The Battle of Vinjesvingen took place in May of 1940 in Telemark county, Norway. It became one of the two last strongholds of Norwegian resistance in southern Norway during World War II, alongside the struggle of Hegra Fortress. Vinjesvingen was a battle in the Norwegian Campaign. Look up May in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Telemark is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Hegra fortress (Norw. ... German battle cruisers in a Norwegian port in June 1940 The Norwegian Campaign led to the first direct confrontation between the military forces of the Allies — United Kingdom and France against Nazi Germany in World War II. The primary reason for Germany seeking the occupation of Norway was Germanys...

Under the command of 2nd Lieutenant Thor O. Hannevig, the Norwegians held their position against superior German forces until May 5 1940. Hannevig managed to sneak great loads of arms, equipment and fuel from depots right in front of the German forces. The equipment was brought to Vinje and Vågsli in Telemark, where Hannevig established a department which was known as Telemark Infantry Regiment. The plan was to prevent German advance westward through Telemark and Setesdal, and to support Allied reinforcements from the west. May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... County Telemark Landscape Vest-Telemark Municipality NO-0834 Administrative centre Vinje Mayor (2003) Arne Vinje (SV) Official language form Nynorsk Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 12 3,106 km² 2,732 km² 0. ... Telemark is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. ... Telemark is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. ... Ã…raksbø in Setesdalen, Norway. ... The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis Powers during the Second World War. ...

A full mobilization was activated in the area, and at most the force totaled around 300 men, but the number changed constantly. Several small battles were fought, mostly involving Norwegian ambushes on advancing German formations, using small arms and IEDs. The Norwegian defenders often destroyed and/or damaged bridges and roads in the area to delay the German advance. An ambush is a long established military tactic in which an ambushing force uses concealment to attack an enemy that passes its position. ... Small arms captured in Fallujah, Iraq by the US Marine Corps in 2004 The term small arms generally describes any number of smaller infantry weapons, such as firearms that an individual soldier can carry. ... IED is also an abbreviation for Intelligent Electronic Device IED is also an abbreviation for Intermittent explosive disorder A large cache of munitions found in Afghanistan in 2004. ...

The Norwegians relied on Krag-Jørgensen bolt action rifles, mortars, heavy machine guns, as well as mines and explosives to destroy bridges and roads. The Krag-Jørgensen is a repeating bolt action rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th century. ... A bolt-action firearm is one that is manually operated (i. ... US soldier loading a M224 60-mm mortar. ... The M2 machine gun with a tripod weighs 58 kg (128 lb). ... A land mine is a type of self-contained explosive device which is placed onto or into the ground, exploding when triggered by a vehicle, a person, or an animal. ... This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ...

The main battle continued from the 3rd to the 5th of May. Large German forces were eventually deployed to the area, and the German losses were considerable. When it was realized that the entire south of Norway was lost, and that there would be no Allied invasion from the west, Hannevig initiated negotiations for surrender. The battles of Vinjesvingen had a great symbolic effect during the occupation, and provided a moral boost to a rather depressing occupation. It was not known to the rest of the country while the battles were fought, however. May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ...

Reference

• Lødrup, Hans P: Vinjesvingen. Et lite blad av krigens historie i Norge.