Following the German invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940, 263 Sqn was sent to Norway on HMS Glorious and landed southwest of Trondheim. It was a cold spring and the the RAF used the frozen Lake Lesjaskog to operate from. However the frozen surface thawed during the day, and disregarding advice from the Norwegian liaison officer, the RAF left the aircraft unattended overnight and when the Luftwaffe He 111s attacked in the early morning, the Gladiators were frozen into the ice and most of 263 Sqd was obliterated. The remains of the aircraft were sold to a local scrap merchant. N5641 was dismantled and placed in a shed where it remained until the mid-1970s when it was moved to Rygge for restoration. It is now on display in Bodø.

Built in 1938 and later transferred to 263 Sqn of the RAF, where it was given it's HE-G code. After the German invasion in April 1940, it was one of 18 aircraft that was transferred to Norway on the carrier HMS Glorious. The RAF parked their aircraft in the slush on the ice and disregarding advice from the local Norwegian liaison officer. The aircraft were unattended and they froze into the ice during the night. When the Heinkels arrived in the morning, they were sitting ducks and most of 263 Sqd was obliterated . It was dismantled and hidden in a shed during the war years. The restoration process began in 1980.

Former JA8559 awaiting conversion to a freighter for EAT Leipzig as D-AEAJ.

N2621 on the left and N5641 on the right.

RAF N5641 built 1938, it was badly damaged in action at Lake Lesjaskog on 25 April 1940 while fighting in Norway. Later in 1940 it was recovered from the water and stored. From 1980 it was restored at Rygge and later went to the Norsk Luftfartsmuseum in Bodø. It carries the 263 Sqn code HE

RAF N5641 built 1938, it was badly damaged in action at Lake Lesjaskog on 25-Apr-1940 while fighting in Norway. Later in 1940 it was recovered from the water and stored. From 1980 it was restored at Rygge and later went to the Norsk Luftfartsmuseum in Bodø. It carries the 263 Sqn code HE

RAF N5641 built 1938, it was badly damaged in action at Lake Lesjaskog on 25-Apr-1940 while fighting in Norway. Later in 1940 it was recovered from the water and stored. From 1980 it was restored at Rygge and later went to the Norsk Luftfartsmuseum in Bodø. It carries the 263 Sqn code HE