Allied Forces North Norway (NON) was a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

command tasked with the defense of Northern

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

. NON's area of responsibility covered the three northernmost

counties of Norway Norway is divided into 11 administrative regions, called counties (singular no, fylke, plural nb, fylker; nn, fylke from Old Norse: ''fylki'' from the word "folk", sme, fylka, sma, fylhke, smj, fylkka, fkv, fylkki) which until 191 ...

Nordland Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, ...

Troms Troms (; se, Romsa; fkv, Tromssa; fi, Tromssa) is a former county in northern Norway. On 1 January 2020 it was merged with the neighboring Finnmark county to create the new Troms og Finnmark county. This merger is expected to be reversed by t ...

and

Finnmark Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнмарк) was a county in the northern part of Norway, and it is scheduled to become a county again in 2024. On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbour ...

, as well as the adjacent sea territory. It formed part of

Allied Forces Northern Europe Allied Forces Northern Europe (AFNORTH) was the northern Major Subordinate Command of NATO's Allied Command Europe (ACE), located at Kolsås outside Oslo. In the case of war with the Soviet Union, AFNORTH would assume supreme command of all Allie ...

History

Allied Forces North Norway (NON) was activated in 1962 along with Allied Forces South Norway (SONOR) and

Allied Forces Baltic Approaches Allied Forces Baltic Approaches (BALTAP) was a Principal Subordinate Command (PSC) of the NATO Military Command Structure, with responsibility for the Baltic Sea area. It was in existence from 1962 to 2002 and consisted of the Danish Armed Forces ...

. Unlike most other NATO commands NON was a staffed entirely by members of the

Norwegian Armed Forces The Norwegian Armed Forces ( no, Forsvaret, , The Defence) is the military organization responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Coast Guard, the Royal ...

. Its operational headquarters was located in a bunker at Reitan, which today is used as the Norwegian Joint Headquarters. The commander of NON had three deputies: Commander Land Forces North Norway, Commander Air Forces North Norway and Commander Naval Forces North Norway. Each of the three deputies commanded the Norwegian units of his service branch based in . Incoming allied units would have come under the command of these three deputy commanders.

Structure in 1989

NON had the following units at its disposal to fight an attack by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

's 6th Army: * Allied Forces North Norway (NON), commanded by a Norwegian

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

Commander Naval Forces North Norway

Naval Forces North Norway (NAVNON) was tasked with the defence of Northern Norway's coastal waters against Soviet naval incursions and amphibious landings. Operations in the ocean beyond Norway's coastal waters were under the command of NATO

Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT) was one of two supreme commanders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the other being the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The SACLANT led Allied Command Atlantic was based at ...

's (SACLANT) Northern Sub-Area Command (NORLANT). Therefore NAVNON consisted of coastal artillery units and one fast attack craft squadron. The boats for the fast attack craft squadron were dispatched from units in Southern Norway on a rotational basis. * Commander Naval Forces North Norway (NAVNON), commanded by a Norwegian

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...

: ** Olavsvern Naval Base near

Tromsø Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the ...

*** 22nd

Fast Attack Craft A fast attack craft (FAC) is a small, fast, agile, offensive, often affordable warship armed with anti-ship missiles, gun or torpedoes. FACs are usually operated in close proximity to land as they lack both the seakeeping and all-round defens ...

Squadron ** Ramsund Naval Base near

Narvik ( se, Áhkanjárga) is the third-largest List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Narvik (town), town of Narvik. Some of t ...

** Sortland Naval Base in Sortland ** Coastal Artillery ***

county: **** Bremnes Fortress in

Bodø Bodø (; smj, Bådåddjo, sv, Bodö) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Bodø (which is also the capital of Nordland coun ...

**** Ofotfjord defenses to protect

***** Korshamn Torpedo Battery in

Ballangen Ballangen ( sme, Bálák) is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1925 until its dissolution in 2020. The municipality was part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of th ...

***** Porsøy Torpedo Battery in Ballangen ***** Nes Fort in Lødingen with 2x 120mm Tornautomatpjäs m/70 automatic guns ***** Tjeldøy Fort in Tjeldsund ***

county: ****

Andfjorden Andfjorden is a fjord on the border of Nordland and Troms og Finnmark counties in Norway. It primarily flows between the large islands of Andøya and Senja. Grytøya and the smaller islands Bjarkøya and Krøttøya are located in the fjord. The ...

defenses to protect

Harstad ( se, Hárstták) is the second-most populated municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the town of Harstad, the most populous town in Central Hålogalan ...

***** Sandsøy Fort on Sandsøya ***** Meløyvær Fortress on Krøttøya with 3x 120mm Tornautomatpjäs m/70 automatic guns ***** Skrolsvik Fort in

Skrollsvika Skrolsvik or Skrollsvika is a village on the southwestern tip of the island of Senja in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located in Senja Municipality, west of the villages of Å and Stonglandseidet Stonglandseidet is a villag ...

*****

Trondenes Fort Trondenes Fort is a fort situated on the Trondenes peninsula in the municipality of Harstad in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located about north of the town of Harstad. The fort has been the main base for the Norwegian Coastal Ranger ...

in Harstad *****

Grøtavær Grøtavær is a coastal fishing village in Harstad Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the western part of the island of Grytøya, along the Andfjorden, about northwest of the village of Lundenes Lundenes is ...

Fort on Grytøya *****

Stangnes Stangnes is part of the town of Harstad within Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located on a small peninsula southeast of the city center, on the south and east sides of the ''Gansåsen'' hill. The neighborhood is bordered by ...

Fort in Harstad **** Malangen Fjord and Gisundet defenses, covering the Northern entry of the Andfjorden *****

Malangen Malangen ( sme, Málatvuotna or fkv, Malankivuono) is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1871 until its dissolution in 1964. The old municipality surrounded the Malangen fjord and today that are ...

Torpedo Battery in Tennskjær ***** Rødbergodden Fort in Aglapsvik ***** Gibostad Fort in Gibostad ***** Skorliodden Fort in Vangshamn ****

defenses ***** Grøtsund Fort covering the Northern side of Tromsø ***** Breiviknes Fort in Ramfjordbotn with 3x 75mm Tornpjäs m/57 automatic guns covering the Northern entry of the

Grøtsundet Grøtsundet is a strait between Tromsø and Karlsøy in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The long strait separates the islands of Reinøya and Ringvassøya or is a large island in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is divided between t ...

and the Ullsfjorden ***** Årøybukt Fort in

Lyngseidet Lyngseidet (also sme, Ivgumuotki or fkv, Yykeänmuotka) is the administrative centre of Lyngen Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located on an isthmus that is about wide between an arm of the Ullsfjorden and the ...

with 3x 75mm Tornpjäs m/57 automatic guns to defend the Lyngenfjord

Commander Air Forces North Norway

* Commander Air Forces North Norway (AIRNON), commanded by a Norwegian

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

: ** Control and Reporting Centre Sørreisa managed by the 131st Air Wing ** Bodø Air Station *** 132nd Air Wing **** 331st Fighter/Bomber Squadron with 18x F-16A **** 334th Fighter/Bomber Squadron with 18x F-16A **** 719th Transport Squadron with 3x DHC-6 Twin Otter and 6x

UH-1B The Bell UH-1 Iroquois military helicopter, first introduced in 1959, is the first production member of the prolific Huey family of helicopters, and was itself developed in over twenty variants, which are listed below. XH-40 and YH-40 The firs ...

**** Norwegian Adapted Hawk air-defense battery with 3x Hawk launchers and 3x 40mm L/70 radar-guided anti-aircraft guns **** Search and Rescue Detachment from the 330th Helicopter Squadron with 2x Sea King Mk43 **

Bardufoss Air Station Bardufoss Air Station ( no, Bardufoss flystasjon) is a military air station located at Bardufoss in Målselv Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county in Northern Norway. It is the location of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) 139 Air Wing an ...

*** 139th Air Wing **** 337th Helicopter Squadron with 6x Lynx Mk.86 **** 339th Helicopter Squadron with 12x

Bell 412 The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter of the Huey family manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212, with the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor. Design and development Development began in the ...

**** Norwegian Adapted Hawk air-defense battery with 3x Hawk launchers and 3x 40mm L/70 radar-guided anti-aircraft guns **

Andøya Air Station Andøya Air Station ( no, Andøya Flystasjon) is a military air station in Andøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The station is located near the village of Andenes at the northern end of the island of Andøya in the Vesterålen archipe ...

*** 133rd Air Wing **** 333rd Squadron with 6x

P-3C Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.

, 4x NM142

ATGM An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles. ATGMs range in size from shoulder ...

carriers and 4x

M106 mortar carrier The M106 mortar carrier (full designation: Carrier, Mortar, 107 mm, Self-propelled) was a tracked, self-propelled artillery vehicle in service with the United States Army. It was designed to provide artillery support to mechanized infantry battal ...

s **** 3rd Infantry Battalion in Harstad with Bandvagn 206, 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x M106 mortar carriers **** Field Artillery Battalion in Setermoen with 18x M109G 155mm self-propelled howitzers **** Reconnaissance Squadron in Øverbygd with 3x NM135 infantry fighting vehicles **** Anti-tank Missile Company in Setermoen with 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x NM116 light tanks **** Anti-Aircraft Battery in Heggelia with 6x NM195 anti-air missile vehicles and 6x 40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns **** Engineer Company in Øverbygd **** Mounted Squadron in Øverbygd with pack horses **** Signal Company in Heggelia **** Supply Company in Heggelia **** Transport Company in Heggelia **** Maintenance Company in Heggelia **** Medical Company in Setermoen **** Artillery Observation Platoon in Setermoen with 2x Cessna O-1A planes **** Military Police Platoon in Heggelia *** Brigade 14 (

Norwegian Home Guard The Norwegian Home Guard ( no, Heimevernet – "HV") is the rapid mobilisation force within the Norwegian armed forces. Its main focus is local defense and civil support, but it can also detach volunteers for international operations. Its main t ...

District 14 mobilization unit) in

Mosjøen Mosjøen (; sma, Mussere) is a town in Vefsn Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Mosjøen is the oldest town in the Helgeland region, with only the town of Bodø being older within Nordland county. The town is also the administrative centre ...

**** 1st Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x TOW

missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** 2nd Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** 3rd Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Field Artillery Battalion with 24x M109G 155mm self-propelled howitzers **** Reconnaissance Squadron with 3x NM135 infantry fighting vehicles **** Anti-tank Missile Company with 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x NM116 light tanks **** Anti-Aircraft Battery with 6x

RBS 70 RBS 70 (Robotsystem 70) is a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) designed for anti-aircraft warfare in all climate zones and with little to no support from other forces. Originally designed and manufactured by the Swedish defence firm of ...

man-portable air-defense systems and 6x 40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns **** Engineer Company *** Brigade 15 (Norwegian Home Guard District 15 and Norwegian Home Guard District 16 mobilization unit) in

Bardu Bardu ( sme, Bearddu suohkan, fkv, Perttulan komuuni) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Setermoen, the largest urban area in the municipality. The munici ...

**** 1st Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** 2nd Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** 3rd Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Field Artillery Battalion with 18x M109G 155mm self-propelled howitzers **** Reconnaissance Squadron with 3x NM135 infantry fighting vehicles **** Anti-tank Missile Company with 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x NM116 light tanks **** Anti-Aircraft Battery with 6x RBS 70 man-portable air-defense systems and 6x 40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns **** Engineer Company **

Garnisonen i Sør-Varanger Garnisonen ("Garrison") is a city district in Linköping, which was previously the site of the two military units closed down in July 1997, Life Grenadier Regiment (I 4) and Svea Artillery Regiment (A 1). In 2000, the district was formed by div ...

(Active unit based at the Soviet-Norwegian border) in

Høybuktmoen Høybuktmoen ( sme, Nuvvosguolbba) is a moor area in the municipality of Sør-Varanger in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located about west of the town of Kirkenes. It is the site of Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen and the Garrison of ...

*** Varanger Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars *** Artillery Battery with 6x M109G 155mm self-propelled howitzers ** Garnisonen i Porsanger (Active unit) in Porsangmoen *** Porsanger Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars *** Tank Company with 13x Leopard 1 tanks *** Artillery Battery with 6x M109G 155mm self-propelled howitzers **

Hålogaland Hålogaland was the northernmost of the Norwegian provinces in the medieval Norse sagas. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hålogaland was a kingdom extending between the Namdalen valley in Trøndelag county and the Lyngen fjord ...

Engineer Battalion ** Hålogaland Signal Battalion ** Hålogaland Medical Battalion **

Bjerkvik Bjerkvik is a village in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located at the end of Herjangsfjorden, an arm of Ofotfjorden. Bjerkvik sits less than south of the border of Troms county and about across the fjord from ...

Maintenance Workshop ** Norwegian Home Guard District 14 Sør-Hålogaland –

and

Vefsn Vefsn ( sma, Vaapste) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Mosjøen (population: 9,843). Some of the notable villages in Vefsn i ...

(Home Guard in Southern

) ** Norwegian Home Guard District 15 Nord-Hålogaland in Elvegårdsmoen and

(Home Guard in Northern

) ** Norwegian Home Guard District 16 Troms in

(Home Guard in

) ** Norwegian Home Guard District 17 Vest-Finnmark in Alta (Home Guard in Western

county) *** Alta Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars *** Artillery Battery with 6x M109G 155mm self-propelled howitzers ** Norwegian Home Guard District 18 Øst-Finnmark in

(Home Guard in Eastern

) *** Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars

Reinforcements

NON would have been reinforced by the following Norwegian units from Allied Forces South Norway: * Brigade 5 (Norwegian Home Guard District 5 mobilization unit) in Terningmoen in

Eastern Norway Eastern Norway ( nb, Østlandet, nn, Austlandet) is the geographical region of the south-eastern part of Norway. It consists of the counties Vestfold og Telemark, Viken, Oslo and Innlandet. Eastern Norway is by far the most populous region ...

, equipment pre-positioned in Northern Norway ** 1st Infantry Battalion ** 2nd Infantry Battalion ** 3rd Infantry Battalion ** Field Artillery Battalion with M109G 155mm self-propelled howitzers ** Reconnaissance Squadron ** Anti-tank Missile Company ** Anti-Aircraft Battery ** Engineer Company ** Artillery Observation Platoon with 2x Cessna O-1A planes * Brigade 6 (Norwegian Home Guard District 6 mobilization unit) in

Hønefoss __NOTOC__ Hønefoss is a town and the administrative center of the municipality of Ringerike in Buskerud county, Norway. Hønefoss is an industrial center of inner Østlandet, containing several factories and other industry. As of 1 January 2008 ...

, equipment pre-positioned in Northern Norway ** 1st Infantry Battalion ** 2nd Infantry Battalion ** 3rd Infantry Battalion ** Field Artillery Battalion with

M114 M114 or M-114 may refer to: * M114 155 mm howitzer, a towed howitzer used by the United States Army * M114 armored fighting vehicle, a Vietnam War-era tracked armored fighting vehicle, used by the United States Army * M114 bomb, a U.S. 4 lb. biologi ...

155mm towed howitzers ** Reconnaissance Squadron Bjugn Cave Facility in Norway

NATO would have planned to reinforce Allied Forces North Norway with 2–7 days with the following allied formations: * Allied Land Forces:https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP85S00316R000300040006-9.pdf **

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

3 Commando Brigade 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of the Royal Marine Commandos, alongside commando qualified sailors, soldiers and airmen from ...

including 1 Amphibious Combat Group and Whiskey Company of the Netherlands Marine Corps. The brigade trained annually in Northern Norway and had large stores of vehicles and supplies pre-positioned there. ** U.S. Marine Corps: the 4th Marine Amphibious Brigade of the II Marine Amphibious Force (also known as Norway Air-Landed Marine Expeditionary Brigade (NALMEB)) had its equipment pre-positioned in eight purpose-built caves near the

Værnes Air Station Værnes Air Station ( no, Værnes flystasjon) is an air station of the Royal Norwegian Air Force located in the municipality of Stjørdal in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is co-located with Trondheim Airport, Værnes, which is owned and operated ...

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

in central Norway. The eight caves contained material for 15,000 troops and war stocks for 30 days. Three of the caves held ground equipment, three munitions and two held aviation support equipment for two air defense and two ground attack squadrons, as well as for 75 heavy transport and light support helicopters. Exercise Teamwork, held every two years during the 1980s, practiced reinforcement of Norway. After that point Exercise Battle Griffin was held in 1993 and 1996. * Allied Air Forces: **

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

: eight squadrons **

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

: one squadron

U.S. Forces in Northern Norway

The US military maintained three small units in Northern Norway. *

United States European Command The United States European Command (EUCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russi ...

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

*** Fleet Hospital Support Facility 8, in Bogen to maintain the stored Fleet Hospital Eight **

US Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

***

LORAN-C Loran-C is a hyperbolic radio navigation system that allows a receiver to determine its position by listening to low frequency radio signals that are transmitted by fixed land-based radio beacons. Loran-C combined two different techniques to ...

Transmitting Station Bø, in Bø *** LORAN-C Transmitting Station Jan Mayen, on

Jan Mayen Jan Mayen () is a Norwegian volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean with no permanent population. It is long (southwest-northeast) and in area, partly covered by glaciers (an area of around the Beerenberg volcano). It has two parts: larger ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

*http://www.fireandfury.com/orbats/modcwnorwegian.pdf - wargaming source with TOE details. Uncertain reliability. Formations of the NATO Military Command Structure 1952–1994 Military units and formations established in 1952 Military units and formations disestablished in 1994 Military history of Norway