Page "Jan Mayen" Paragraph 28

During World War II, continental Norway was invaded and occupied by Germany in spring 1940.

The four man team on Jan Mayen stayed at their posts and in an act of defiance began sending their weather reports to the United Kingdom instead of Norway.

The British codenamed Jan Mayen Island X and attempted to reinforce it with troops to counteract any German attack.

The Norwegian gunboat ran aground on one of the islands ' many uncharted lava reefs and the 68 man crew abandoned ship and joined the Norwegian team on shore.

The British expedition commander, prompted by the loss of the gunboat, decided to abandon Jan Mayen until the following spring and radioed for a rescue ship.

Within a few days a ship arrived and evacuated the four Norwegians and their would-be reinforcements after demolishing the weather station to prevent it from falling into German hands.

The Germans attempted to land a weather team on the island on 16 November 1940.

The German naval trawler carrying the team crashed on the rocks just off Jan Mayen after a patrolling British destroyer had picked them up on radar.

Most of the crew struggled ashore and were taken prisoner by a landing party from the destroyer.