June 1905,
The Parliament of Norway decides to secede from the union with Sweden,
The same year, the nation decides by popular referendum to continue as a monarchy,
Prince Carl of Denmark is anointed King of Norway,
Political power resides with the Cabinet and Parliament,
The King's role is of a ceremonial nature,
November 1905,
Young Prince Carl steps ashore as King Haakon VII of Norway,
accompanied by his English wife, Queen Maud,
She carries their only child,
Crown Prince Olav,
[Radio news flash] Oslo: During the afternoon and evening it has been reported that 3 German ships have been torpedoed outside the Norwegian coast, On Justøya, people quickly realized that they were looking at a wrecked warship, When rescue boats approached, flames shot up from an oil slick, Vessels immediately started to rescue survivors and the dead,
Got you!
Grandpa, let go!
Can you help me? Can you find the girls?
- Here they are! - You cheated! No, I didn't!
- You got caught first, You're it! - He just helped an old man out,
- No, I want to hide, - That's against the rules,
- Rules are stupid, - Listen ,,, I'll go again, OK?
Ten!
- Ragnhild, come on, fast! - Nine!
- Father,,, What are you doing here? - Eight!
Seven!
- Is there any news? - I just wanted to see the kids,
- So you haven't heard yet? - What haven't I heard?
The ship that was torpedoed outside Lillesand this morning,
A dozen people were rescued, All of them German soldiers,
They're here, dad, They're here now,
And we have a prime minister who does not even dare to face his
own foreign minister,
Nygaardsvold is strong enough,
No,,, He doesn't want to negotiate with anyone, Neither Germans nor the English,
There is no mobilization, Because Koht doesn't want it,
And what would you have do about it? Say "Do as I say" or "The King commands"?
Show them how far we are willing to go,
Five!
And how far is that?
How far are you willing to go?
But our opinion has to count for something, or,,,
are we just supposed to watch their paralysis, Is it the plan?
- Hi, Dad, - Hi,
Nico is on the phone,
You must be freezing! Don't you want to come in and get warm?
No,,, The children wanted to stay outside,,, Four!
And you're headed to the doctor to get your back fixed soon,
- What is your opinion? - About your back?
No,,, About everything that's going on,
That we mustn't end up on the wrong side of this war,
THE KING'S CHOICE
8 April, 10 pm German Embassy and Residence, Oslo
- This is Norsk Telegrambyrå with the evening news, not for further distribution, - Anneliese, the news!
She's already sleeping, The news,,,
As announced by British broadcasting this morning, a news flash we issued at 8 am -
- British and French warships
have deployed 3 minefields in Norwegian territorial waters overnight,
one at Stad, the second by Bud in Hustadvika and the third in Vestfjorden,
Information obtained by Reuters from reliable sources in London,
Confirms that the mine-laying operation of Norwegian waters was carried out in one hour,
What is he saying? Without interference from any other party,
The English and French have mined the coast
to prevent shipping of ores,
That's all? I can not imagine that the Norwegians,,, Shh,
Early this afternoon it was reported that a flotilla of 90 to 100 German warships
were spotted in Storebælt and Kattegat this morning, heading north,
The vessels were mostly smaller patrol boats and armed trawlers,
but also larger warships were observed,
The report from Stockholm puts the number of warships to 50,
8 April, 23:30 pm Oscarsborg Fortress - 28 km south of Oslo
Colonel, we have received reports of foreign ships that have made their way past Færder,
Rauøy and Bolærne report that they are engaged in battle,
Order a blackout of the fortress,
Contact Police Chief Sandvik in Drøbak and ask for an
evacuation along the coast from Hallangspollen to Hvidsten,
We only have sufficient troops for Gun number 1,
Divide your forces on both guns and call in all non-combatants, Start exercises immediately,
Still no word from Oslo, neither from the Defense staff nor political leadership,
No one has made any decision,
We don't have orders to engage, Colonel,
I want all positions manned and prepared for battle, Now,
So here we are, in Oslo, No war,,,
I get letters and my orders from Berlin, but we are here,
I honestly don't know what else I can,,, [Door bell rings]
- Heil Hitler! - Heil Hitler!
Ambassador,,,
- The time has come, - For what?
9 April, midnight Oslo Royal Palace
I'm waiting to speak to my brother, King Christian,
Yes,,, But then you need to locate him!
Yes, I can,,, I can wait! I've been on hold for 15 minutes now,
Your Majesty, Minister Koht called,
He asked me to inform you that foreign warships are approaching the outer Oslo fjord,
Your Majesty, we need to go to the basement,
No,,, I will not be a prisoner in my own home,
Larsen! Binoculars for Eriksen,
The only thing to do is to give them the pen,
so they can sign the memorandum of voluntary cooperation,
Keep this in mind,
They will regard this as an act of aggression,
Then it is your job to convince them that it is not,
The Norwegian government has sacrificed a lot to remain neutral,
Norway is currently the main target of the Führer, due to its strategic the coast line,
And not the least because of its iron ore,
The mineral resources we can obtain by occupying Norway are immense,
Prepare the munitions!
Come on, harder,
Load this, Faster!
Colonel, guns 1 and 2 are ready for battle,
Great,
Filtvedt reports of blacked out warships passing the observation post,
They believe they were German ships, Colonel,
They couldn't possibly,,, They wouldn't be able to spot that even on a clear night,
It's getting urgent with that search light in Drøbak, Sødem!
Very good,
9 April, 4:20 am Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo
Good evening, Minister Koht,
Mr, Bräuer,
On behalf of the Führer of the German Empire,
I convey this offer to the Norwegian government,
What is this, Mr, Ambassador?
We are here to defend Norway from an impending British invasion,
All we expect in return is that there is no effort to resist,
Something tells me that a foreign minister and an ambassador
can strike a deal on this here and now,
I need to discuss with the Cabinet,
I can't wait that long,
The Cabinet is here, next door,
Commander Andersen requests a definitive order
whether to launch torpedoes against the approaching vessels,
Koppås reports silhouettes of several large vessels,
Colonel?
Færder and Bolærne reported skirmishes,
Ships are entering the fjord at low speed, blacked out,
These are warships, You bet your ass we'll fire at them!
No discussion, Man battle stations! Man stations!
This war,,,
between Germany and England,
It will become the most absurd war you can imagine,
It can only end in mutual destruction,
Sødem! Range!
- Sødem? - The range finder says 1800 meters,
That's wrong! They just passed Småskjær,
Let's wait for confirmation from Kopås,
There is no time, Set to 1,200 meters,
- Distance: 1,200 meters, - 1,200 meters and decreasing!
- Do we fire warning shots, Colonel? - No warning, No hesitation, These are enemy vessels,
1,200 meters!
Gun 2 is tracking the target! Gun 2 in position!
But, Colonel,,, What if we're wrong? Gun 1 in position!
On my command,
- Fire! - Gun 1, fire!
- Fire! - Gun 2, fire!
Where are the torpedoes, Sødem?
Torpedo battery, hurry up!
Norway is an independent nation,
We would not remain so if we acceded to the German demands,
Our answer is therefore no,
You know that this means,,,
It was your own Führer who said:
"A people yielding to a foreign attack,"
"does not deserve to survive,"
We will not bend voluntarily,
Your Majesty, pardon, The prime minister is on the telephone,
Thank you,
Power has been restored, thank God,
Hello? Speak louder, Nygaardsvold,
We have been invaded! An attack on the capital was repelled,
But Speaker Hambro believes the best course of action is leave the city immediately,
A special train will leave in the morning from Østbanen at 7 am,
9 April, 6:20 am Oslo
Are you ready?
The cars are waiting, Dad, We have to go now,
- Is there anything else? - Yes, yes,,,
Come on,
Lord Chamberlain Wedel Jarlsberg will meet Your Majesty,,,
on the train, He will be in charge from there,
Are you not coming?
I will remain here until Your Majesty has departed,
- Then I will report for duty, - Very good,,,
- Where are the children? - In the car, Everyone is here,
I forgot my glasses,
I put them in your briefcase, Your Majesty,
I forgot my diary, too,
Also in your briefcase, Majesty,
Father,,,
I need to go to the bathroom,
Just because we're leaving now doesn't mean we'll never return,
- Good morning, Torp, - Your Majesty,
Although it's not a good morning,
Due to the circumstances, a special train to Hamar has been set up for the Royal family,
- Grandpa! - Hey, little buddy, you came!
Let's move on, It's the second carriage from the front of the train,
- Greetings, Your Majesty, - Peder, It's good to see you,
Likewise,
- Peder, how are you? - Your Highness, good to see you,
- Dad, why did not Ording come? - No,,, He has reported for duty,
- Hi, Peder, - Your Royal Highness,
It looks like children are handling it well,
They believe we're headed for the cabin in the mountains,
The important thing is that the family is together,
Have you heard anything else, Peder?
Yes, I spoke to the foreign minister just now,
He asked me to convey that German warships have been reported at all major ports this morning,
All across the country,
Is there any diplomatic contact? Are we communicating? Is it possible to negotiate?
I think we should leave,,,
the negotiations to Koht and the Cabinet, Olav, We will continue to Hamar no matter what,
Yes, I agree with the Crown Princess,
Neither I nor the Cabinet would want Your Majesty or his family to lose their freedom now,
But do we know there is an invasion and occupation,,,?
There will be an emergency Cabinet meeting,,,
as soon as we arrive Hamar,
Everyone is on the way, some by car, others on this train,
The Speaker of the Parliament is in control at this time,
I suggest that we put our faith in him, Hambro knows what he's doing,
He seems to be the only who hasn't lost his cool yet, so,,,
Away from the windows! Down on the floor! Everyone, on the floor, please,
- What is happening? - Quickly, There's airplanes,
- All together, on the floor, - Children! Olav,,,
Where are they?
There,,,
The kids are okay,
Everyone off the train, Now!
- Alright, - Right now, come on,
- This way, Your Majesty, - Children?
I'll get it,,,
- Run! Run! - This way!
To the underpass! Everyone head for the underpass !
Your Majesty, keep going,
Relax,,, we'll be okay,
Diana, put me in contact with minister Koht,
Tell him that I urgently need to speak with him about further negotiations,
No one thought to inform me in advance about this plan?
There is nothing wrong with the plan, It's the Führer's own plan!
- How did it go? - Well, Why do you ask?
- Are you sure? - Yes,,, Everything is OK,
Diana, what's happening with Koht?
He wasn't there, The Cabinet has left,
- What? Where? - I don't know, They wouldn't tell me,
Wait here,
Please don't touch this, Excuse me! Please don't go upstairs,
Good thing you have Piggy,
I can not hear him, What is he saying?
He says he wants to go back home,
Me too,
Tell him we'll be home soon,
We'll be home soon,,,
- Is he saying anything? - He said "Yes, sir!"
He can speak other languages?
Does he speak several languages or only English?
He speaks Danish, Swedish,
English and Norwegian,
Danish, Swedish, English and Norwegian?
And pig language,
Pig language too? I didn't know that,
9 April, 11:10 pm Hamar Station - 126 km north of Oslo
Nygaardsvold! This way! Can I take a picture?
Your Majesty, welcome to Hamar,
Thank you, Prime Minister, Hambro,
Your Majesty, I hear that your trip was eventful,
Yes, that's safe to say,
Speaker, Very well organized trip,
- Thank you, Welcome, - Now, is there any news?
Germans are in control of most of the large cities,
Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim,
The Foreign Ministry has been evacuated,
Most of the staff were sent home, Others are on their way here,
We're trying to manage the situation, I'll know more later,
Oscarsborg Fortress has sunk a large warship approaching Oslo?
Yes, that's saved us so far, but the Fortress is under sustained air attack,
We have to face the truth that Oslo too is lost,
What's the military situation?
Orders for general mobilization have been issued this morning,
- How? - By mail,
- By mail?! - We were caught by surprise,
Surprise? You believe all of this was surprising?
I want to stress that our belief in a neutrality stance remains clear,
We are confident that new negotiations will be offered,
What if that doesn't happen?
It already has, a few minutes ago, I'm organizing a session of Parliament,
I know the German Ambassador, Curt Bräuer, well
He knows diplomacy and is a supporter of Norwegian neutrality,
- And we want to negotiate? - That is for Parliament to discuss,
We'll remain in the town at Festiviteten theater,
I have additional news that might be hard to stomach,
Your brother, King Christian,
had to give up Denmark around 5 am this morning,
If it's any consolation, he didn't have much of a choice,
No, I guess he didn't,
"Surprising," did you hear that?
We're heading into negotiations with an awfully bad hand -
- because they did not mobilize armed forces that we've requested for ages,
Let the Cabinet make their proposal first, right?
We need to be able to negotiate on our own terms! So we can strike a deal!
Let me speak with General Laake,
Or someone else in the military, Ruge, anyone, to speed things up a little!
Have you lost your mind? But,,,
The Royal family going behind the back of the Cabinet?
There's still some in the military who'll listen, contrary to Cabinet,
We can't afford disunity now,
Keep in mind those in Parliament who would like to get rid of us,
So why are we here if they don't want us
and we disagree with everything they do?
Do you understand nothing at all?
You complicate everything!
Your Majesty, Sigrid Sælid, Welcome to Sælid farm,
Thank you for receiving us on such short notice,
I need to get some rest, May I have a radio in the room?
That can be arranged,
At ease!
We have occupied Oslo,
We control all major roads,
With less than 50 men,
Good, But it's over now, right?
It was a blood bath, Mr, Ambassador,
Against our comrades and the "Blücher", pride of the Führer,
The Cabinet has escaped, did you hear?
We are here to protect the Norwegian people and this is how they welcome us,
The Norwegians would have fought anyone, To them, we are invaders,
Let me negotiate, I can contact the government before more lives are lost,
When General Falkenhorst arrives tomorrow,
Norway must be on our hands, from the King to every peasant,
Paratroopers are standing by,
If your negotiations are not successful today,
I have no other option but to put them into action,
Today? The Cabinet is in hiding,,,
Then find them! Or we will,
A state of emergency has been declared for Oslo,
Full evacuation has been ordered for Oslo and apartment blocks in Aker,
but no one should evacuate to
the districts along the Oslo fjord,
Those who have been notified by proclamation,,,
Luggage: Don't bring more luggage
than fits above or below your seat in your conveyance,
- Prime Minister, - Your Majesty,
Has the Cabinet reached a decision?
No,
But I have made a personal decision, Your Majesty,
Your Majesty, Speaker,,,
A few moments ago,,,
I submitted my resignation as prime minister,,,
to His Majesty, King Haakon VII,
and simultaneously, the resignation of this government,
I'll be brief, because we have a lot to do,
As King of Norway, I can only
accept the resignation of the government,
But not at this time,,,
Speaker of the Parliament, Hambro, has decided,,,
not to accept the resignation, a decision that I support,
This is not the time for negotiations behind closed doors
or agreements between small groups,
It's time to be frank with each other,
and I will be totally honest with you,
The people have chosen you to lead them,
in good as well and bad times,
Hence, the Cabinet's resignation will not be accepted,
not at a time when people
have a dire need for someone to govern them,
Your Majesty, esteemed assembly, let's move on,
The German envoy has yet again asked us to resume negotiations
based on the document submitted to us this morning -
a proposal we turned down,
It appears that several representatives believe that the situation has changed,
Given the growing uncertainty, confusion regarding mobilization,
German forces now in control of Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and Narvik,
paints a bleak picture of the situation,
I am not of the same opinion,
Despite this, a majority of Parliament wants us to,,,
resume negotiations immediately,
- Negotiations about what? - Your Highness?
Forgive me Mr, Speaker, but what has changed since last night?
I definitely support Parliament's stance regarding further negotiation,
I'm of a conciliatory nature, you all know that,
But I need to ask Cabinet or the prime minister,
what does the Minister believe has changed overnight?
- What do we have to offer? - Minister Koht,
Your Highness, Speaker,
A lot has changed in the last few hours,
We have lost control over large parts of the country,
We are under attack,
But we still have our freedom,
We have an independent government and we have the support of the people,
The government wants to continue negotiations,
provided there is a cease fire,
Should we reach a solution,
similar to the one Denmark just accepted
then the Cabinet will consider it favorably,
This would save many lives,
I will support the Cabinet if they wish to negotiate,
The prime minister's resignation was heaven sent, Shh!
Hambro is the right man to lead us!
Instead we have a government that's falling apart, How can you accept this?
Instead of criticizing all the time, try listening, Try to learn something,
We have to stay united, We have to support the Cabinet,
This isn't about your personal opinions,
What do you really need me for?
You are the Norway's next king, I need you to act accordingly,
But dad, we have told these people repeatedly that we need to mobilize,
That we have to be prepared, That the war would reach us,
- Stop being so afraid of taking a stance, - Don't call me afraid,,,
just because I don't jump on on your haphazard plans,
We can't toss everything over board like that, Don't you understand?
Olav!
9 April, 6:40 pm Midtskogen - 27 km east of Hamar
Boys, start unloading!
Line up!
Here it is!
When you need something, is always in the back,,,
- Where is air attaché Spiller headed? - I don't know,
And who is the captain?
May I ask where air attaché Spiller is going and who the captain is?
To Hamar,
That was Captain Walther, Outstanding soldier, Paratrooper,
- What are they doing in Hamar? - What do you think?
But you know I'm waiting for an answer from minister Koht,
You have your orders; I have mine,
I only accept orders from Berlin, What's that supposed to mean?
Oslo Chief of Police, Kristian Welhaven, is here,
- Good afternoon, Chief, - Ambassador, My pleasure,
I have a message from the Norwegian Cabinet,
They are prepared to continue negotiations,
Provided that all hostilities cease immediately,
Just one moment, Police Chief,
Did you hear? You should stop the action against Hamar immediately,
That won't not work, They already received the order and left,
Then stop them!
- I can't do that, - You can't or won't?
Hey! Stop there!
Stop! Stop the cars!
Superintendent! Wait!
Please wait, Superintendent,
Unfortunately I'm unable to stop every German soldier, but I would like to negotiate,
Please emphasize this to the government,
Would you do that? Stress it,
Please wait! Police Chief!
I have a car, I'm able to meet anywhere, anytime,
Do You understand?
9 April, 7:30 pm Sælid farm, Hamar
We saw you! It was you who threw the snowball!
What did I do? What are you saying? Didn't I stay here, all the time?
No, you didn't!
No, he didn't stay here all the time,,,
Vidkun Quisling, the new leader of the Norwegian government,,,
Quiet, Harald,,, Is making a statement to the Norwegian people,
Norwegian women and men!
Proclamation to the Norwegian people:
After England violated Norway's neutrality,
by deploying mines in Norwegian territorial waters,
without meeting any other resistance
than the ususal futile protests from the Nygaardsvold government
the German government offered the Norwegian government peaceful assistance
accompanied by a solemn vow to respect
our national independence, and Norwegian life and property,
Sorry, German forces are on their way,
The government has already left Hamar,
In response to the offer to resolve this untenable situation,
the Nygaardsvold Cabinet has initiated a general mobilization
and given pointless orders to Norwegian armed forces
to oppose the German aid with armed force,
The Cabinet itself has fled,
after recklessly having put the country's fate at risk,
Under such circumstances, it is the duty and right of Nasjonal Samling,,,
to take control over government to protect the vital interests of the Norwegian people
and the safety and independence of Norway,
Under these circumstances, we are the only ones who can do this based on our -
- movement's national objectives and thereby save our nation from the dire straits -
- that party politics has led our people into,
The Nygaardsvold government has walked withdrawn,
I want to add that recent developments mean -
that continued resistance not only is futile,
but tantamount to criminal destruction of life and property,
Every civil servant and other national and local officials,
and in particular all of the nation's officers in -
the army, navy, coastal artillery and and air force,
are obliged to obey orders exclusively issued by the new, national government,
Failure to adhere to this will entail grave personal -
- responsibility for the person in question,
Otherwise, all citizens -
will be treated fairly and considerately,
The national government has assumed power with Vidkun Quisling as head
of government and foreign minister, and the following additional members:
Chief of Police Jonas Lie: Minister of Justice,
Dr, Gulbrand Lunde: Minister for Social Affairs, Director Alfred,,, (fades out)
Vidkun Quisling has just conducted a coup d'etat,
Norway is at war,
The king and government are on the run,
They will pass through this area,
Behind them are German paratroopers,
The Germans have one mission, to capture the King,
Our objective is to stop the Germans,
We'll defend a line from the farm up there to the woods here,
We have a road block here, a crucial installation,
When the Germans arrive, we'll get them,
I want a machine gun emplacement in the middle of the alley, one east of the pigsty,
and a posting of local riflemen up by the tree grove,
Tonight we will be at war,
- Understood? - Yes, Sergeant,
- Understood? - Yes, Sergeant!
Let's get going, Groups of three, you dig a position up there,
Next group of three, next position,
You'll find boards and shovels back there,
- Seeberg! - Yes, Sergeant,
I need help to direct traffic up by the road block, Can you manage?
But Sergeant, I'm ready to fight!
That's great, Seeberg, But I need help to direct the positions here,
- But, Sergeant,,, - Seeberg, I just gave you an order,
Diana! Put me in contact with Berlin, with foreign minister Ribbentrop,
At least he can help me get rid of Quisling, He can do that for me,
I know Quisling, An amateur, In addition, he does not have the support of the Norwegian people
Speak with him, He lives not far from here,
- With whom? - Quisling,
I can't talk to him! He just committed a coup d'etat!
It would ruin all of my efforts at diplomacy,
You work for the Foreign Ministry, not for the Army,
Please don't try to do their work,
Seeberg! Stop the traffic for a moment!
Stop!
Good evening, soldier! I guess it's time to salute,
- Good evening, Sergeant, - Your Royal Highness,
What's the plan?
Good evening, soldier,
Good evening,,, King,
I've felt like a hare all day, It's good to see the Royal Guard,
What is your name, soldier?
Private Fredrik Seeberg, Your Majesty,
Please know that I am grateful for what you are doing, All of you,
"All for the King", Your Majesty,
No, Seeberg,
"All for Norway",
This is more like it, This is good,
Yes? Mr, Foreign Minister?
Mr, Ambassador, what is the situation? I believe it is only a matter of hours before,,,
the Norwegian government will accede to our demands, - Excellent! - Yes, however,,,
They will never accept this Quisling as head of government, Mr, Minister,
- We like Mr, Quisling, - We all like Mr, Quisling,
But, unfortunately, he has no support,
neither of the Norwegian people, nor of the King, So I can't count on him,
Hello? Mr, Minister?
Stay on the line, Bräuer,
Yes, I'll wait,
Mr, Minister?
- Who is this? Heil Hitler, my Führer!
This is Ambassador Curt Bräuer, in Oslo,
We are all very pleased with the situation in the north,
Operation Weserübung is a success,
Yes, my Führer! I just had a question regarding Mr, Quisling,,,
Quisling is a good man, He's the right man in the right place,
Yes, my Führer,
But what about the Norwegian government? They want to negotiate,
But these negotiations may be difficult if we insist on this Quisling,
- In my opinion,,, - Why negotiate with a government who opened fire on us
when are we came to rescue them from the British imperialists?
Can you explain this to me, Mr, Ambassador?
No, my Führer, I only thought that the Norwegian government,,,
Forget the government, You must speak with the King himself,
Insist on talking to face to face,
Then he will understand the gravity of the situation,
- But in the inland they are preparing for war,,,
You have the trust and authority to act on my behalf,
Forget the government, Speak with the King,
Good luck, We count on you,
Thank you, my Führer,
Heil Hitler!
King Haakon will never accept Quisling,
If I present him with Quisling, that's the end of it,
The King has fled, Curt, He is in hiding somewhere,
Quisling is only a short walk from here, Speak with him!
What should I to tell him, in your opinion?
Should I drop down on my knees? Or should I ask him if I'm his messenger?
If you believe it so easy, do my job and I can do yours!
I am a diplomat, I work for peace!
What diplomacy? What peace? Stop calling yourself a diplomat!
You work for Hitler, You are nothing but a soldier,
Anyone can call himself a diplomat
with a gun pointed at his partner's head!
Anne,,,
Everything OK?
What's the message from Berlin?
9 April, 9:25 pm Gaarder farm, Elverum - 30 km east of Hamar
I am going to report for military duty,
They need me more in field than here,
How can I ask people to fight in the war if I don't?
If I don't have the guts myself?
The soldier who stopped us at Midtskogen, The boy, What was the name?
- Seeberg, - Seeberg, He spoke with father,
A young boy was there in a huge helmet and a big gun,
Much too young!
How can I look him in the eye, shake his hand, let him salute me,,,
if I'm not willing to sacrifice as much as he is? For our country!
For the people,,,
Dear Märtha, I need to be able to face myself and say I did everything I could,
It just happened so quickly,
I thought we had finished this discussion last winter,
Yes, we,,, I know,
But a lot has happened since last winter, so I,,,
What about the rest of us?
You will stay together,
How about you? What is your opinion?
Your Majesty, if I may,,,
In my opinion, it is key to safeguard the children and the line of succession,
Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and Prince Harald under the same roof,
is simply no longer prudent,
We can't split up the family now!
Your Majesty, we have to get the children across the border,
I can not leave Norway!
We can not leave Norway! Not now,
That's unacceptable,
Peder is right,
Harald is important,
And you too will be less vulnerable this way, You two,
We must split up, You two stay together,
I'll take the children and travel to Sweden,
Dad?
No, who's this now?
Listen,,, Let's go out and see if there's any animals on this farm,
Has Piglet ever tried to ride a horse?
Do you recognize this one? They're not as big as "real" horses,
This is where you sit when driving, right?
- What's wrong? - Grandpa, when are we going home?
- I don't know, - Dad!
Märtha and the kids must leave, The Germans are coming, What?
Right now, We have to go, Come on, Harald, let's get seated in the car,
- What's happening? - Fast, There are many,
- Where are we going? - You're going to travel with Mom,
Germans forces have passed Hamar,
There's more of them than we thought,
They will arrive at our roadblock 3 km from here in a moment,
We must leave as soon as the princess and the children get in the car,
It's urgent Your Majesty, They are closer than we thought,
But,,, My kitten!
- Grandpa,,, - Get in the car,
Look here! Now you'll protect Harald, understood?
- What did he say? - He said "Yes, sir!",
- I love you, - Be careful,,,
Bye, bye!
Drive,,, No, stop!
Right, Now drive!
Your Majesty! Please,
I swore this would never happen,
I would never leave them like this,
But you never did,
No,,,
No, I know that,
- Contrary to certain others, - Leave your mother be,
She did her best,
You have to stop,
- Excuse me? - You have to stop saying that,
That she did her best,
That she was there for you, that she tried, She didn't,
She and her damn horses in England She left as soon as she could,
She was gone most of the time!
And don't say she was there for me either, because,,,
That was you! You were there for me,
You and the nannies,
Now I'm here, while Märtha and the children are on their way to Sweden,
That day, in 1905, when we came here,,,
We came by sea,
All of a sudden we had become King and Queen, And Crown Prince,
There were people everywhere, They waved, cheered and were happy,
You weren't much older than Harald is now,
You wore a white dress that your mother had chosen,
You looked like a little girl,
I had to carry you around all the time,
Because you were so scared, And angry,
You kept saying: "Dad, I want to go home now,"
And I,,,
I had made a decision, I had a choice,
You had no choice,
I chose for you,
And I still regret that,
- If you want something else,,, - No, I,,,
Dad, I never said I wanted something else,
I just don't want to be the kind of king you are,
They want us to stop in Nybergsund,
We can spend the night there,
It is close to the Swedish border,
Hello?
Is anyone here?
Good evening,
Do you speak German?
Yes,
I am Ambassador Curt Bräuer, Who are you?
Waldemar Johansen, office manager,
Very good, You must help me,
I have to convey an urgent message to King Haakon,
I have no contact with the King, You must talk to someone at the Royal palace,
I am at the chief diplomat of the German Reich in Norway,
I order you to put me in touch with the King and the Cabinet,
It's a matter of life or death!
Isn't that little late? You are already bombarding us to smithereens,
I'm all alone here,
I can't fathom how you can talk about negotiations after doing everything to make it impossible!
Believe, I would like to help your country,
I am prepared to do anything to prevent war and negotiate a solution at the conference table,
I have permission from the Führer to suspend hostilities,
but I need to find His Majesty, King Haakon,
So, for God's sake, please help me!
10 April, 00:30 am Midtskogen
- I hear you speak German? - Yes,
That's good, It'll be good for you to stay around, if,,,
- Are you OK? - Yes,
Don't light it here!
- Good evening, - See you later,
- They accepted, - Really?
I'm meeting the King tomorrow at noon, On one condition,
That German troop movements cease immediately, I promised them that,
- That won't happen, - Excuse me?
Walther and Spiller have passed Hamar, They will probably be in Elverum soon,
Didn't you hear what I just said? I have an audience with the King of Norway,
We have reached our diplomatic objective, Mr, Lieutenant-Colonel,
I have other orders, Mr, Ambassador,
I have arranged this meeting under express orders from the Führer,
Are you really going to stand in my way?
As far as I'm concerned: Do your job, If you succeed, many congratulations,
But don't tell me how to do my job!
Good,,,
Anneliese?
Anneliese, it's me!
Anneliese, open!
Hey, look at Shorty!
Positions! Take your positions, boys! To your stations!
Vestli, can see anything?
No, Nothing,
Follow me,
Shh, be quiet,
Come on, let's get them,,,
- What are we waiting for? - We're waiting for orders,
Shh, Keep quiet!
What are they doing?
- Can I shoot? - Wait for orders!
Fire! Fire!
My God, they outnumber us!
- Seeberg! This way! - Seeberg, your position is over there!
Dammit! It's jammed!
Find cover! Cover! Keep going!
Germans!
Take cover! Cover!
Pull back, Seeberg! Pull back!
Seeberg! Pull back! Seeberg,,,
10 April, 02:50 am
Nybergsund, Trysil - 60 km east of Elverum
Your Majesty, Your Highness,
I'm not sure if you've been briefed, but,,,
The Germans have passed Hamar,
Yes, we've seen the blockade at Midtskogen, That's right,
We've had reports that the fighting probably has started there,
Okay,,, Thanks,
Welcome, Your Majesty, Takk, This way,
Wake up, Seeberg!
Medic! We need help here!
- Pull back! Pull back! - Wait, wait,,,
What about Seeberg!
We can't leave him here alone!
- Vestli, fall back! - I'm staying here with Seeberg!
- Vestli, fall back! - No, I'll stay here!
You are a civilian! Can you stay here?
Say "Ich bin Zivilist!" Say it!
Say this to them, and raise your arms, Vestli, fall back,
- No! - Vestli, pull back!
Wait,,, His name is Fredrik,
Don't leave him behind!
Hands up!
Make room, Out of the way!
Do you speak German?
Reply,
Where are you retreating to?
Do you have tanks? Machine guns?
Where is the King?
What about the government?
We have limited ammunition and many casualties,
There's nothing here, We need supplies,
Battalions,,,
- Two hundred,,, And more,,, - What did you say?
- Machine guns, - Battalions?
Let's go,
To the vehicles! Withdrawal!
Battalions?
But the Royal Guard doesn't have any more men around here?
10 April, 08:10 am Nybergsund, Trysil
No, we can't accept this!
A few hours ago they fired on our soldiers in an attempt to get to us
and His Majesty the King,
And now you want to send my father back toward the fighting to meet the German!
Alone!
I can't understand that you even need to discuss this!
And with Quisling in Oslo,,,
The Germans might be willing to discuss another friendly government,
and Quisling's resignation,
Forgive me dear Prime Minister, but they're just trying to entice us,
I would never have asked the King to meet the German envoy if it wasn't absolutely necessary,
But I and the rest of the Cabinet believe that negotiations is our only option,
Despite what happened last night at Midtskogen, I would like to agree with you,
but we did all we could to negotiate!
And what is their response? Violence! They attacked us!
No,,,
Send me instead,
The German leadership requested the King in person, Alone,
They broke their own ceasefire,
but you still want to send my father back into the lion's den!
This is craziness! We have to make a stand dammit!
We have to put an end to this nightmare!
I believe the situation will calm down if we announce that
the King will meet the Germans,
If we don't act, I fear that the carnage will get worse,
Your Majesty,,,
Dad, there must be other options, There has to be,
I believe we can avoid bloodshed if we negotiate with the German envoy,
Can I talk to my father alone, please?
- Yes, of course, - Gentlemen, let's withdraw,
Are you OK?
Father?
Everything OK?
If I can prevent further casualties by meeting that German,
- I will do it,
- But father,,, - I'll have to go there,
We can ask him to come here instead - the German,
We'll arrange for a neutral location and bring him to us,
They can't ask you to go to Elverum at this time, It's not safe,
You don't have to go even if Koht has promised him a meeting,
I strongly advise you not to go, What if it's a trap?
You said you wanted to fulfill your duty,
This is my duty,
If this is how it is, if,,,
If I am the last card in the deck, so be it,
- I have to try at least, - I'm sure there are other options,
Yes, always, There are always other solutions,
But are they the right ones?
You're not supposed to be me,
You have to be yourself,
Over time, you'll become the sort of king you think you should be,
But dad, if you go, at least let me go with you,
You know we can't do that,
You're ready if something should happen,
Yes,,,
What outcome do you expect from all this?
Do you really believe the King will recognize Quisling after last night?
I'm not responsible for that,
Someone else will have to take the blame for that mess,
Consider your family, Haven't they gone through enough already?
Let me pick up the King,
- Simply tell me where he's hidden, - Keep your men away,
For the next couple of hours we play by my rules,
- What do we have to lose? - We don't negotiate, We take what we want,
You are not the only one traveling to Elverum,
Keep an eye on the sky,
You never know what can fall on your head,
I'm leaving now, If everything works out, I'll be back home tonight,
What are you doing?
I'm leaving,
And Clara comes with me,
Where to?
Home,
I have no words to say how sorry I am for all this, Anneliese,
Please forgive me,
Can you please forgive me one more time?
- Mr, Envoy, - I'm coming,
- The car,,, - I said I'm coming!
I'm so sorry for what happened,
Please forgive me,
Forgive me,
Ah, and who is this?
Goodbye, my dear,
Your Majesty, we still have half an hour,
I can't stand staying inside,
May I ask You to go back inside or take a seat in the car, as a precaution?
- Let's just go, - As You wish,
Øyvind, we're ready!
Dad! You don't have to leave yet?
If something happens,,,
there's a number of practical issues you need to know about,
- Peder knows everything, - I know all these things,
You must never be alone, Always keep Märtha by your side,
If something happens, you need someone you trust and love,
Protect the children,
All for Norway ,,, right?
German-Norwegian Dictionary
"Your Majesty,,,"
"Your Majesty, it is an honor,"
10 April, 12:30 pm Elverum folk high school
- Your Majesty, - Mr, Koht,
Mowinckel, Sundby,
- So, this is the place, - What?
- This is where it will happen, - You can say that again,
We can arrange a room for you,
and inform you when the German envoy arrives,
Very well,
Look,
- Out! Get out of the car, - What is he saying?
- Get him out,,, - Ask the man what he wants,
Only him!
Step back inside, I'll take care of this,
Only you,
I'm sorry, time is running out, If you could please,,,
Be quiet! Excuse me, it that really,,,
Pardon me,,, Do you understand German?
Do you understand German?
- No! - I am the German envoy,,,
Yes?
- Would you like more coffee? - No thanks, we're good for now,
Your Majesty, there is something wrong,
He's just delayed,
Are you sure about that? As sure as I can possibly be,
Just as sure as you were that the Germans would not invade us?
- In the name of safety I think we should leave, - Take it easy,
Your Majesty, let's leave now,
- I can not open it, - Look,,,
Your Majesty,
- I need air, - Here, This may be opened,
- They he is, Are You ready? - Yes, let's go,
I will go down and receive him,
- Minister Koht, My pleasure,
- Dr, Bräuer, Welcome,
Your Majesty, it is an honor,
- Sir, - Thank you,
- Mr, Lykke and Mowinckel, - Good morning,
I understand that His Majesty comprehends German?
With Your Majesty's permission, I would appreciate if we could continue the conversation in German,
Regrettably, my Norwegian is not that strong,
Well ,,, after consultations with the German Führer,
I was authorized to negotiate directly with Your Majesty,
With all due respect, it was agreed
that I would have a private conversation with His Majesty,
- Is that true? - It's a misunderstanding,
We'll sort this out,
This affair will only be discussed in the presence of the Cabinet,
I would like the gentlemen to remain in the room as witnesses,
I'm afraid I must insist, Majesty, I'm under strict orders from the Führer,
Just Your Majesty and my humble person,
It is important that the Cabinet is present,
He wants us to leave the premises, but that's out of the question,
Well, then it's off,
Your Majesty,
Mr, Bräuer! We will do as you wish,
Yes, Gentlemen, let's withdraw,
I had the pleasure of meeting Your Majesty on a previous occasion,
I don't know if Your Majesty can recollect?
For me, at least, it was a great occasion,
You should know that the Führer has great esteem for Your Majesty,
And Your brother,
I nurture the greatest respect for the Kingdom of Norway
and by the monarchy, as an institution,
But, as things currently stand, we have control of the country,
The official government has no power, That resides with Quisling,
And it is the Führer's wish that it remain so,
The treaty the Führer wishes to enter into with Your Majesty
remains the same, but with Quisling as prime minister,
Your Majesty, may I speak frankly?
I completely respect that such a comprehensive solution
under no circumstance is acceptable,
Like I said, I have great respect for Your Majesty, but not for Quisling,
Quite the opposite, I share Your Majesty's disdain for him,
He is a miserable character that has intruded in our mutual negotiations,
But he has a reputation in Berlin, Even Hitler knows who he is,
Therefore, I asked to see Your Majesty in private,
I am prepared to make an alternative proposal,
The agreement remains the same, with no mention of Quisling,
I give you my word, Your Majesty,
If Your Majesty signs here and now,
Quisling will vanish quickly,
I'm taking a big risk here,
Hitler wants Quisling, but he wants Your Majesty more,
I am so convinced of this that I am risking my career,
Does Your Majesty understand what I am saying?
I mean, my German?
You expect a yes or no from me? Here and now?
Yes,,,
This is a one-time offer, You can save Norway, Your Majesty,
Become the hero of the country! The King of the People!
Did you know that in the entire history of Norway,
I was the first King to be elected by the people?
Norway is a democracy,
The people elect, The people are heard and respected,
I would neglect all of this if I gave you a reply here and now,
The destiny of our country is not decided in a room,
face to face,
The decision must be made by the people,
I have respect for Your Majesty's position,
But if you say "no", people will die, It's that simple,
Young Norwegians will lose their life in a senseless war,
Would you want that on your conscience?
Do you want the blood of Norwegian women and men on your hands?
Your Majesty,,,
I have a five month old daughter, born here in Norway,
The last thing I want is for her to grow up during a war,
So please sign, here and now,
Save Norway,
Do like your brother did, In Denmark barely a shot was fired,,,
You dare preach to me about my own brother!
About my family!
Who do You think You are?
A messenger, Your Majesty, I am only a messenger,,,
who wants the best for Norway and believes in a peaceful solution,
Yes, you are truly a peace dove!
A negotiator among warmongers,
If you were a peace dove, you wouldn't have demanded that we surrender our country,
This proposal,,,
You're not one bit better than Hitler!
Majesty, this offer is valid only here and now,
I believe it's time to fetch the foreign minister again,
Negotiations with the Cabinet will be less flexible, if you understand what I'm saying,
I don't know what You and His Majesty talked about while we were outside,
but the government of Norway is ready to negotiate with Germany,
as soon as we the conditions are known to us,
There are no conditions, there will be no negotiations without the signature of,,,
- Koht, what's going on? - I said we can negotiate,
as soon as we know the conditions, Sir, would you please sit down,,,
Dr, Bräuer, may we please continue this in English?
First of all, you can negotiate with us,
There are no negotiations, I have my strict orders from the Führer,
And I pushed my orders, the legislation is cut off,
Please, Mr, Bräuer, we have authority,
- We are the government, - I have to say good afternoon, Gentlemen,
Dr, Bräuer, we must continue the dialogue,
No, I'm sorry,
Dr, Bräuer, please,,,
I expect the Norwegian Cabinet's response by nightfall,
Mr, Koht, I'm sorry,
It made a tremendous impression on me,
Having to bear the responsibility for the calamity befalling
people and country if the German demands are rejected,
It's a heavy burden to bear,
So heavy that I dread carrying it,
The Cabinet makes the decision,
but my position is clear:
I can not accede to the German demands,
Doing so would be a violation of everything I've perceived to be my duty as King,
ever since I arrived in Norway almost 35 years ago,
I can not step across that line,
I refuse to to step across that line,
I don't want to bind the Cabinet's decision,
But after careful soul-searching,,,
and having considered my position,
And I can not appoint Quisling,
who has no support in the people,
Should the Cabinet accede to,,,
the German demands,
and I fully comprehend,,,
the reasons favoring such a decision,
considering the imminent danger we find ourselves in,
and because so many young Norwegians
will have to sacrifice their lives in the battle,
Should you decide to accept these demands,
then,,, Then there is no other outcome for me,,,
but to abdicate,
For me and for my House,
I understand, Thank you,
11 April, 05:00 am Heggemoen farm, Trysil
11 April, 5:40 pm Nybergsund, Trysil
Dad, come here!
To the woods! To the woods!
Come on, This way,
- Keep going! - Come on, let's go,
To the woods!
Your Majesty! Your Majesty?
The bombardment of Elverum and Nybergsund is a direct consequence of the King's "no",
34 people are killed in Elverum, There are no casualties in Nybergsund,
As of 11 April 1940, Norway is at war with Germany,
Curt Bräuer is sent to the Eastern Front, where he serves until the end of the war,
He is captured and serves 8 years as a POW in Soviet Russian captivity,
He dies in 1969,
Birger Eriksen and Commander Andreas Anderssen are bestowed with the War Cross with Sword
the country's highest decoration,
Birger Eriksen dies in 1958,
Fredrik Seeberg is hospitalized for 2 months in Elverum before leaving for Finland to participate in the Finnish Continuation War,
He currently lives in Drammen,
Crown Princess Märtha and her children escape to the USA, where they stay for the remainder of the war,
On 7 June 1940, the King and Crown Prince are forced to leave Norway, The Norwegian military capitulates three days later,
Based in London, the King and Crown Prince collaborate closely with resistance groups across the country,
The King's "no" was a singular intervention in a political process,
It remains a powerful symbol in the battle for a democratic, free and independent Norway,
On 8 May, 1945, Germany capitulates,
In London, King Haakon awaits being reunited with Prince Harald and the rest of the Royal family,
Together, they will return to Norway,
Yes?
He's here, Are you ready?
Harald, come here,
Come on! Come on!
My oh my! Wonderful to see you! I've been so looking forward to this, How are you, my boy?
King Haakon VII dies in 1957, at the age of 85,
Olav V reigned until his death in 1991,
Harald V adopted his grandfather and father's motto: "All for Norway",