By: HISTORY.com Editors

1940

Norway surrenders to Germany

Published: February 09, 2010Last Updated: May 27, 2025

After two months of desperate resistance, the last surviving Norwegian and British defenders of Norway are overwhelmed by the Germans, and the country is forced to capitulate to the Nazis.

Two months earlier, on April 9, Nazi Germany launched its invasion of Norway, capturing several strategic points along the Norwegian coast. During the preliminary phase of the invasion, Norwegian fascist forces under Vidkun Quisling acted as a so-called “fifth column” for the German invaders, seizing Norway’s nerve centers, spreading false rumors, and occupying military bases and other locations.

Vidkun Quisling served as the Norwegian minister of defense from 1931 to 1933, and in 1934 he left the ruling party to establish the Nasjonal Samling, or National Unity Party, in imitation of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party. Although Norway declared neutrality at the outbreak of World War II, Nazi Germany regarded the occupation of Norway a strategic and economic necessity. In the spring of 1940, Vidkun Quisling traveled to Berlin to meet with Nazi command and plan the German conquest of his country. On April 9, the combined German forces attacked without warning, and by June 10 Hitler had conquered Norway and driven all Allied forces from the country.

Although Quisling was the head of the only political party permitted by the Nazis, opposition to him in Norway was so great that it was not until February 1942 that he was able to formally establish his puppet government in Oslo. Under the authority of his Nazi commissioner, Josef Terboven, Quisling set up a repressive regime that was merciless toward those who defied it. However, Norway’s resistance movement soon became the most effective in all Nazi-occupied Europe, and Quisling’s authority rapidly waned. After the German surrender in May 1945, Quisling was arrested, convicted of high treason, and shot. From his name comes the word quisling, meaning “traitor” in several languages.

How the Neutral Countries in World War II Weren’t So Neutral

Neutrality was often more complex than simply avoiding choosing sides.

By: Cate Lineberry

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on June 10th

1692

First Salem witch hanging

In Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Bridget Bishop, the first colonist to be tried in the Salem witch trials, is hanged after being found guilty of the practice of witchcraft. Trouble in the small Puritan community began in February 1692, when nine-year-old Elizabeth Parris and 11-year-old Abigail Williams, the daughter and niece, respectively, […]

2:22m read

1752

Benjamin Franklin flies kite during thunderstorm

Benjamin Franklin flies a kite during a thunderstorm and collects ambient electrical charge in a Leyden jar, enabling him to demonstrate the connection between lightning and electricity.

2:16m read

1772

British vessel burned off Rhode Island

In an incident that some regard as the first naval engagement of the American Revolution, colonists board the HMS Gaspee, a British vessel that ran aground off the coast of Rhode Island, and set it aflame. The Gaspee was pursuing the Hanna, an American smuggling ship, when it ran aground off Namquit Point in Providence’s […]

0:58m read

1775

John Adams proposes a Continental Army

On June 10, 1775, John Adams proposes to Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, that the men laying siege to Boston should be considered a Continental Army led by a general. The men who had armed themselves and rushed to surround British forces in Boston following the Battle of Lexington and Concord were overwhelmingly from New England. […]

1:34m read

1881

Tolstoy disguises himself as a peasant and leaves on a pilgrimage

On June 10, 1881, Count Leo Tolstoy sets off on a pilgrimage to a monastery disguised as a peasant. Tolstoy had already produced his two greatest masterpieces War and Peace (1865-1869) and Anna Karenina (1875-1877). The Russian nobleman was engaged in a spiritual struggle and felt torn between his responsibility as a wealthy landlord to […]

1:40m read

1928

“Where the Wild Things Are” author Maurice Sendak is born

On June 10, 1928, author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, who revolutionized children’s literature with such best-selling books as Where the Wild Things Are and became one of the most celebrated children’s authors in contemporary history, is born in Brooklyn, New York. First published in 1963, Where the Wild Things Are was pioneering in its realistic […]

2:36m read

1935

Alcoholics Anonymous founded

In Akron, Ohio, Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith, two recovering alcoholics, found Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as “A.A.,” a 12-step rehabilitation program that eventually helps countless people cope with alcoholism. Based on psychological techniques that have long been used in suppressing certain personality traits, members of the strictly anonymous organization control their disease through […]

0:36m read

1939

Famous scene from “Gone with the Wind” filmed

On June 10, 1939, one of the most famous scenes in movie history is filmed: Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara parting in Gone with the Wind. Director Victor Fleming also shot the scene using the alternate line, “Frankly, my dear, I just don’t care,” in case the film censors objected to the word “damn.” The […]

1:16m read

1940

Italy declares war on France and Great Britain

On June 10, 1940, after withholding formal allegiance to either side in the battle between Germany and the Allies, Benito Mussolini, dictator of Italy, declares war on France and Great Britain. What caused Il Duce’s change of heart? Perhaps the German occupation of Paris did it. “First they were too cowardly to take part. Now […]

1:28m read

1942

In brutal reprisal, Nazis annihilate Czech village of Lidice

On June 10, 1942, Nazi troops obliterate the village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia after killing all adult males and deporting most of the surviving women and children to concentration camps. The brutal action came as part of a retaliation for the assassination of Nazi SS leader Reinhard Heydrich, known as Heydrich the Hangman—despite there being no […]

1:46m read

1944

Joe Nuxhall makes MLB debut at 15

On June 10, 1944, 15-year-old Joe Nuxhall becomes the youngest person ever to play Major League Baseball when he pitches in a game for the Cincinnati Reds. Nuxhall threw two-thirds of the ninth inning in an 18-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals; he was pulled only after one wild pitch and allowing five runs […]

2:16m read

1953

Eisenhower rejects calls for U.S. isolationism

In a forceful speech, President Dwight D. Eisenhower strikes back at critics of his Cold War foreign policy. He insisted that the United States was committed to the worldwide battle against communism and that he would maintain a strong U.S. defense. Just a few months into his presidency, and with the Korean War still raging, […]

1967

Six-Day War ends

The Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors ends with a United Nations-brokered cease-fire. The outnumbered Israel Defense Forces achieved a swift victory in the brief war, rolling over the Arab coalition and more than doubling the amount of territory under Israel’s control. The greatest fruit of victory lay in seizing the Old City […]

3:56m read

1968

General Westmoreland gives farewell press conference in Saigon

At a Saigon news conference on the day he is to turn over command of U.S. forces in Vietnam to Gen. Creighton Abrams, Gen. William Westmoreland offers his assessment of past and current trends in the war. In defense of his attrition policy, Westmoreland declared that it would ultimately make continued fighting “intolerable to the […]

1:10m read

1980

Nelson Mandela’s first major political statement from prison is published

In South Africa, the African National Congress (ANC) publishes a statement by Nelson Mandela, the long imprisoned leader of the anti-apartheid movement. The message, which Mandela had written in response to the 1976 Soweto uprising, had been smuggled out of Robben Island prison years later under great risk. It ends with the rallying cry: “UNITE! […]

2002

Doughnut truck thief arrested

On June 10, 2002, Clint Messina, 21, of Lacombe, Louisiana, is arrested and charged in the attempted murder of a police officer after driving into a patrol car while attempting to flee from sheriff’s deputies. Soon after, police discovered that he was already a wanted man. At about 3:30 a.m. on March 27, Messina and […]

1:24m read

2007

Last episode of “The Sopranos” airs

Almost 12 million people tune in for the series finale of HBO’s critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning mob-family drama The Sopranos on June 10, 2007. The mastermind behind The Sopranos was David Chase, a longtime writer, producer and director for TV series such as The Rockford Files, I’ll Fly Away and Northern Exposure. Chase drew inspiration for […]

2:54m read

World War II

214 videos

World War II

These Photos Depict the 'Miracle of Dunkirk' That Saved 338,000 Lives

These photos show the chaos and courage of the 1940 evacuation, when hundreds of thousands of Allied troops escaped German forces by sea.

World War II

10 Photos From V-J Day Celebrations Around the World

Victory over Japan Day ushered in peace after the devastation of World War II.

World War II

The Deadliest Ship Disaster in History Wasn’t the Titanic

The torpedoing of the German ocean liner *Wilhelm Gustloff* in 1945 led to the deaths of some 9,000 men, women and children.

About the author

HISTORY.com Editors

HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Christian Zapata, Cristiana Lombardo and Adrienne Donica.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.