| This Mere Men article has not been expanded past 1940 yet. |
| Kingdom of NorwayTimeline: Mere Men
OTL equivalent: Norway | ||||||
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| Anthem: Ja, vi elsker dette landet |
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| Capital (and largest city) | Oslo | |||||
| Official languages | Norwegian | |||||
| Religion | Lutheran, irreligious, other | |||||
| Demonym | Norwegians | |||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | |||||
| - | King | Harald V | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | |||||
| Legislature | Storting | |||||
| Establishment | ||||||
| - | First Norwegian state | 872 | ||||
| - | Denmark-Norway | 1524 | ||||
| - | Sweden-Norway | 4 November 1814 | ||||
| - | Dissolution of the union | 7 June 1905 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 323,802 km2 125,020 sq mi |
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| Currency | Norwegian krone | |||||
| Time zone | CET | |||||
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Norway borders Sweden, Finland and the Russia. Norway also possesses a number of small islands in the Arctic and Subantarctic and claims the Queen Maud Land in Antarctica. The capital and largest city of Norway is Oslo.
History[]
Norway was in a complicated position at the beginning of the Second World War as both Allied and German High Commands prepared for an invasion of Norway. Norway was eventually invaded by the United Kingdom on 20 March as part of the Allied attempt to support Finland in its war against the Soviet Union and shortly after on 22 March by Germany, marking the beginning of the Battle of Scandinavia. Although condemning the violations of its neutrality, the government led by the King Haakon VII and Prime Minister Johan Nygaardsvold cooperated with the Allied forces. Southern Norway, including Oslo, was, however, quickly overran by the invading German forces and the government was forced to flee north, into territories occupied by the Allies. Vidkun Quisling, a fascist politician who cooperated with Germany on their invasion plans, quickly proclaimed himself the Prime Minister in Oslo on 25 March. Germany attempted to get Quisling recognised by the King, but after he refused Quisling's government became largely ignored by the German leadership.
After the withdrawal of the Finnish army from Karelia, an agreement was reached between the Allied High Command and the Norwegian government to ship reinforcements to Finland using the port in Kirkenes and therefore bypassing uncooperative Sweden. However, the Soviet Union quickly responded by entering Norwegian territory and starting a siege of Kirkenes. This event led to the decision of the Norwegian government to declare war on both Germany and the Soviet Union, leading to the remaining Allied powers also declaring war on the USSR. The battle of Kirkenes ended in a Soviet victory and after the Battle of France and Allied withdrawal from Scandinavia, Norway was split between German occupation in the southern and central portions of the country and Soviet occupation in most of Finnmark.
After the occupation of Norway, Quisling hoped that the German authorities recongise his cabinet as the new government of Norway even without the King's appointment, but the German Führer Adolf Hitler instead decided to form a reichskommissariat in Norway led by Josef Terboven. Terboven set up his own government of Norway, but avoided the inclusion of Quisling or other members of his Nasjonal Samling party, which was outlawed together with all other Norwegian political parties. Although some of former members of the party were later allowed to serve in the government, Quisling was outraged what he saw as German betrayal and started working against the occupiers, soon becoming a significant resistance figure.