German troops invaded Norway on 9 April 1940, planning to capture the King and the Government in order to force the country to surrender. However, the Royal Family, the Government and most members of the Storting were able to flee before the occupying forces reached Oslo.
The heavy cruiser Blücher sailed into the Oslofjord in the early morning hours of 9 April. Accompanied by several smaller vessels, the Blücher was transporting German troops to the capital. Their task was to arrest the King and the members of the Government to compel Norway to capitulate immediately.
Invasion
The German vessels were first spotted by the Norwegian Coast Guard at Færder lighthouse and subsequently at Bolærne Fort in the Oslofjord. Notification of approaching foreign battleships was sent to Oscarsborg Fortress, strategically located at the narrowest point of the Oslofjord. As the ships entered the Drøbak Sound, the commander at Oscarsborg, Colonel Birger Eriksen, gave the order to open fire. The Blücher was hit by artillery from the fortress’s cannon, nicknamed “Moses” and “Aron”, and then by torpedoes fired from the adjacent island of Northern Kaholmen. The Blücher sank at 06.22 hours, and much of its crew of over 1,300 men was killed.
The sinking of the Blücher delayed the German troops’ advance on Oslo, giving the Royal Family, the Government and the Storting representatives the time needed to escape to safety.
