The 9th of April 1940 Norway was invaded by the Germans. My country was not prepared at all and was an easy prey. Still the German?s met resistance when they were sailing in the Oslo Fjord. This photo is from Oscarsborg Fortress where Blücher, their flagship was sunk. This was enough to delay the German invasion and enabled our king Haakon the 7th and the representatives of our Government to escape. The place looks so peaceful today, but once an arena for a battle where a lot of young men lost their lives.

Blücher was the second of five Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine, built after the rise of the Nazi Party and the repudiation of the Treaty of Versailles. Named for Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, the victor of the Battle of Waterloo, the ship was laid down in August 1936 and launched in June 1937. She was completed in September 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War II. After completing a series of sea trialsand training exercises, the ship was pronounced ready for service with the fleet on 5 April 1940.

Assigned to Group 5 during the invasion of Norway in April 1940, Blücher served as Konteradmiral Oskar Kummetz's flagship. The ship led the flotilla of warships into the Oslo fjord on the night of 8 April, to seize Oslo, the capital of Norway. Two old 28 cm (11 in) coastal guns in the Oscarsborg Fortress engaged the ship at very close range, scoring two hits. Two torpedoes fired by land-based torpedo batteries struck the ship, causing serious damage. A major fire broke out aboard Blücher, which could not be contained. After a magazine explosion, the ship slowly capsized and sank, with major loss of life. The wreck remains on the bottom of the Oslo Fjord.

Today we are marking this day all over Norway. The canons are silent now, 75 years later. Let us hope it stays like this for ever.