Scandinavian theatre of World War II
| Scandinavian theatre of World War II | |||||||||
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| Part of the European theatre of World War II | |||||||||
Map of the Scandinavian states | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Nazi Germany Finland (until 1944) |
Norway United Kingdom France France Poland Poland Denmark Soviet Union Finland (from 1944) | ||||||||
The Scandinavian theatre of World War II encompasses the military and political events that took place between late 1939 and May 1945 in Scandinavia (including territories culturally associated with it, such as Finland, Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands), within the broader context of the European theatre of World War II.
Scandinavia was involved early in the events of the Second World War: in late November 1939, Finland was invaded by Soviet troops, intent on annexing strategic border areas, and signed the Moscow Peace Treaty, by which it had to cede about 10% of its territory after a conflict lasting just over three months. As a result, Finland aligned itself with Nazi Germany, and in June 1941 participated in the invasion of the USSR, opening a new front stretching from Lapland to the Gulf of Finland. Cooperation between Germans and Finns continued until September 1944, when the government in Helsinki capitulated in the face of renewed Soviet counteroffensives; Finnish and Soviet troops then cooperated in the Lapland War to expel the last German units from Lapland.
Denmark and Norway were invaded by Germany in April 1940 during the events of the so-called "Operation Weserübung": the Danes capitulated quickly, while the Norwegians resisted longer, also thanks to the support of an Anglo-French expeditionary force, but ultimately surrendered in early June 1940.
Denmark was initially treated leniently, subjected to Germany but still retaining some internal autonomy; however, growing opposition from institutions and the populace to the oppressive policies imposed by Germany led, in August 1943, to the dissolution of the government and full German military occupation. In Norway, the Germans installed a puppet state led by Vidkun Quisling, but due to his lack of support, the country was fully subjected to Germany, being established as a Reichskommissariat.
In both Norway and Denmark, various armed resistance groups formed in opposition to the German occupiers and local collaborators.
Sweden played an ambivalent role: the country, formally neutral and uninvolved in the conflict throughout its duration, on one hand supported Finland’s struggle against the USSR and maintained intense trade with Nazi Germany; on the other hand, particularly after 1943, it provided refuge and assistance to Danish and Norwegian resistance groups and the regular armed forces established by their respective governments-in-exile, as well as supporting the populations of occupied countries with humanitarian interventions.