Germany invaded Norway but not Sweden primarily because Norway offered crucial strategic ports (like Narvik) for U-boats and a potential staging ground against Britain, while Sweden provided vital iron ore through peaceful trade and transit for troops, making an invasion unnecessarily costly and disruptive to Germany's war machine. Sweden's neutrality allowed Germany to secure these resources and strategic advantages without needing to divert significant troops or risk alienating a valuable economic partner and allowing Allied access to Swedish ports.
The geography of Sweden's wartime position, surrounded by German armed forces in Norway, Denmark, and Finland and cut off by the blockade imposed by both the Germans and the Allies, shaped the character of its neutrality stance and the Allies' economic warfare policies alike.
Germany invaded Denmark and Norway during World War II as part of its strategy to secure access to resources, particularly iron ore from Sweden, and to create a strong northern flank against a possible British or Russian invasion.
The Soviet Union liberated parts of Northern Norway. German troops in South Norway surrendered to Norwegian resistance troops partly coming down from the mountains and partly coming from training camps in Sweden.
Denmark and Norway
Denmark surrendered on the day it was invaded. British and French troops fought briefly in Norway, but engaged too late.
The Nazis considered Jews to be their number one enemy. During World War II, Nazi Germany and its allies and collaborators murdered six million Jews in a genocide now known as the Holocaust.
In the end, 20,000 Norwegians and a smaller number of Germans were given prison sentences. 77 Norwegians and 18 Germans received life sentences.
Though he esteemed Jesus as an Aryan fighter against Jewish materialism who was martyred for his anti-Jewish stance, he did not ascribe to Jesus's death any significance in human salvation. Indeed, he did not believe in salvation at all in the Christian sense of the term, because he denied a personal afterlife.
The initial plan was to push Denmark to accept that German land, naval and air forces could use Danish bases, but Adolf Hitler subsequently demanded that both Norway and Denmark be invaded. Denmark's military forces were inferior in numbers and equipment, and after a short battle were forced to surrender.
Swedish-German relations are close and friendly.
Napoleon's plans to invade Sweden were never executed because of the British activity on the Baltic Sea, the weakness of the Danish military and the hesitations of French Marshal Bernadotte, whose actions made him popular enough to be elected as a Swedish Crown Prince after the coup d'etat in March 1809.
Responding to German appeals for volunteers to fight the Soviet Union, approximately 270 Swedes enlisted in Germany's Waffen-SS, and saw combat against Soviet troops on the Eastern Front. This was a choice made by individual Swedish citizens, contrary to Swedish government policy.
The open border and linguistic similarities facilitated mobility: tens of thousands of Swedes and Norwegians live and work in the neighboring country, which has created family and social ties. The countries also emphasized their closeness at the state level. In the 21st century, relations remained excellent.
WW2 soldiers carried condoms primarily for disease prevention (STDs like syphilis and gonorrhea) and for practical combat uses, such as keeping sand and mud out of their rifle barrels, protecting small items, or even as makeshift waterproof bags, although the weapon-protection use is sometimes exaggerated in popular culture. The military distributed them widely (often in "prophylactic kits") to maintain troop strength, recognizing the significant manpower lost to venereal diseases in past conflicts.
The neutral countries during World War II were Andorra, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Monaco, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Vatican City. Different countries were neutral for different reasons.
The analysis of Hitler's DNA helps dispel the myth that he supposedly had Jewish ancestry. But it reveals something else: Adolf Hitler stands out genetically when it comes to predisposition for certain psychiatric disorders and brain developmental conditions.
Then, saying "It is finished, goodbye", Hitler took Eva back into their rooms for the last time. During the afternoon Hitler shot himself and Eva took the poison capsule that he had given her.
Many have questioned the depth of his religious affiliations. A survey during Trump's first presidency (2017–2021) showed that 63% of Americans did not believe he was religious, despite his professed Christian affiliation, and that only 44% of Americans believed that Trump was a Christian.
Norway's 23/5 rule is an alternative pathway to higher education for adults, requiring applicants to be at least 23 years old and have a total of 5 years of combined work experience/education, plus passing specific core subjects (Norwegian, English, Math, Science, Social Studies, History) to gain university admission certification, offering a second chance for those without standard upper secondary qualifications.
However, the government in Copenhagen decided that the German military superiority was too great to justify further resistance. At the same time heavy bombardment of the Danish cities and towns was feared. Therefore after only a few hours it was decided to surrender.
Haakon and the rest of the Norwegian royal family returned to Norway aboard the cruiser HMS Norfolk, arriving with the First Cruiser Squadron to cheering crowds in Oslo on 7 June 1945, exactly five years after they had been evacuated from Tromsø.
Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was scared of visiting the dentist, it has emerged. The man who ordered deaths of millions in the extermination camps once insisted his dentist draw out simple root-canal work over eight days because he "couldn't stand the pain".