Norwegian foces had no effective defence, routed the Norwegians at the third exit at Klekken near the city of Hønefoss. This made the Norwegian position untenable and initiated a general retreat from the previously successfully held positions.
The Norwegians were pushed back northwards, desperately trying to slow the German advance, and waiting for allied reinforcements. The first British units arrived at Lillehammer around 21 April, but this proved too late, for on the same day the Germans decisively defeated the Norwegians at the battles of Lundehøgda and Bråstad and achieved a breakthrough to the Gudbrandsdalen, the heartland of Eastern Norway.
For the rest of the campaign in Gudbrandsdalen, the brunt of the fighting had to be borne by British units, even though Norwegian units continued to contribute for the rest of the campaign.
Following the allied evacuation of Southern Norway, General Hvinden Haug surrendered the remnants of his division at Åndalsnes on 3 May 1940.[3]
References [link]
- ^ Rolf Hobson/Tom Kristiansen: Norsk Forsvarshistorie (Norwegian Defence History) Vol. 3, p. 277
- ^ Michael Tamelander & Niklas Zetterling: Den nionde april (The ninth of April), p. 116 - 117
- ^ Tamelander/Zetterling p. 197
External links [link]
https://wn.com/2nd_Division_(Norway)
2nd Division (South Vietnam)
The 2nd Division (Vietnamese: Sư đoàn 2) was a division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)—the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975. It was part of the I Corps that oversaw the northernmost region of South Vietnam, the centre of Vietnam.
History
Within six years of enlisting in the military, Tôn Thất Đính had risen to the rank of colonel and was made the inaugural commander of the newly formed 32nd Division based in Da Nang on 1 January 1955. Đính led the unit until November 1956, during which time it was renamed the 2nd Division.
The 2nd Division was based in Chu Lai, south of Tam Kỳ, Quảng Tín Province. Chu Lai was also the home base of the U.S. Army's Americal Division.
On the morning of 24 March 1975, during the Hue–Da Nang Campaign of the 1975 Spring Offensive, the North Vietnamese 711th Division, backed by armoured elements, seized Tam Kỳ, driving the population north toward Da Nang by the thousands. North Vietnamese (PAVN) forces then cut Highway 1 between Quảng Ngãi and Chu Lai, a move to which the 2nd ARVN Division was too battered to respond. With Corps approval, South Vietnamese troops from Quảng Ngãi fought their way northward, but only a few managed to reach Chu Lai. In a single day the situation in I Corps had deteriorated beyond control.
2nd Division (Australia)
The 2nd Division commands all the reserve brigades in Australia. These are the 4th in Victoria, the 5th and 8th in New South Wales, the 9th in South Australia and Tasmania, the 11th in Queensland and the 13th in Western Australia.
The division was first formed in 1915 during World War I as part of the First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF), and served in the Gallipoli Campaign and on the Western Front. Apart from a period from 1960 to 1965, the division has existed in one form or another.
History
World War I
The Australian 2nd Division was formed from reinforcements training in Egypt on 10 July 1915 as part of the Australian Imperial Force to fight in World War I. It fought at Gallipoli during the latter stages of the campaign and then traversed to the Western Front in France where it was the last Australian division to see combat. After the war ended and the AIF was demobilised, the 2nd Division name was revived and assigned to a Citizens Military Forces (reserve) unit.
2nd Division (Estonia)
The 2nd Division, was one of the four Estonian divisions created during the Estonian War of Independence, which was active till the Soviet occupation of Estonia. Since the restoration of independence in 1991 there are no divisions currently among the Estonian Defence Forces.
History
The 2nd Division staff was based in Tartu. Since February 1, 1940, the division was made up by the Tartu Military District and Võru-Petseri Military District.
Order of battle
The unit order of battle in 1939:
See also
Notes and references
Norway
Norway (
i/ˈnɔːrweɪ/ NAWR-way; Norwegian: 
Norge (Bokmål) or Noreg (Nynorsk)), officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a sovereign and unitary monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula plus the island Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard. The Antarctic Peter I Island and the sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island are dependent territories and thus not considered part of the Kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of Antarctica known as Queen Maud Land. Until 1814, the Kingdom included the Faroe Islands (since 1035), Greenland (1261), and Iceland (1262). It also included Shetland and Orkney until 1468.
Norway has a total area of 385,252 square kilometres (148,747 sq mi) and a population of 5,109,059 people (2014). The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden (1,619 km or 1,006 mi long). Norway is bordered by Finland and Russia to the north-east, and the Skagerrak Strait to the south, with Denmark on the other side. Norway has an extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea.
Norway Pavilion at Epcot
The Norway Pavilion is a Norway-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase, within Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Its location is between the Mexican and Chinese Pavilions.
Layout
The 58,000-square-foot (5,400 m2) Norway Pavilion is designed to look like a Norwegian village. The village includes a detailed Stave church, and the exterior of its main table-service restaurant, Restaurant Akershus, resembles its namesake in Oslo. The exhibit showcases 4 styles of Norwegian architecture: Setesdal-style, Bergen-style, Oslo-style and Ålesund-style.
Much of the pavilion is taken up by interconnected shops. These shops are decorated with large wooden trolls and sell assorted Norwegian goods, including clothing, candy, and statuettes of Norse gods and trolls. The courtyard of the pavilion contains the entrance to Maelstrom, a boat ride into Norway's past and present. Kringla Bakeri og Kafé is a bakery, featuring assorted Norwegian pastries, such as cream horns and open-faced salmon sandwiches. The courtyard contains the entrance to Restaurant Akershus, featuring a hot and cold buffet and "Princess Storybook Dining."
Norway (song)
"Norway" is a song by American dream pop band Beach House, from their third studio album, Teen Dream. The song was released on January 18, 2010, with "Baby" as its B-side. The song was released as a free download on the band's site on November 17, 2009, before its commercial release.
Track listing
Reception
"Norway" received very positive reviews from contemporary music critics. The song was chosen upon release as Pitchfork Media's "Best New Track". Aaron Leitko stated that, "'Norway', the lead track from Teen Dream, the duo's Sub Pop debut, raises the temperature a few degrees. A percussive intro yields to an explosion of twinkling guitars and a chorus of woozy backing vocals. The core elements of Beach House's sound-- the drum machine, the thrift store keyboards-- are still present; they're just a few ticks faster. This makes a big difference. As it turns out, Beach House goes from dour to exuberant in just a few BPM." Leitko continues by saying, "Legrand, whose vocals have been saddled with Nico comparisons, can finally breathe a sigh of relief, too. The 1960s chanteuse's shadow is nowhere to be found here. 'You let us in the wooden house/ To share in all the wealth,' sings Legrand over a carsick slide guitar riff. No, 'Norway' is radiant with the sunshiny 70s pop vibes. It's Stevie Nicks territory, for sure. Climate change has come to Beach House, and the weather suits them beautifully."
Radio Stations - Oslo
Podcasts:
Norway
ALBUMS
- The Dream Recorder released: 2005
- Geometry Not Geography released: 2001
- The Essence of Norway released: 1999
Norway
ALBUMS
- Rising Up From the Ashes released: 2007
- Arrival released: 2000
- Night Dreams released: 1997
