On 9 April the Germans launched their
invasion of Norway and Denmark (named Operation Weserubung = Weser Crossing), based
on a bold strategy that called for naval
landings at six points in Norway, supported
by waves of paratroops. The naval
escort for the Narvik landing suffered
heavy losses, and the defenders of Oslo
sank the cruiser Blucher and damaged
the pocket battleship Lutzow. Even so,
the Germans seized vital airfields, which
allowed them to reinforce their assault
units and deploy their warplanes against
the Royal Navy ships along the coast.
Denmark had already been overrun and
posed no threat to German designs.
Norwegian defense forces were weak,
and the Germans captured numerous
arms depots at the outset, leaving hastily
mobilized reservists without any
weapons.
Allied planning proved wholly
inadequate to German professionalism
and air superiority. Kristiansand, Stavanger,
Bergen, Trondheim and Narvik
were all lost to the Germans, along with
the country's capital, Oslo.
Few Allied
troops were trained for landing, and
those who did get ashore were poorly supplied.
In May, British, French and Polish
forces attempted to recapture two important
cities, but their brief success at Narvik
was offset by the bungled effort at
Trondheim to the south. Troops in that
area had to be evacuated within two
weeks, and soon after Narvik was abandoned
to the Germans when events in
France drew off Allied troops.
Norway and Denmark would remain
under German occupation throughout
the war, and it seemed that Hitler's Scandinavian
triumph in Operation Weser Crossing was complete. However,
German naval losses there would
hamper plans for the invasion of Britain,
and the occupation would tie up numerous
German troops for the duration. The
Allies were not much consoled by these
reflections at the time. The Northern
blitzkrieg had been a heavy blow to their
morale, and the Germans had gained
valuable Atlantic bases for subsequent
operations.
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