ernment. General Carl Gustav Fleischer arrived in Troms� on 10 April 1940 after flying in terrible conditions. From Troms� he issued orders for total civilian and military mobilisation and declared North Norway a theatre of war. Fleischer's strategic plan was to first wipe out the German forces at Narvik and then transfer his division to Nordland to meet a German advance from Tr�ndelag. The Germans soon overtook all of Norway, although they encountered fierce resistance from the Finnmark-based Alta Battalion at Narvik. Troms� escaped the war without any damage, although the German battleship Tirpitz was sunk off the Troms�y island on 12 November 1944, killing close to 1,000 German soldiers.
At the end of the war, the city received thousands of refugees from the Finnmark province and the North Troms area - which had been devastated by German forces using scorched earth tactics in expectation of the Red Army offensive.
The late 1900s � today: rapid expansion
Expansion after World War II has been rapid. The rural municipalities of Troms�ysund and Ullsfjord, and most of Hilles�y, were merged with Troms� on 1 January 1964, creating today's Troms� municipality and almost tripling Troms�'s population - from 12,430 to 32,664. In addition, the population growth has been strong, with at times more than 1,000 more Troms�v�ringer (Troms� citizens) annually. The population of Troms� municipality today is 68,239, and the urban area, Norway's ninth most populous, is home to 58,486 people. This excludes most of the city's students, however, who often do not change their address when moving to Troms�.
The late 1900s also saw a major infrastructural revolution in the opening of Troms� Airport in 1964. Unlike many other airports, which are situated somewhat outside the city they serve, Troms� Airport is situated on the main island. Another revolutionary development in Troms�'s history has been the locating of important academic institutions in the
