On the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of the Battle of Narvik, Franรงois Rabut, Municipal Councilor delegated to Veterans and to the Army-Nation Relationship, will honor the memory of the veterans of the 27th ยฝ Alpine Chasseur Brigade who, in May 1940, won the Battle of Narvik, the only victory registered on the 1939-40 record for the French army.
This ceremony will take place on Monday, June 4, 2012, at 10:30 AM in the Jardin de Narvik in Nice.
On this occasion, a Narvik stele and two commemorative plaques for the 6th and 22nd BCA will be unveiled.
On April 9, 1940, Germany attacked Norway with 35,000 to 40,000 men. Soon after, the Allied forces decided to intervene to prevent the use of the Norwegian coasts by the Kriegsmarine as well as the transit of Swedish iron ore through Narvik. General Audet took command of the French Expeditionary Corps in Scandinavia, composed notably of Alpine chasseurs, legionnaires, and Poles supported by colonial artillerymen. On April 23, the 27th ยฝ Brigade received orders to move towards Narvik. On May 13, the 13th DBMLE, along with the 6th and 14th BCA, rushed towards Bjervik, which they took from the enemy. The city was in flames. General Dietl considered the capitulation of German troops. On May 28, Narvik was taken by the 13th DBMLE and the 27th ยฝ Brigade.
