Invasion of Denmark, Invasion of Denmark, Norway & the Low CountriesNorway & the Low Countries

LTC Oakland McCullochLTC Oakland McCulloch

OutlineOutline

• German Invasion of Denmark & Norway

• The Invasion of the Low Countries

• Consequences of these victories

• Operation WESERUBUNG began on 09 April 1940

• Germans were concerned about a Franco-British occupation of both Denmark and Norway

• Sold as protecting these countries’ neutrality

• Naval engagements between British and German warships along the Norwegian Coast

• Very little danger with invasion of Denmark

• Huge danger for German Navy while invading Norway

Invasion of Denmark Invasion of Denmark and Norwayand Norway

• German Ambassador to Denmark asked for a meeting with the Danish Foreign Minister

• 3 German Infantry Divisions & 1 Motorized Rifle Brigade drive across the border into Denmark (with air support)

• Flat terrain was perfect for the German operation• small, poorly equipped & poorly trained Danish Army had no chance of stopping the invasion

• 1000 Infantry, who where hiding in a Merchant ship in the Copenhagen harbor, disembarked to seize the King and Government

• Denmark fell almost without bloodshed in one day

• Control of naval & shipping access to major German & Russian ports

The Fall of DenmarkThe Fall of Denmark

• German Navy takes a beating but successfully escorts all the troop transports to Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondeheim and Narvik

• First use of Airborne landings in combat at Oslo and Kristiansand

• Germans used 6 plus Divisions (81,000 soldiers) plus huge amounts of air support

• Norwegian Army, about 12,000 strong, was better trained than the Danes and had some warning

The Invasion of NorwayThe Invasion of Norway

The Invasion of NorwayThe Invasion of Norway

• The Capture of Oslo• despite stubborn resistance the Germans landed by sea and air to quickly capture the capital• Oslo was the communications hub in southern Norway

• Germans are successful at landing troops at all ports - some do suffer casualties

• Disaster at Narvik for German Navy

• Germans begin exploitation by fanning out from captured cities

• Germany flies in reinforcements• Luftwaffe attacks British warships off the coast

The Battle for NorwayThe Battle for Norway9-13 April 1940

• Allied Landings 14-19 April 1940• 10,000 French & British troops land in Norway• had been assembled to land in Finland • Allied force eventually grows to 25,000 men

• Germans react very quickly establishing hasty defenses and using the Luftwaffe to strike Allied troops, landing areas and support ships

• Only Allied success was at Narvik

• Allied evacuation of Norway 8-9 June 1940 • Things not going so well on the Continent!

The Battle for NorwayThe Battle for Norway

Consequences of the Battle

• Prime Minister Chamberlain resigns and Winston Churchill becomes the Prime Minister

• Germany gains access to ports into the North Atlantic for its warships and u-boats

• Loosening of the British Naval blockade

• Safe passage for Germany’s iron ore from Sweden

• German Navy crippled for several months to come

The Capture NorwayThe Capture Norway

The Fall of The Low The Fall of The Low CountriesCountries

• Predawn bombardment of all major Dutch and Belgian airfields

• Army Groups A and B crossed the Belgian and Dutch frontiers

• Initially the main effort was against Holland• Paratroop drops in the vicinity of Rotterdam, The Hague and other major cities• Glider troops attack and capture Fort Eban Emael which opens the door for German troops to cross the Albert Canal

• Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Great Britain

The Fall of The Low The Fall of The Low CountriesCountries

• Dutch flood much of the country side to slow German advance

• German ground forces begin to force their way into the interior thanks to the airborne forces holding key bridges

• The Luftwaffe destroys the business district of Rotterdam in terror bombing killing 30,000 civilians

• Holland surrenders on 14 May - just four days after the war begins

The Fall of The Low The Fall of The Low CountriesCountries

• Once Fort Eban Emael fell the Germans poured across the Albert Canal into Belgium

• The Belgium Army retired to the Dyle Line, to be reinforced by elements of the BEF and 1st French Army

• By the 15th of May some 35 Allied Divisions, including most of the BEF were on the Dyle Line.

• The King of Belgium surrenders on 15 May - just five days after the war began

• The Germans now have the Allies exactly where they want them – more to follow next week

Questions ?Questions ?

The Fall of Denmark, Norway The Fall of Denmark, Norway and the Low Countriesand the Low Countries