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Storlien, Sweden, 1940, German transit traffic Storlien, Sweden, 1940, German transit traffic, alpine riflemen. The matter of German troop transfer through Finland and Sweden during World War II was one of the more controversial aspects of modern Nordic history beside Finland's co-belligerence with Nazi Germany in the Continuation War, and the export of Swedish iron ore during World War II.
The operation had several far-reaching consequences for Sweden, which became effectively cut off from trade with the Western world and so was more dependent on German goodwill. In turn, it eventually led to commencing the permitenttrafik and the transition of the Engelbrecht Division but also lessened the immediate risk of Sweden being a ...
Sweden maintained its policy of neutrality during World War II.When the war began on 1 September 1939, the fate of Sweden was unclear. But by a combination of its geopolitical location in the Scandinavian Peninsula, realpolitik maneuvering during an unpredictable course of events, and a dedicated military build-up after 1942, Sweden kept its official neutrality status throughout the war.
Sweden agrees to transit German troops on leave, to and from Norway. The Permittenttrafiken (transit of German troops) commences. The transit is later expanded to allow the transport of materiel and reinforcements. In all about 2,1 million German soldiers are transported to and from Norway on Swedish railways until the transit is stopped in 1943.
Birke ("Birch") (1944) — German plan to withdraw from northern Finland prior to the Lapland War; Birkhahn (1945) — German evacuation from Norway.; Büffel ("Buffalo") (1940) — German operation to relieve troops in Narvik, Norway
Sweden subsequently did, in fact, begin rail transport of the German 163rd Infantry Division. [1] As Scott has written, "Sweden's conduct was not impartial in the Nazi-Soviet conflict. The decision to allow belligerent troops transit across Sweden was a conspicuous breach of international law regarding the conduct of neutral states ...
The German troops were composed of 2,000 mountain troops and 2,600 seamen from the sunken German invasion flotilla. On 17 April 1940, Hitler ordered the German troops to evacuate to Sweden to be interned (see the Allied campaign in Norway). The Battle of France and the Low Countries led to an Allied troop redeployment.
Norway and Sweden also feared an influx of Finnish refugees if Finland lost to the Soviets. Fifteen months later, the Swedish government conceded to German demands for transit rights of one division across Sweden for German troops on their way from occupied Norway to Finland to join the German attack on the Soviet Union. [8]