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Post Info TOPIC: Thorneycroft A/A gun and Norway
baldwin


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Thorneycroft A/A gun and Norway
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One for James (and every one else)

I have just had an order from Knut from Norway,included was a couple for the above. This puzzled me so I asked what the interest was.Knut informed me that the British supplied the A/A's to Norway in the Great War as there was a threat of Zepplin raids by the Germans.

I always thought Norway was neutral. Any body got  info on this ??????



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Barry John
Pzkpfw-e


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Norway was technically neutral, but did have lean towards Britain, especially after Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare, which caused great losses in shipping & crew amongst the Norwegian fleet, 915 ships and 2123 seamen.
Norway needed British coal and a "deal" was struck where for every boatload of coal going to Norway, a boatload of fish, copper ore & the like came our way.
It's quite likely that Zeppelins did violate Norwegian airspace, a strong wind whilst crossing back over the North Sea might blow a Zeppelin off-course, let alone any reccy missions that might be launched to spot shipping leaving Norwegian ports.

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James H


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I am most flattered by Baldwin's assumption about my level of knowledge, but I can offer no more than Adam on this one. How GB and Norway would have contrived such an arrangement, even if GB were prepared to spare the guns, I can't imagine - remember the Madsens. I shall see if I can turn anything up.

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baldwin


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James

You shouldn't take Hogmany so seriously.



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Barry John
baldwin


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Just had this from Knut-fascinating.

>The bit about the Thorney A/A sent to Norway is fascinating, have you any more info??
Norway was neutral during WW1, the government trying to keep the nation out of trouble with either side and businessmen wanted to trade with the ones who paid the most.
Britain had the advantage of being able to blockade the Norwegian coast at will (as done less than 100 years earlier when children died from hunger as a result) and while the Norwegian opinion was at least partially pro-German early in the war it did change due to the submarine warfare affecting Norwegian shipping.
In 1916/1917 did the British force Norway to stop sales of fish and ore to Germany - the British would be allowed to buy it all at fixed rates or they would stop the export of coal and other necessities to Norway.
The Germans threatened with sanctions against Norway and at the time there was nothing available to defend Norwegian cities against Zeppeliners so attempts were made at converting old field field pieces to AA guns.  
The British sweetened the deal by offering 10 Sopwith Baby floatplane fighters for the Naval Air Arm, BE2f aircraft for the Army Air Arm and a dozen mobile AA guns + AA guns for fixed installations
(The French also made available some Puteaux fixed guns).   
I live on one of the hills overlooking Oslo and we still have visible remains of the mounts for the fixed guns.
What happened to the Thorneycrofts is not known, but they left an impression.
A temporary mount of a M/16 AA gun was made on a truck during the fighting in April 1940 in an attempt to stop German light tanks, looking very much like the old Torneycroft AA set-up
The attached image is supposed to show one of the Army Thorneycroft set up outside the Parliament building in Oslo.
They were also considered useful in case of having to stop revolutionary crowds,
There is very little written on pre-WW2 military vehicles in Norway, earlier today I found some pictures of the first attempt at making an armored car based on a Kegresse half-track.


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Barry John
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