Wargames To Go 27.2 - SDHistCon and Invasion of Norway (Conclusion)

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Here's what I wrote last time...

Quote:

Ok, let's see how my attempt to tackle smaller topics more often actually goes. Can I get out one show/topic per quarter? That's my personal goal for the rest of 2025. Then I'll re-evaluate.

FAIL

Oh well, it was a noble goal.

The reasons I didn't succeed in my goal are boring, so let's skip those. There's always next year, which isn't so far away!

In this episode I do manage to bring my Norway topic to a conclusion, by playing not too many more games, but by seeing more films and going to this wonderful country. Like almost all traveling, it was a lovely experience. And like almost all my wargame explorations, I learned quite a lot. That's a win, in my book.

Before I get to those games, movies, and travel, however, I use this opportunity to talk about my experience at SDHistCon last month. I'd been to this unique convention once before, and again it was a great experience. One of these days I hope to make it to the Circle DC event on the opposite coast, which sounds equally fantastic.

     

For Norway, I was fortunate to visit in May, just in time for their national holiday. We arrived in Oslo and spent several days there. That included a side trip to Oscarsborg Fortress (Festning), which was instrumental in slowing down the German invasion and takeover of the capital & country. It's probably no exaggeration to say that the bold action of its commanding officer gave just enough time for the government and royal family to flee Oslo, ultimately forming a government-in-exile rather than one forced to surrender. Not to mention the evacuation of the nation's remaining gold reserves overseas, away from German hands (as happened in other countries).

Guns of Oscarsborg Festning that fired across the narrow Oslofjord


And here was the fire control room for the fixed torpedo tubes that stopped & sunk the invading Blucher cruiser


The fortress museum has a great animated map of the entire event. Even in 2025 you can't always find the same things online.

Oslo was an occupied capital for the entire war, and it contains a fantastic resistance museum. It made me think of the different ways countries were occupied, which ones had governments in exile, and other peculiarities. I also learned more about the various coastal raids that the British conducted in occupied Norway throughout the war.


Films
• Max Manus
• The 12th Man
• Suicide Mission
• The Arctic Convoy
• War Sailor
• April 9th
• Gold Run

Outside and inside photos of the Hegra Festning (Fortres) that held out in northern Norway
 

-Mark

For my next topic I'm going to be looking at America's entry into WW2 in Europe, at least in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. Here's the geeklist for it.