Kvarven Fort

Construction

In the late 1800s, relations between the two countries in the union between Sweden and Norway had gradually worsened. Norwegians were discontented and wanted independence. In case of a violent dissolution of the union, new coastal defenses were built. In Bergen, several forts were built to defend the harbour and the naval installations at Marineholmen and Wallemsviken from Swedish seaborne attacks. Kvarven fort was one of these, along with Hellen Fort and batteries in Sandviken.{{cite web|url= http://www.bergenbyarkiv.no/bergenbyleksikon/arkiv/1425054?s=Marineholmen

Construction of Kvarven Fort began in 1895. The military bought the nearby farm Bakke in 1898, and turned its stately main building into the commander's quarters. The fort construction was completed in 1899. An additional torpedo battery was in place by 1902. This and the Howitzer L/14 cannons made Kvarven a very modern fort for its time, though it did not have to fulfil its intended use as the union with Sweden dissolved peacefully in 1905.{{cite web|url= https://kulturminnesok.no/minne/?queryString=https://data.kulturminne.no/askeladden/lokalitet/94385

World War I

Norway was a neutral country in World War I. Kvarven Fort had a full complement of soldiers in order to maintain neutrality.

World War II

Norway attempted to maintain neutrality during World War II as well, but was invaded by the Germans in their Operation Weserübung on April 9, 1940. The Bergen part of the operation was fronted by cruisers and , with a total of 1,900 German soldiers. Kvarven fort was manned by 33 officers and 279 corporals and privates with an average age of around forty. once, compelling both ships to break off their attempt to force their way into the harbour. After these ships, the cruiser Königsberg tried to break through and was hit by three shells: one beneath the waterline, one on deck and the third hitting the conning tower. Königsberg was barely saved due to its own counter fire and great technical difficulties up at the fort.

Kvarven surrendered at ca. 07.00 am after a short infantry battle between the German landing forces and Krag–Jørgensen rifle armed gun crews from the fort. Defence by use of torpedoes was also possible, as Kvarven held one of only two land-based torpedo batteries in Norway at the time, and, after the alarm from detection of German attack at Oslo had gone out, a torpedo boat was maneuvering into position nearby. The other land-based torpedo battery, at Oscarsborg Fortress, defended Oslo against the simultaneous German invasion there and featured underwater release of its torpedoes. It was unknown to German military intelligence. Two obsolete torpedoes from the Oscarsborg Fortress fired at 4:34 am{{cite book

German naval personnel manned the fort for the rest of the war, incorporating it into their Festung Bergen defence. During this period, the fort was extended and modernised.

Today

The fortress was closed for military use in 1961. Kvarven Fort opened in 1993 as a preserved cultural area open to the public. It is a popular area to explore for tourists and locals alike, and the area is also an entry to Lyderhorn and Ørnafjellet for hikers. It is now a recreational area on the shore of Byfjorden.

References

Related reading

• Petrow, Richard (1974) The Bitter Years; The Invasion and Occupation of Denmark and Norway, April 1940-May 1945 (London: William Morrow & Co.)
• Haarr, Geirr (2012) The German Invasion of Norway: Apr-40 (Seaforth Publishing)

References

1. "Kvarven fort". Høgskolen i Bergen.
2. "Kvarven fort". nortfort.ru.
3. The fort failed to open fire at the first German ships of the invasion force, mistaking the [[Naval trawler. armed trawlers]] ''Schiff 9'' and ''Schiff 18'' for unarmed merchant ships. When the fort finally opened fire at 3:58 in the morning, it only managed to get off a few shots through the fog at two torpedo boats and the cruiser ''Köln''. The ships did not retaliate, but sent a [[morse code]]d message in English saying “stop shooting!“. Only the third wave of German ships were taken under effective fire by Kvarven. The fort first hit ''[[German training ship Bremse. Bremse]]'' twice, then the MTB mothership ''Carl Peters'' [http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/40-04.htm 1940 April] stuttgart.de {{in lang. de
4. "Preparations and the battle of Bergen". nortfort.ru.
5. {{lang. no. Fjeld, Odd T. (ed.): "Klar til strid - Kystartilleriet gjennom århundrene", Kystartilleriets Offisersforening, Oslo 1999 {{ISBN. 82-995208-0-0, page 159.
6. • {{lang. no. Stangeland, Gro & Eva Valebrokk: "Norges bedste Værn og Fæste - Nasjonale festningsverk", Wigestrand Forlag AS, Stavanger 2001 {{ISBN. 82-91370-35-4, page 260.
7. "Preparations and the battle of Bergen 9. april 1940". Norge under andre verdenskrig (Norway during World War II).
8. "Gravdalsviken". geoview.info.
9. Erlend Hammer. "Bergen festning". Store norske leksikon.