5th Division (Norway)

The 5th Division was a territorial and operational formation of the Norwegian Army that existed from 1916 until the German invasion of Norway in 1940. It was responsible for the defense of the central Norwegian areas of Møre og Romsdal and Trøndelag, a strategically important region linking western Norway, the Trøndelag basin, and routes toward the interior. The formation developed from the 5th Brigade, which had served as the Norwegian Army's district organization for the same broad area from 1911. In 1916, the brigade was redesignated as the 5th Division as part of the country's changing military organization. The division's role was shaped by Norway's geography and limited pre-war defense resources. Rather than operating as a modern permanently concentrated field formation, it served as a regional command responsible for mobilization, garrisoning, administration, and the coordination of subordinate units. Its area included important ports, transport corridors, and approaches to Trondheim and the central Norwegian interior. The division's forces included Infantry Regiment 11, whose 1st and 2nd Battalions were stationed at Åndalsnes before the German attack. The formation became directly involved in the Norwegian Campaign following Germany's invasion on 9 April 1940. Its commander, Jacob Ager Laurantzon, issued instructions that no battle should be fought against the Germans and sought to report to the German commander in Trondheim. These instructions created a serious command crisis. County governor Håkon Five of Nord-Trøndelag, together with Colonels Getz and Wettre, prevented Laurantzon from carrying out this course and had him removed from command on 27 April. The episode illustrates the uncertainty and internal conflict that affected parts of Norway's military and civil administration during the invasion. Units assigned to the 5th Division nevertheless fought in several important actions. The 1st and 2nd Battalions of Infantry Regiment 11, based at Åndalsnes, took part in the Battle of Dombås from 14 to 19 April 1940 against Germany's 7th Flieger Division. Other units associated with the formation participated in operations around Dombås, Åndalsnes, and Namsos during the wider campaign in central Norway. These operations attempted to delay or contain German forces and to support Allied and Norwegian efforts to hold key transport and logistical points. The 5th Division ceased to exist in its wartime form after the 1940 campaign and the German occupation of Norway. Later Norwegian military organizations used related regional, logistical, and regimental structures, but the historical division described in the reference material belongs to the period from 1916 to 1940. It is therefore a defunct military formation rather than a commercial brand, consumer product, or operating company.

The formation's institutional origins lay in the Norwegian Army's reorganization of its regional military structure before the First World War. The 5th Brigade was established in 1911 as the Army's district organization for Møre og Romsdal and Trøndelag. In 1916, it was redesignated the 5th Division. The change reflected a broader effort to organize Norway's territorial defense through regional formations that could supervise mobilization, training, garrisons, and the deployment of units within defined geographic districts. The division's assigned territory covered central Norwegian districts of high strategic importance. Romsdal provided access between the western coast and the interior, while Trøndelag contained Trondheim and several important roads, rail links, ports, and approaches to northern and eastern Norway. The division therefore combined a territorial role with responsibility for responding to threats against transport routes and coastal and inland centers. Its forces were not continuously concentrated in one location, and its wartime strength and readiness depended on mobilization and the availability of subordinate regiments and battalions. By the opening of the Second World War, Infantry Regiment 11 was among the units connected with the division. Its 1st and 2nd Battalions were garrisoned at Åndalsnes, a port and transport hub in Romsdal. When Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940, the division became part of the country's improvised defense effort. The campaign in central Norway included fighting around Dombås, Åndalsnes, and Namsos, where Norwegian forces attempted to resist German advances and where Allied troops also became involved. The division's wartime command was disrupted by the actions of Jacob Ager Laurantzon. On the day of the invasion, Laurantzon gave instructions that no battle should be fought against the Germans and expressed an intention to report to the German commander in Trondheim. His position was challenged by civilian and military authorities. Håkon Five, the county governor of Nord-Trøndelag, worked with Colonels Getz and Wettre to prevent the proposed submission, and Laurantzon was removed from command on 27 April 1940. This episode formed one of the most consequential leadership disputes associated with the formation during the campaign. Despite the command crisis, units linked to the 5th Division fought German forces. At Dombås, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of Infantry Regiment 11 engaged the German 7th Flieger Division between 14 and 19 April. The action was part of the wider struggle for control of central Norwegian communications and demonstrated that the division's subordinate units could conduct active operations even while the national defense system was under severe pressure. Other elements participated in operations in the Dombås, Åndalsnes, and Namsos areas. The 5th Division's historical existence ended with the 1940 Norwegian Campaign and the subsequent occupation of Norway. Later military and logistical organizations inherited some regional functions and traditions, but they should not be treated as the same division without separate evidence. The formation is best understood as a Norwegian Army district and wartime command rather than as a commercial brand.

• 1940

  Norwegian Campaign begins

  [1]5th Division (Norway)en.wikipedia.org

  The German invasion on 9 April brought the division and its subordinate units into operations in central Norway.

• 1940

  Battle of Dombås

  [1]5th Division (Norway)en.wikipedia.org

  The 1st and 2nd Battalions of Infantry Regiment 11 fought the German 7th Flieger Division at Dombås from 14 to 19 April.

• 1940

  Laurantzon removed from command

  [1]5th Division (Norway)en.wikipedia.org

  Håkon Five and Colonels Getz and Wettre arranged the removal of commander Jacob Ager Laurantzon on 27 April after his instructions against fighting the Germans.

• 1916

  Redesignated as the 5th Division

  [1]5th Division (Norway)en.wikipedia.org

  The 5th Brigade was renamed the 5th Division as part of the Norwegian Army's changing organizational structure.

• 1911

  5th Brigade established

  [1]5th Division (Norway)en.wikipedia.org

  The 5th Brigade was established as the Norwegian Army's district organization for Møre og Romsdal and Trøndelag.

A regional Norwegian Army formation tasked with the defense and military administration of Møre og Romsdal and Trøndelag.

• 1940Norwegian Campaign in central Norway

  Norway

  The 5th Division and its subordinate units took part in the defense of central Norway following the German invasion. Operations associated with the formation included actions around Dombås, Åndalsnes, and Namsos.

  Outcome. German forces ultimately secured central Norway, and the division ceased to exist in its wartime form after the campaign.

  Source

• 1940

  Instruction not to fight German forcesStrategy

  Background

  After the German invasion on 9 April 1940, divisional commander Jacob Ager Laurantzon directed that no battle should be fought against the Germans and sought to report to the German commander in Trondheim.

  Action taken

  Civilian and military authorities opposed the instruction; Håkon Five and Colonels Getz and Wettre prevented the proposed course and had Laurantzon removed on 27 April.

  Aftermath

  Units associated with the division continued to fight in central Norway, including at Dombås, Åndalsnes, and Namsos.

  Source

1. 15th Division (Norway)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Operation Weserübung and the Origins of Joint Warfarendupress.ndu.edu