Ballangen New Cemetery
- Country Norway
- Total identified casualties 24 Find these casualties
- Identified casualties from Second World War
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: 68.33493, Longitude: 16.81779
Location information
Ballangen is a town on the Vestfjord in north-west Norway about 25 km south west of Narvik. Approaching from the south follow the main E6 route through the town to the sharp left turn at the junction with the road to Bjorkasen, at which point the cemetery can be seen on the left side. The entrance is a further 200 metres along the road opposite the white wooden meeting house. From the entrance in the car park the war graves are approximately 80 metres along the path on the left side.
History information
During the Second World War, Norway was of strategic importance to the Germans. Their invasion on 9 April 1940 was sudden and widespread and despite Allied intervention, the entire country was under German occupation by early June. Thereafter, Allied activity in Norway was confined to raids and special operations, with the Commonwealth air forces providing support to Norwegian resistance groups until the German capitulation in May 1945. There are no Commonwealth war cemeteries in Norway; those who died there were buried in civil cemeteries and churchyards.
Ballangen was occupied on 26 April 1940 by the 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers.
Ballangen New Cemetery contains 28 Commonwealth burials, four of them unidentified. Most of the naval casualties served in HMS Hardy and HMS Hunter, and died in the First Battle of Narvik on 10 April 1940.