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Oscarsborg Festning Oscarsborg festning is a coastal fortress in the Oslofjord, close to the small city of Drbak. The fortress is situated on two small islets in the fjord and was military territory until 2003 when it was made a publicly available resort island. The fortress became famous on April 9, 1940 during World War II for the sinking of the German heavy cruiser Blcher. Early history of the fortress The narrows at Drbak, called Drbaksundet is a natural point for naval defence of Oslo, the capital of Norway. The first defences were constructed during the reign of Christian IV of Denmark and was ready in 1643. The fortifications was however not involved in battle. Around 1830 the discussion started for a modernisation of the fortress and the first stage was ready in 1848, the next in 1853. The name of the fortress was given after a visit by the Swedish Norwegian King Oscar I of Sweden on August 23, 1855. By the end of the nineteenth century the art of war developed rapidly and the new fortress was soon obsolete. The tension was also growing between the two countries in union and so the Norwegians decided to upgrade the fortress. From 1890 new improved German guns were installed, a underwater barrier was constructed and a torpedo battery was constructed. The main armament was three 280 mm calibre guns manufactured by Krupp. There was also a number of guns with less calibre (150 mm and 57 mm) on the mainland. The underwater barrier went from the main islet Kaholmen and southwest to the western side of the fjord, thus making it impossible for vessels to sail west of the fortress. The attack by German naval forces, April 1940 When the fortress finally came under attack in April 9, 1940, its armament was all over 40 years old, and of German origin. Both the guns and the torpedo battery worked flawlessly and thus managed to save the Norwegian King and governnment from being taken prisoners. As the situation was chaotic, the ageing 65 year commander, Colonel Birger Eriksen had not received any clear orders and was not sure whether the approaching warships were German or Allied. He was however well aware of Norway's position of neutrality, but siding with the British if war broke out. Except from the ageing officers, most of the soldiers were fresh recruits. By his own initative, the order to fire was given 0421 and two rounds from the 28 cm calibre guns Moses and Aron engaged Blcher at 1.800 range. The German heavy cruiser Blcher was sunk by artillery and torpedo and some 830 Germans died, while the remaining naval force destined for Oslo had to retreat. The fortress was bombed later on the same day but without Norwegian casualties. As Oslo had been taken by forces airlifted the commander, Colonel Birger Eriksen decided that further fighting was in vain and surrendered April 10 in the morning. The fortress as it is today After WW II the fortress importance has diminished and is now a civillian resort and attraction, open for visitors. The scenic surroundings is much used for conferences and excursions. Visitors take a short motorlaunch trip from Drbak. External links
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