Mute edited footage originally shot by US Signal Corps cameramen showing men serving with Panzer-Brigade-Norwegen handing over their tanks and assault guns to British army and Norwegian MILORG personnel in the Akershus district outside Oslo circa 10 June 1945 following the unconditional surrender of all German forces in Norway the previous month.
The location is Trandum, the site of a former Norwegian Army training camp. The British officer seen taking the surrender of the commanding officer of Panzer-Brigade-Norwegen (and his adjutant) has been identified as Lt-Colonel O J O'Connor.
The tanks seen in this film are late-mark Panzer III medium tanks armed with either short-barrelled 7.5cm L/24 cannon or the long-barrelled 5cm L/60 cannon and have been fitted with "Schuezen" 8mm armour plates as protection for their turrets and also in several instances seen here to their hull sides against anti-tank rifle rounds. By 1945, the Panzer III was regarded as obsolete by German panzer commanders but no doubt the German garrison in Norway, denied access to more powerful tanks by the Nazi high command on the grounds they were needed on war fronts where fierce combat was taking place, found their presence in its order of battle reassuring.
Many Panzer IIIs and a smaller number of Sturmgeschutz III 7.5cm assault guns were re-activated for use by Norwegian armoured units in 1948 and they remained in service until their replacement by US M24 Chaffee light tanks in 1951.
5 сен 2024
