Gratangen
Encyclopedia : G : GR : GRA : Gratangen
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| County | Troms | |
| District | Hålogaland | |
| Municipality | ||
| Administrative centre | Gratangen | |
| Mayor (2003) | Eva Helene Ottesen (Ap) | |
| Official language form | Neutral | |
| Area - Total - Land - Percentage | 313 Square kilometre>km² 306 km² 0.10 % | |
| Population - Total (as of 2004>2004) - Percentage - Change (10 years) - Density | Ranked 387 1,282 0.03 % -13.2 % 4/km² | |
| Coordinates | ||
| [www.gratangen.kommune.no] [Data from Statistics Norway] | ||
It was the site of some of the first battles between the German 3rd Mountain Division under Eduard Dietl and the Norwegian 6th Division under General Carl Gustav Fleischer after the German invasion of Norway April 9th 1940.
After initial German success in surprising and routing a batallion from Trøndelag the tide turned as the Norwegians got used to the concept of war.
Shortly after seeing their comrades from I/IR12 suffer heavy casulties from the German assault the men from Finnmark of the soon to be highly respected Alta Battalion under lt. colonel Arne Dagfin Dahl counter-attacked and drove the Germans back from Gratangen.
| Municipalities of Troms |
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|---|---|
| Balsfjord | Bardu | Berg | Bjarkøy | Dyrøy | Gratangen | Harstad | Ibestad | Karlsøy | Kvæfjord | Kvænangen | Kåfjord | Lavangen | Lenvik | Lyngen | Målselv | Nordreisa | Salangen | Skjervøy | Skånland | Storfjord | Sørreisa | Torsken | Tranøy | Tromsø | |
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