View source for Swedish iron-ore industry during World War II (nonfiction)

'''Swedish iron ore''' was an important economic and military factor in the European theatre of World War II, as Sweden was the main contributor of iron ore to Nazi Germany. The source of iron ore for Nazi Germany 1933–43 give the following average percentages when added together: Sweden 43.0 Domestic production 28.2 France 12.9.[1] Within the German military the Navy was most dependent on Swedish steel as an absolute necessity to the German war effort, according to their grand admiral. It has also been argued that the Swedish export helped prolong the war.

Both the Allies and the Axis were keen to gain control of the mining district in northernmost Sweden, surrounding the mining towns of Gällivare and Kiruna. The importance of this issue increased after other sources of iron were cut off from Germany by the Allied naval blockade during the Battle of the Atlantic. Both the planned Anglo-French support of Finland in the Winter War, and the following German occupation of Denmark and Norway during Operation Weserübung were to a large extent motivated by the wish to deny their respective enemies iron critical for wartime production of steel.

Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, was particularly concerned about Swedish exports of iron ore to Germany, and pushed for the British government to take military action to end the trade. From the beginning of the war Churchill tried to persuade his cabinet colleagues to send a British fleet into the Baltic Sea to stop Swedish iron reaching Germany from the two Swedish export ports, Luleå and Oxelösund. The planned incursion was termed Project Catherine and was planned by Admiral of the Fleet William Boyle. However, other events overshadowed the incursion and it was canceled. Later, when the Baltic ports froze over and the Germans began shipping the iron ore from the Norwegian port of [[Narvik (nonfiction)|Narvik]], Churchill pushed for the Royal Navy to mine the west coast of Norway to prevent the Germans travelling inside neutral territorial waters to escape Allied Contraband Control measures.

== In the News ==

<gallery>
</gallery>

== Fiction cross-reference ==

* [[Gnomon algorithm]]
* [[Gnomon Chronicles]]

== Nonfiction cross-reference ==

* [[Narvik (nonfiction)]]

== External links ==

* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_iron-ore_industry_during_World_War_II Swedish iron-ore industry during World War II] @ Wikipedia 


<!-- Categories: General -->

[[Category: (nonfiction)]]
[[Category:Nonfiction (nonfiction)]]
[[Category:Iron (nonfiction)]]
[[Category:Sweden (nonfiction)]]
[[Category:World War II (nonfiction)]]