When the German invasion of Norway began, the gold was evacuated from Oslo first overland to Åndalsnes and then by ship to Tromsø.
From Tromsø, evacuating Allied forces shipped the gold to Britain, despite German ground and air attacks.
When news reached the government in the early hours of 9 April 1940 that the patrol boat Pol III had been attacked and that enemy ships were approaching Oslo, orders went out to evacuate the gold to the vault in Lillehammer.
German paratroopers attempted to reach Lillehammer in buses to capture the dignitaries and gold, but were stopped by an improvised defence at Midtskogen.
Norwegian troops from Jørstadmoen, including poet Nordahl Grieg, were deployed to Lillehammer to guard the train.
The gold was moved on 23-28 lorries to Molde, to be embarked on the British cruiser HMS Glasgow with the king and the government, and taken to Tromsø and then to Britain.
756 crates and all 39 barrels were loaded onto Glasgow before, late on Monday 29 April, Captain Pegram judged that they could wait no longer and ordered the ship north to Tromsø.
As hoped, the fishing vessels did not draw attention and they arrived at Gjemnes without incident, and the 30 crates brought north by road were picked up.
Of the 50 tonnes from Oslo, the only losses were 297 gold coins from a barrel damaged during transit aboard a British vessel.