This image is the cover for the book Narvik, Die Wehrmacht im Kampf

Narvik, Die Wehrmacht im Kampf

“An intensely detailed historical account and counterfactual analysis of the strategic dilemmas faced by German and Allied forces at Narvik.” —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—mountain troops—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.

“The book does provide detailed accounts of the numerous battles and skirmishes around Narvik in the spring of 1940. The maps are useful to help understand the terrain and geography. The focus of the text is at the tactical level, and any historian interested in the tactics of the Norwegian campaign or of German mountain troops at this time would find this especially useful.” —Journal of Military History

“The story of Dietl’s improvisation in the face of such inadequacies is quite impressive . . . the best account in English of the German side of Narvik.” —Stone & Stone Second World War Books

“A fascinating look at the battle from the German side. While the book does reflect the attitudes of the time it was written, it also reveals what the German troops faced and provides a good account of the various engagements in and around Narvik.” —WWII History Magazine

Alex Buchner, Janice W. Ancker

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), the Forgotten Front: The Eastern Theater of World War I, 1914–1915 (G. Gross), and Narvik in the Die Wehrmacht im Kampf series.

Casemate Publishers