Nesbyen Churchyard
- Country Norway
- Total identified casualties 9 Find these casualties
- Identified casualties from Second World War
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: 60.56715, Longitude: 9.10402
Location information
Nesbyen is in the Hallingdal Valley in south-central Norway, 180 kilometres north-west of Oslo. From route 7, Oslo to Bergen road, turn off at the bypass into Nesbyen. At the T-junction turn left, follow along to the roundabout and turn left again. Follow past the church on the right and turn first right to rear of church. The Commonwealth war graves are to the left of the gate.
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 being buried in civil cemeteries and churchyards. Nesbyen Churchyard contains the graves of ten Commonwealth airmen, the crew of a Lancaster of 617 Squadron which crashed on a mountain top nearby on 17 September 1944, where they were originally buried. One of the airmen is unidentified