Oscarsborg Fortress
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| Oscarsborg festning | |
|---|---|
| Oslofjord, Norway | |
| Type | Island fortress |
| Built | 1643, modernized 1830-1855 |
| In use | 1643-2003 |
| Controlled by | Norway, Germany |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Drøbak sound |
Oscarsborg festning is a coastal fortress in the Oslofjord, close to the small city of Drøbak. The fortress is situated on two small islets in the fjord and was military territory until 2003 when it was made a publicly available resort island. The fortress became famous on April 9, 1940 during World War II for the sinking of the German heavy cruiser Blücher.
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[edit] Early history of the fortress
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The narrows at Drøbak, called Drøbaksundet is a natural point for the naval defence of Oslo, the capital of Norway. The first defences were constructed during the reign of Christian IV of Denmark and were ready in 1643. The fortifications were however not involved in battle.
Around 1830 the discussion started for a modernisation of the fortress and the first stage was ready in 1848, the next in 1853. The name of the fortress was given after a visit by the Swedish Norwegian King Oscar I of Sweden on August 23, 1855.
By the end of the nineteenth century the art of war developed rapidly and the new fortress was soon obsolete. The tension was also growing between the two countries in the union and so the Norwegians decided to upgrade the fortress. From 1890 new improved German guns were installed, an underwater barrier was constructed and a torpedo battery was constructed. The main armament was three 280 mm calibre guns manufactured by Krupp. There was also a number of guns with smaller calibre (150 mm and 57 mm) on the mainland. The underwater barrier went from the main islet Kaholmen and southwest to the western side of the fjord, thus making it impossible for vessels to sail west of the fortress.
[edit] The attack by German naval forces, April 1940
When the fortress finally came under attack in April 9, 1940, all of its armament was over 40 years old, and of German origin. Both the guns and the torpedo battery worked flawlessly and thus managed to save the Norwegian King and government from being taken prisoner.
As the situation was chaotic, the aging 65 year commander, oberst (Colonel) Birger Eriksen had not received any clear orders and was not sure whether the approaching warships were German or Allied. He was however well aware of Norway's position of neutrality, but siding with the British if war broke out. Except for the aging officers (the torpedo battery was commanded that day by a retired coastal artillery officer sent for by Eriksen as the possibility of war became clearer), most of the soldiers were fresh recruits, having only started their national service days before. The recent influx of fresh recruits was also the reason that the fortress' naval mines were not deployed on April 9, as part of the recruits' training was to lay the mine barrier, a process was only meant to begin a few days later. On the commander's own initiative, the order to fire was given at 04:21 and two rounds from the 28 cm calibre Krupp guns Moses and Aron engaged the 10,000 ton Blücher at 1,800 m range. Colonel Eriksen later explained his decision with the fact that the German naval force already had forced their way past the Oslofjord Fortress' forts and had received both warning shots and live rounds from these more outlying coastal fortifications. He had also sent out a scout boat to fire a warning shot at the boat, but as a response, the Germans fired back with live rounds, killing one of the soldiers. As the vessels had continued up the fjord towards the capital Eriksen was of the opinion that he had the right to consider them as enemy warships and engage them as such. It was quickly joined by 15 cm and 57mm guns from the mainland that scored repeated hits of the Blücher.
The German heavy cruiser Blücher was sunk by artillery and two 40 year old torpedoes (Whitehead weapons of Austro-Hungarian design, the torpedoes had been practice-fired well over 200 times before being fired in anger) and some 830 Germans died, while the remaining naval force destined for Oslo had to retreat. The wet and cold survivors of the Blücher were temporarily captured by a company of Norwegian Royal Guards arriving from the capital city.
In addition to sinking the Blücher, the fortress also damaged the pocket battleship Lützow, the 15 cm guns of the Kopaas battery scoring three hits and knocking out the Lützow's forward Anton 28 cm gun turret. Having been caught utterly by surprise by the ferocity of the Norwegian defence the German flotilla withdrew beyond the range of the fortress' guns, the Lützow using her remaining Bruno turret to bombard the defenders from a range of 11 kilometers down the fjord. The fortress was also heavily bombed later on the same day but without Norwegian casualties, as Eriksen had ordered them down to the underground tunnels of the fortress, after he got report that the King and government had gotten out of the city, which he considered to be his goal.
As Oslo had been taken by forces airlifted to Fornebu airport, the commander, Colonel Birger Eriksen decided that further fighting was in vain and surrendered on the morning of April 10.
[edit] The fortress as it is today
After WWII the fortress' importance has diminished and is now a civilian resort and attraction, open for visitors. The scenic surroundings is much used for conferences and excursions. Visitors take a short motorlaunch trip from Drøbak. Up until 1994, however, the underground torpedo battery remained secretly active, having been continuously modernized, and formed a last line of defence for the capital city.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The official website for the fortress today
- Oscarsborg Museum website (Norwegian and English)
- Satellite photo map from Google maps
- Site on the Norwegian coastal defences in 1940 (Norwegian).
- Nice images from mil.no
