Hegra fortress
Encyclopedia
Hegra Fortress is a small mountain fortress
in the village of Hegra
in the municipality of Stjørdal
in Nord-Trøndelag
county, Norway
. Originally known as Ingstadkleiven Fort (also Ingstadkleiva Fort), it was built between 1907–1910 as a border fort as a defence against the perceived threat of a Swedish
invasion
.
, Northern Wars
, and Great Northern War
). After the 1905 dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden, the Norwegian military harboured continued fears of a Swedish invasion to retake Norway.
As a successful attack into the centre of the country could split it in half, the Norwegian general staff in February 1906 suggested the construction of a blocking fort in the Stjørdalen
valley. Ingstadkleiva was early on pointed out as a good location to block an advance from the east. Already in March that year the Minister of Defence
, commanding general, and chief of the Fortress Artillery surveyed the site and agreed to the plan. In a closed meeting on 26 April 1906, the Norwegian Parliament authorized the construction of Ingstadkleiva Fort, but no funds were allocated until 12 July 1907. In May 1908, the work began on the road up to the construction site and by January 1910 the fort was ready for use.
river, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the village of Hegra
. To the east, north, and north-west the terrain slopes down towards the Stjørdalen
valley and is dominated by the fort, while the south front is hilly and at a higher altitude than the Ingstadskleiva. Ingstadkleiva Fort has an excellent command of the Stjørdalen valley to the north and east, but to the west the view is blocked by the Grøthammeren and Hammeren hills, both about 300 metres (984.3 ft) high.
The fort's guns came from the dismantled Ørje Fortress
in Marker
. The artillery was made up of flat angle guns with a range of 6 to 9 km (3.7 to 5.6 ). The fortifications themselves consisted of 300 metres (984.3 ft) of halls and tunnels dynamited into the mountain at Ingstadkleiva, as well as trench systems and gun positions excavated from the rock with explosives. There are two main underground parallel tunnels of around 80 metres (262.5 ft) length, with a 35 metres (114.8 ft) tunnel connecting them at a straight angle. One of the main tunnels served as crew quarters while the other was in direct connection with the above ground artillery pits.
The fortress' artillery consisted of two 7.5 centimetres (3 in) and four 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) positional artillery pieces in half-turrets
placed in pits dynamited from the rock and lined with concrete, as well as four Krupp M/1887 field gun
s. The 8.4 centimetres (3.3 in) pieces, designed before the advent of recoil systems, were described by the Germans after the 1940 surrender as Napoleonic
.
The positional artillery is placed in an almost straight line facing east, with a 20 metres (65.6 ft) distance between each 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) gun and 16 metres (52.5 ft) between each 7.5 centimetres (3 in) piece.
To enable the fortress to withstand attack without support from outside a 5 metre wide barbed wire obstacle
was constructed encircling the entire fortress.
border areas with Sweden. In 1926, Ingstadkleiva Fort was put in reserve as part of the post-World War I
defence budget cuts.
's youth branch as a summer holiday camp for children. In late 1939, Finnish soldiers of the independent Lapland Group
who had crossed the Norwegian border into Finnmark
escaping the fighting
in the Petsamo
district in northern Finland
were interned at Ingstadkleiva Fort. All the Finns were repatriated
during the early days of 1940. During the Finnish internees' stay a sauna
was constructed at the fort's camp.
. During the first week the attacks consisted of two infantry
assaults; however in the last two weeks attacks mostly featured heavy artillery
fire and Luftwaffe
bombing, as well as aggressive patrolling
.
During the siege
large portions of the fort were covered in snow, and as all plans of the fort were stored in German-occupied Trondheim
several sections of the fortifications were not discovered by the defenders before the 5 May surrender
.
, Hegra Fortress was returned to Norwegian control and is today used as a museum with exhibitions detailing the fort's history with an emphasis on the 1940 siege. There is also a café and a souvenir
shop. The museum is often used for conferences and for seminars on issues of war and peace. Hegra Fortress is still owned by the Norwegian Defence Force
and financed through the Norwegian Ministry of Defence
.
Hegra Rifle Association has since 13 May 1962 held an annual shooting competition at the fortress. Organized in commemoration of the 1940 battle and of the Second World War in general, the competition is held on the Sunday closest to 8 May (VE Day
). The casing of a shell fired at the fortress in 1940 is awarded to the competition winner each year as a travelling trophy.
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
in the village of Hegra
Hegra
Hegra is a village and former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The former municipality encompassed most of the eastern part of the present-day municipality of Stjørdal....
in the municipality of Stjørdal
Stjørdal
is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Stjørdal, also called Stjørdalshalsen...
in Nord-Trøndelag
Nord-Trøndelag
is a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Originally known as Ingstadkleiven Fort (also Ingstadkleiva Fort), it was built between 1907–1910 as a border fort as a defence against the perceived threat of a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
invasion
Invasion
An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a...
.
Background
The intent behind Ingstadkleiva Fort was to block Swedish advances into Central Norway, as had happened repeatedly during the Swedish-Norwegian conflicts in the preceding centuries (see: Hannibal WarHannibal War
The Torstenson war, Hannibal controversy or Hannibal War was a short period of conflict between Sweden and Denmark–Norway which occurred in 1643 to 1645 during the waning days of the Thirty Years' War...
, Northern Wars
Northern Wars
Northern Wars is a term used for a series of wars fought in northern and northeastern Europe in the 16th and 17th century. An internationally agreed nomenclature for these wars has not yet been devised...
, and Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
). After the 1905 dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden, the Norwegian military harboured continued fears of a Swedish invasion to retake Norway.
Stjørdalen
Stjørdalen is a valley and a traditional district in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It makes up the southern part of the Inntrøndelag region....
valley. Ingstadkleiva was early on pointed out as a good location to block an advance from the east. Already in March that year the Minister of Defence
Minister of Defence (Norway)
The Norwegian Minister of Defence is a Councillor of the Council of State and Chief of the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, the position has existed since the Secretary of the Army and Secretary of the Navy was combined into the Minister of Defence...
, commanding general, and chief of the Fortress Artillery surveyed the site and agreed to the plan. In a closed meeting on 26 April 1906, the Norwegian Parliament authorized the construction of Ingstadkleiva Fort, but no funds were allocated until 12 July 1907. In May 1908, the work began on the road up to the construction site and by January 1910 the fort was ready for use.
Geography
The fort was built on, and named after, Ingstadkleiva — a 215 metres (705.4 ft) high forested hill south of the StjørdalselvaStjørdalselva
Stjørdalselva is a long river that reaches from near the Norwegian–Swedish border down the Stjørdalen valley through the municipalities of Meråker and Stjørdal before entering the Trondheimsfjord. The mouth is located between the villages of Stjørdalshalsen and Hell just south of Trondheim...
river, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the village of Hegra
Hegra
Hegra is a village and former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The former municipality encompassed most of the eastern part of the present-day municipality of Stjørdal....
. To the east, north, and north-west the terrain slopes down towards the Stjørdalen
Stjørdalen
Stjørdalen is a valley and a traditional district in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It makes up the southern part of the Inntrøndelag region....
valley and is dominated by the fort, while the south front is hilly and at a higher altitude than the Ingstadskleiva. Ingstadkleiva Fort has an excellent command of the Stjørdalen valley to the north and east, but to the west the view is blocked by the Grøthammeren and Hammeren hills, both about 300 metres (984.3 ft) high.
Ingstadkleiva Fort
Ørje Fortress
Ørje Fortress lies in Marker municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The fortification was built in 1902 and 1903 to guard the heavily trafficked route through Ørje, which was an important entry point from Sweden....
in Marker
Marker, Norway
Marker is a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ørje. Marker was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1964 after the merger of the two old municipalities of Rødenes and Øymark....
. The artillery was made up of flat angle guns with a range of 6 to 9 km (3.7 to 5.6 ). The fortifications themselves consisted of 300 metres (984.3 ft) of halls and tunnels dynamited into the mountain at Ingstadkleiva, as well as trench systems and gun positions excavated from the rock with explosives. There are two main underground parallel tunnels of around 80 metres (262.5 ft) length, with a 35 metres (114.8 ft) tunnel connecting them at a straight angle. One of the main tunnels served as crew quarters while the other was in direct connection with the above ground artillery pits.
The fortress' artillery consisted of two 7.5 centimetres (3 in) and four 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) positional artillery pieces in half-turrets
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
placed in pits dynamited from the rock and lined with concrete, as well as four Krupp M/1887 field gun
Field gun
A field gun is an artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march and when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances, as to opposed guns installed in a fort, or to siege cannon or mortars which...
s. The 8.4 centimetres (3.3 in) pieces, designed before the advent of recoil systems, were described by the Germans after the 1940 surrender as Napoleonic
Napoleonic weaponry and warfare
Napoleon I of France is recognised as one of the greatest commanders in military history. His main strategy was focusing on one part of the enemy, quickly defeating them, and continuing onward...
.
The positional artillery is placed in an almost straight line facing east, with a 20 metres (65.6 ft) distance between each 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) gun and 16 metres (52.5 ft) between each 7.5 centimetres (3 in) piece.
To enable the fortress to withstand attack without support from outside a 5 metre wide barbed wire obstacle
Wire obstacle
In the military science of fortification, wire obstacles are defensive obstacles made from barbed wire, barbed tape or concertina wire. They are designed to disrupt, delay and generally slow down an attacking enemy...
was constructed encircling the entire fortress.
Early period
During the period 1910 to 1926 the fort was used as a major military base for the TrøndelagTrøndelag
Trøndelag is the name of a geographical region in the central part of Norway, consisting of the two counties Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag. The region is, together with Møre og Romsdal, part of a larger...
border areas with Sweden. In 1926, Ingstadkleiva Fort was put in reserve as part of the post-World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
defence budget cuts.
Deactivated period
From 1934–1939, the deactivated fort was used by the Norwegian Red CrossNorwegian Red Cross
The Norwegian Red Cross was founded September 22, 1865 by prime minister Frederik Stang. In 1907 the Norwegian Ministry of Defence authorized the organization for voluntary medical aid in war...
's youth branch as a summer holiday camp for children. In late 1939, Finnish soldiers of the independent Lapland Group
Lapland Group
The Lapland Group was a formation of the Finnish Army during the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. The Group was formed on 13 December 1939 from troops of the North Finland Group. The Group was placed under the command of Major General Kurt Martti Wallenius and had its headquarters...
who had crossed the Norwegian border into Finnmark
Finnmark
or Finnmárku is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. By land it borders Troms county to the west, Finland to the south and Russia to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea to the northwest, and the Barents Sea to the north and northeast.The county was formerly known as Finmarkens...
escaping the fighting
Battle of Petsamo (1939)
The Battle of Petsamo was fought between Finnish and Soviet troops in the area of Petsamo in the far north of Finland in 1939 and 1940. The Finnish troops were greatly outnumbered but managed to contain the Soviet troops due to the extreme terrain and weather....
in the Petsamo
Pechengsky District
Pechengsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located to the northwest of the Kola Peninsula on the coast of the Barents Sea and borders with Finland in the south and southwest and with Norway in the west, northwest, and north...
district in northern Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
were interned at Ingstadkleiva Fort. All the Finns were repatriated
Repatriation
Repatriation is the process of returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or soldiers to their place of origin following a war...
during the early days of 1940. During the Finnish internees' stay a sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
was constructed at the fort's camp.
Norwegian Campaign
In 1940, from 15 April to 5 May, Hegra was attacked by the German invadersNorwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
. During the first week the attacks consisted of two infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
assaults; however in the last two weeks attacks mostly featured heavy artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
fire and Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
bombing, as well as aggressive patrolling
Patrolling
Patrolling is a military tactic. Small groups or individual units are deployed from a larger formation to achieve a specific objective and then return. The tactic of patrolling may be applied to ground troops, armoured units, naval units, and combat aircraft...
.
During the siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
large portions of the fort were covered in snow, and as all plans of the fort were stored in German-occupied Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
several sections of the fortifications were not discovered by the defenders before the 5 May surrender
Surrender (military)
Surrender is when soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and eventually become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. A white flag is a common symbol of surrender, as is the gesture of raising one's hands empty and open above one's head.When the...
.
Present-day fortress
After the end of the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Hegra Fortress was returned to Norwegian control and is today used as a museum with exhibitions detailing the fort's history with an emphasis on the 1940 siege. There is also a café and a souvenir
Souvenir
A souvenir , memento, keepsake or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. The term souvenir brings to mind the mass-produced kitsch that is the main commodity of souvenir and gift shops in many tourist traps around the world...
shop. The museum is often used for conferences and for seminars on issues of war and peace. Hegra Fortress is still owned by the Norwegian Defence Force
Norwegian Defence Force
The Norwegian Armed Forces numbers about 23,000 personnel, including civilian employees. According to mobilisation plans , the strength during full mobilisation would be approximately 83,000 combatant personnel. Norway has mandatory military service for men and voluntary service for women...
and financed through the Norwegian Ministry of Defence
Norwegian Ministry of Defence
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence is a Norwegian government ministry in charge of the formation and implementation of national security and defence policy, and for the overall management and control of the activities of subordinate agencies. The ministry is located at Glacisgata 1, Oslo,...
.
Hegra Rifle Association has since 13 May 1962 held an annual shooting competition at the fortress. Organized in commemoration of the 1940 battle and of the Second World War in general, the competition is held on the Sunday closest to 8 May (VE Day
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
). The casing of a shell fired at the fortress in 1940 is awarded to the competition winner each year as a travelling trophy.