When Hitler launched his invasion of Norway in 1940 only the warships of the Royal Navy stood any chance of stopping him.
Although Germany has a long seacoast in the north, its only access to the Atlantic Ocean is via narrow channel running between the countries of Denmark and Norway. During World War I, England had blockaded this channel and trapped most of the German surface fleet for the duration of war. As war broke out across Europe again in 1939, Adolf Hitler quickly adopted plans to ensure his surface fleet would not be trapped.
In 1940, Hitler launched an invasion of the neutral countries Denmark and Norway. The tiny country of Denmark surrendered almost without a shot as the legions of German soldiers poured over their border. Meanwhile the German Navy, the Kreigsmarine, led the charge into Norway.
The Germans attacked Norway in the south, middle, and north, using a combination of amphibious assaults and paratroopers. Although the small Norwegian Navy and shore defences managed to cripple or destroy a few of the invading ships, they were no match for the might of the Kriegsmarine. Quickly both the south and the middle of the country fell. Only in the far north did the Norwegians manage to hold out.
Although woefully unprepared for the swift German attack, the Allies responded. The British Home fleet charged out of their base at Scapa Flow, both to attack the Kriegsmarine and to reinforce the beleaguered Norwegians. Over the next few days, two major naval battles occurred near the far northern city of Narvik. In both cases, the Royal Navy got the better of their German counterparts, sinking a total of one cruiser, ten destroyers, and a u-boat.
On the land, the British and French troops were badly beaten in their first engagements against the Germans. Under-equipped and with no answer to the continuous attack of the Luftwaffe flying from Denmark, the allies were pushed further and further back.
However, with their navy in ruins and their supply lines stretched thin, the Germans were not able to launch a final push to defeat the allies. As it happened, the end came from somewhere else. As the world’s attention focused on Norway, the German’s launched their Blitzkreig on France. When France surrendered, Britain decided it was best to withdraw from Norway. Abandoned by her friends, Norway surrendered to the Germans.
Although the attack on Norway had been a German victory, it had proved a costly one. The Kriegsmarine had lost a full half of its fighting ships. In a bitterly ironic twist, Hitler had secured the bases he need for his navy, but he no longer had the navy left to exploit it. Nor did it seem to matter after France had fallen.
The British meanwhile were in dire straights. They had lost all of their allies in mainland Europe and their army had been severely defeated. Still, they reigned supreme on the seas and this would prove crucial to maintaining their supply lines to the United States and for their eventual invasion of Europe.
