A different chapter for No.5s (Jungle carbines) that I knew nothing about.

[drm2m]

The 1st Airborne Division never fully recovered from their losses at Arnhem. Just after the end of the war, the depleted formation took part in Operation Doomsday in Norway. They were tasked with the disarmament and repatriation of the German occupation army. The division then returned to England and was disbanded in November 1945.

In Operation Doomsday, the British 1st Airborne Division acted as a police and military force during the Allied occupation of Norway in May 1945, immediately after the victory in Europe during the Second World War. The division maintained law and order until the arrival of the remainder of Force 134, the occupation force. During its time in Norway, the division was tasked with supervising the surrender of the German forces in Norway, as well as preventing the sabotage of vital military and civilian facilities.

The German Instrument of Surrender was delivered on 8 May to General Franz Böhme, the commander of all German forces stationed in Norway, and the 1st Airborne Division landed near Oslo and Stavanger between 9 May and 11 May. The majority of the transport aircraft carrying the division landed safely, but one crash caused a number of fatalities. The division encountered little of the expected German resistance. Operational duties included welcoming back King Haakon VII of Norway, looking after Allied ex-prisoners of war, arresting war criminals and supervising the clearing of minefields.


David