On 4 March 1941, 500 troops of the British 3 and 4 Commando units with the company of 50 Norwegian sailors landed on the Lofoten Islands off the coast of northwestern Norway to destroy fish oil (used in German ammunition) refining factories and boats. The raid was a rousing success and almost captured a German enigma machine, until the German captain of the trawler Krebs threw his machine overboard. The raid did yield a couple of extra enigma rotors which helped in the longer term struggle to break the German codes.
For a war weary nation, though, the raid gave the Brits their first taste of real success against the Germans and put the Germans on notice that fighting the Btrits would not be a cake-walk.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

I've been to Narvik and northwards on the E-6 and eastwards on the E-10, but I have not travelled to the Lofoten Islands. If the roads there are the same as the rest of Norway, you'll be smiling.
Take the E-6 and E-10 from Narvik to Melbu. Then take the ferry from Melbu to Fiskebol. Then take the E-10 from Fiskebol to Svolvaer / Vagan, where some of the Commandos came ashore. Check out the Lofoten museum dedicated to the military actions in the area at Svolvaer.

Book Recommendation: Enigma: The Battle for the Code from AbeBooks.co.uk or Amazon.co.uk

Map Recommendation: Norway North Road Map: Narvik No. 3 from AbeBooks.co.uk

On 12 February 1941, General Erwin Rommel arrived in North Africa as the leader of the German Africa Corps. The most celebrated German tanker amongst modern U.S. tankers was actually not a tanker for most of his long career. Before World War II, he was famous for Infantry Attacks.

Rommel came to North Africa under the command of the Italians, but immediately made his mark for his initiative and taking the fight to the British. Rommel went after the force led by British General Richard O'Connor that had made such a feast of the Italian incompetence in Lybia in 1940. Rommel quickly smashed the British force, captured O'Connor and besieged Tobruk. It wouldn't take long until his name would become synonymous with the Axis effort in North Africa.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

This is the ride I want to do in Lybia. Burdi (Bardia) to Tubruq (Tobruk).

Book Recommendation: Together We Stand: North Africa 1942-1943, Turning the Tide in the West from AbeBooks.co.uk or Amazon.co.uk

Map Recommendation: Map of Lybia from AbeBooks.com

On 5 January 1941, Australian troops taste their first victory in WWII by taking the Town of Bardia (Burdi) in Lybia near the Egyptian border. The Aussies take approximately 40,000 Italians prisoner.

Books from Amazon.com

Motorcycle Ride

Now that Lybia is opening up, maybe I'll be able to take this ride from Burdi (Badria) to Tubruq (Tobruk) to follow some of the British / German North African campaigns

Maps

This is a map of the country which combines topographic mapping with road and tourist detail.

The conflict between the Allied and Axis Powers from 1939-1945 was truly global and left very little of the civilised world untouched.

Motorcycle Rides

European Theatre (Western Hemisphere)

• Battle of the River Plate (Rio de la Plata) 13 December 1939
• Finns Attack Russians on the Raate Road in the Winter War 5 January 1940
• Australians Capture Bardia Lybia 5 January 1941
• Rommel Takes Over the Afrika Corps 12 February 1941
• British and Norwegians Conduct Operation Claymore Against German Targets in Norway 4 March 1941
• German and Italy Declare war on the USA 11 December 1941
• Battle of Kasserine Pass Tunisia 14-22 February 1943
• 1LT Jimmie W. Monteith, Jr. Medal of Honor Recipient Omaha Beach 6 June 1944
• The Road to Vire / Saint Charles de Percy and Operation Bluecoat 29 July 6 August 1944
• 8 December 1944 General Patton's Prayer
• NUTS! 22 December 1944 Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne
• Red Army "Liberates" Warsaw from Germans 17 January 1945
• General Patton Dies After Automobile Accident 21 December 1945

Pacific Theatre (Eastern Hemishpere)

• 9 December 1942 Australians Capture Gona from Japanese
Technorati Tags: 1930s 1939 1940 1940s 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 Asia AT BE Britain CN CZ DE EE europe FI FR france GB germany HR HU IT Italy Japan JP LT LU LV MM NL NO PH RU Russia SG SI SK USA USA World War 2 World War II WWII WWII motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

Three days after Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared that the USA was at war with Japan, Germany and Italy declared war on the USA.

"Benito Mussolini, made his declaration first - from the balcony over the Piazza Venezia in Rome - pledging the 'powers of the pact of steel' were determined to win."

The Piazza Venezia was the site of a happier moment 12 years later as Gregory Peck tooled around with Anglo/Dutch war survivor Audrey Hepburn on a scooter in the movie Roman Holiday.