Battle of Hegra Fortress

Battle of Hegra Fortress
Part of the Norwegian campaign
Norwegian 7.5 cm gun position
Date 15 April – 5 May 1940 Location Hegra, Norway Result German victory Hegra Fortress capitulated 5 May after all other Norwegian forces in southern Norway had laid down their arms.[1]
Belligerents
Norway	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Hans Reidar Holtermann [2]	15–20 April: Weiss[3] 20 April – 5 May: Kurt Woytasch[3]
Units involved
A volunteer company of soldiers having served in Artillery Regiment no. 3	138. Gebirgsjägerregiment[3] (15–27 April) 181. Infantry Division[3] (27 April–5 May)
Strength
Positional artillery:[4] 4×10.5 cm guns 2×7.5 cm guns (under Captain Evjen, with 25 men) Field artillery:[4] 4×8.4 cm guns (under 2nd Lieutenant Reitan, with 10 men) Total force:[5] 250 volunteer soldiers (most of whom had had a short national service with Artillery Regiment no. 3 (AR 3) before the war) 1 female volunteer nurse	1 battalion 1 reinforced infantry company 1 artillery unit (with numerous mortars, cannons and howitzers)[6]
Casualties and losses
6 killed 14 wounded[7] 200+ captured	150–200 killed or wounded[7][8] 1 captured[9] 1 aircraft destroyed 1 aircraft damaged[10]
Civilian casualties: One Norwegian civilian killed 2 Finnish civilian refugees wounded

The Battle of Hegra Fortress was a 25-day engagement in the 1940 Norwegian campaign which saw a small force of Norwegian volunteers fighting numerically superior German forces from a fortified position. After initial fighting around the Meråker Line railway line, the Norwegians pulled back into Hegra Fortress and held off further German attacks before surrendering on 5 May as one of the last Norwegian units active in southern Norway.