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The Globe At War |
This Month in History: April 1940 |
April 1940 - The German Invasion of Denmark and Norway and its Impact on the War Scandinavia took on ample significance to both Germany and Britain late in the winter of 1939-1940. The subsequent events in Scandinavian waters during the spring of 1940 would prove even more strategically significant following France's capitulation in June of 1940. The following will explain why. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, a politically weakened Neville Chamberlain had brought one of his leading dissenters, Winston Churchill, into his cabinet as First Lord of the Admiralty; in an attempt to silence Churchill's politically damaging critiques of Chamberlain's leadership. Churchill took to the job with his characteristic self-assuredness. Among other things, he was convinced Britain needed to secure Norway's long coastline and ports; thereby increasing the British economic blockade's efficacy against Germany and increasing political pressure on Sweden regarding her trade with Germany. Germany's intelligence services quickly discovered British intentions regarding Scandinavia. On December 12, 1939 Grand Admiral Raeder took his concerns over British interest in Norway to Hitler and explained the dangers to Germany and its economy if Britain secured Norway. Hitler agreed with Raeder's assessment. In 1940 more than half Germany's iron ore came from imports, with 83% of this total supplied by Sweden. Moreover, during the winter the Norwegian port of Narvik served as the primary loading and shipping point for Swedish iron ore destined for Germany. Given Scandinavia's importance to Germany Hitler ordered the German military to plan for pre-empting the British. For his part, Reader had been looking for a pre-text to maintain the Kreigsmarine's relevance to the German war effort. When the German supply ship Altmark was seized in Norwegian waters on February 18, 1940 the incident sealed Hitler's conviction regarding his need to act. On March 1, 1940 Hitler issued a Directive describing the plan of attack and rationale behind German plans for invading Norway and Denmark. German General of Infantry von Falkenhorst readied light flexible forces to spearhead an invasion that began early in April. In spite of the Royal Navy's power, size and Germany's convoluted command, Hitler had split command over the operation giving OKW the central role rather than the army high command (OKH), the German invasion forces quickly found success. Germany took Denmark in a single day; conducting the world's first combat airdrops, a series of landings along the coast and sending a combined arms motorized infantry force driving 300 miles up the Danish peninsula. As for Norway, some 9,000 German troops landed up and down the Norwegian coast in the first wave alone; forcing a hasty British retreat. The British did not give up easily though and instigated sporadic landings in Norway that would last into the summer. Meanwhile the Royal Navy suffered heavy losses in Scandinavian waters including; the aircraft carrier Glorious, two cruisers, seven destroyers, and four submarines. In addition German air and naval assets inflicted heavy damage on several more British cruisers and destroyers. German success in Norway represented a severe blow to allied naval prestige. Two of the world's largest and best-regarded navies, the British and French, had failed to stop the Kreigsmarine from landing troops almost at will up and down the long Norwegian coast. Next Page Return to This Month in History Main Page |