For what is probably the first time, the story of the invasion of Denmark and Norway in 1940 is told in its full, from both sides. This was an operation that was somewhat hastily planned and one of the few times that there was full cooperation between the German army, navy and air forces.

It all came about over the ability to get iron ore from Sweden during the winter months. Since the normal Baltic ports were icebound, only the Norwegian port of Narvik was available to ship this commodity. Fearful that the British would take control of this strategic locale (which they were planning on doing), the Germans conceived of an elaborate plan, Operation Weserübung.

This also required the use of Danish territory for Luftwaffe planes to be able to reach the southern Norwegian areas of operation, so that country was subjugated with only minimal resistance from its armed forces after Denmark's ruler realized the futility of trying to hold back the German invading forces.

The operation was not without its hitches and one of those resulted in the loss of nearly half of the German surface fleet in the waters around Oslo and Narvik. The Norwegian army fought tenaciously against the German occupiers and in Narvik, the first amphibious assault of the war resulted in the capture of this important position from the Germans who held it, mostly due to the skills of the French foreign legion. Alas, the German invasion of France about this same time, caused the British to pull out of the fight for Norway, leaving it to be eventually totally controlled by the Germans.

Author Douglas Dildy does a superlative job of telling the story of this operation, including the personalities involved and the planning in addition to the events themselves. It was one of Germany's boldest operations and one in which the Allies made a number of mistakes and errors in judgment. Yet it was a pyrrhic victory for the Germans, as the subjugation of Norway and Denmark required an enormous  number of troops and materiel that could have been used elsewhere against the Russians or the Allies.

The book is further enhanced by a superb selection of photographs and the outstanding artwork and maps of illustrator John White.  Like all Osprey titles, it is highly recommended and one that you will find as fascinating a read as did I. 

April 2007

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