At 9:20, after Germany issued a threat to dispatch its air force to bomb Copenhagen, the Danish government ordered a cessation of resistance.
By the end of the day, the German army controlled all of Denmark. The occupation of Denmark gave Germany a platform to march into Norway, and also provided the German Navy with a base for operations in the North Sea and the Atlantic. It also ensured that Swedish steel could enter Germany through the Baltic Sea.
Flanking security for supply lines.
At dawn on the same day, German troops also launched attacks on the Norwegian capital Oslo, the southwestern port city of Bergen, the central port city of Trondheim and the northern port city of Narvik. Narvik has always been a British
The sphere of influence at sea was more than 1,000 miles away from the German mainland. The appearance of German troops here shocked the world.
The German paratroopers occupied Sula Airport near Stavanger, and then successfully airborne at Fornib Airport near Oslo. At the same time, the German Navy also successfully transported army troops across the Skagerrak Strait and Carter
Although there were some losses in the Gutter Strait, the heavy cruiser "Blücher" and the light cruiser "Karlsruhe" were sunk. The former was sunk by the Norwegian Coast Force, and the latter was sunk by the British submarine "Lazy"
The heavy cruiser "Admiral Hipper" was sunk. The starboard bow of the heavy cruiser "Admiral Hipper" was hit by a 37-meter gap during a suicide attack by the British destroyer "Firefly". Major Rupp, the commander of the "Firefly" destroyer
He was posthumously awarded the first "Victoria" Cross in the war.
After experiencing the initial shock and panic, Norway made an admirable decision to fight, and the Norwegian army vigorously carried out various forms of resistance on land.
However, during the battle at Narvik, the British Royal Navy still provided some help. Captain Warburton Lee led five destroyers to mess up the German warships parked in the harbor, and sank two German destroyers. However,
The British army also lost 2 ships during the battle.
On April 12, the old battleship "Wars Exhausted", with the cooperation of 9 destroyers, launched a fierce battle with the German army in Uftfjord and completely annihilated the German navy. However, in the south, the German army was inferior in artillery and individual combat capabilities.
They all have the advantage, and the German Air Force has complete control of the air, which determines the German army's ultimate success.
In just eight days, the troops of the German 163rd and 196th Divisions had advanced 290 kilometers and controlled the crucial southern area. Finally, the hastily organized British reinforcements finally landed successfully. After the assembly, they successively
Entering rough and simple defensive positions, however, like the Norwegians, they were eventually defeated in the face of the well-trained, well-equipped, and more coordinated German troops. By May 1, the British army was defeated in mid-April.
The surviving troops of the two brigades that landed in Andalsnes re-boarded the ships and withdrew from the battlefield, while the Norwegian troops in the center and south finally gave up their resistance and surrendered to the Germans.
However, in the far north, the initial battle situation at Narvik was very unfavorable for German General Dieter and his 2,000 mountain troops. A joint Allied force composed of the British Guards, the French Alpine Division and the Polish Army
Destroyed the ships and supplies they carried, and drove them out of Narvik.
By May 28, Narvik was firmly in the hands of the Allied forces. However, at this time, the Allied forces had to order a rapid evacuation back to the homeland and transfer them to places where these troops and equipment were more urgently needed.
The commander of the British relief force in central Norway at that time was Major General Caton de Wyatt. His work on the implementation of the Allied Norwegian campaign written a few years after the war is perhaps the most enlightening discussion.
In early April he went to Whitehall (in answer to urgent inquiries from the War Department) and said:
"I slowly understood that this was Norway. I had never been there before and I didn't know anything about Norway."
If the Battle of Norway was a defeat for the British army, then it was a disaster for the British Prime Minister.
The British House of Commons was packed, and everyone was depressed and extremely angry. This anger was concentrated on Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain sat in his usual seat on the front bench. Out of extreme anger and shame, his
His face was very pale. At that time, seeing this scene, even Churchill was full of sympathy for the tired elder, although they had had many painful arguments in the past few years.
In the Admiralty's memory, Parliament had hardly ever launched such a scathing attack before, mainly against the government's policy of appeasement that had been maintained for months and against the prime minister's blind optimism in his pre-war dealings with Hitler.
And the attitude towards British defense after the outbreak of war, especially in response to Chamberlain's unfortunate statement that "Hitler did not catch the bus" in his speech a month ago!
This criticism did not come entirely from opposition members. A speech by Leo Amery, one of Chamberlain's closest friends and political partners, brought people's criticism of Chamberlain to a climax. He cited Cromwell's severe accusation.
In the words of Hampden's army leader, he accused the government of "old and rotten soldiers." He also directly blamed Chamberlain, and again quoted Cromwell: "For what you have done in this seat, you are the best in this position."
"You've been sitting there too long," he declared. "Get away, I say, and let our partnership with you be over! In the name of God, go!"
This was a huge blow to the Prime Minister's ego, especially as he left Parliament to the rhythmic roar of "Get out! Get out! Get out!" from the backbenchers. Later that day, the Prime Minister told Churchill that he
He believed that he could no longer continue to lead a one-party government during a war and should form a national government that included members of all parties. However, he did not know whether the Labor leader supported his personal decision.
In fact, this was quickly confirmed in the talks and negotiations that took place within the next 48 hours. At 11 a.m. on May 10, Chamberlain decided to abdicate and summoned Lord Halifax and Winston.
Churchill, he believed that the candidate for prime minister must be chosen between them.
Finally, Halifax broke his silence. He said that it was very difficult for him to direct the war cabinet from outside the House of Commons, because all major decisions had to be discussed in the House of Commons, and as a parliamentarian
Members of the House of Lords are not allowed to speak in the House of Commons. This is what happens before a noble renounces his power, and this should not be forgotten. After Halifax finished speaking, Churchill had apparently been recommended as
The only candidate for Prime Minister, the three chatted for a while, and then ended the meeting. At 6 p.m., Churchill was summoned and brought to the King, the person to whom he would be fully loyal in this crucial era.
before.
"I think you may not know why I summoned you." The king asked with a smile.
"Sir, I really don't know," Churchill replied, with the same expression.
"I want you to form a new government."
Adolf Hitler was one of the few people who paid attention to this new appointment. He had always remembered Churchill's anti-Nazi actions in the 1930s. Hitler had invited Churchill to the Nazi Foreign Ministry official through Ernst Böller.
Germany held talks, but was rejected by Churchill. At that time, the Germans believed that Churchill had no hope of winning in the UK and was not to be feared. But now, the biggest opponent of the appeasement policy has become the leader of the UK. Despite this, Germany still
They believed that Churchill was just mantis trying to pull a chariot, and that he would be swept out in the face of Germany's powerful military power.
On the morning of Churchill's appointment, the German army launched a large-scale attack on Belgium and the Netherlands, breaking the neutrality that the two countries had maintained. While the German Army and the vanguard of the Nazi SS crossed the border into the Low Countries, the Luftwaffe began bombing
In Rotterdam, paratroopers also dropped at key points along carefully planned attack routes. The days of "phony wars" were finally gone.
Germany's initial military plan for the invasion of Western Europe was based on the open offensive format of the First World War, and its strategic ambitions were far less than the "Schlieffen Plan" of 1914.
The German generals only planned to occupy the industrial areas of Belgium and northern France, and had no further ambitions. They did not want to repeat the tragic fate of marching on Paris in 1914. Indeed, the German Army High Command also believed that the German offensive forces were incompatible with the modern Allied defenses.
The balance of forces did not allow for other strategies, and the new goals needed to be achieved by launching further campaigns in 1941. The German generals were not the only ones who held this idea: French and British generals also held the same view, and they drafted
The plan was to advance the main mobile force into Belgium at the beginning of hostilities.
If the offensive on the Western Front had been launched in the autumn of 1939, the war would undoubtedly have progressed as these generals planned. However, Hitler had other ideas. He had fought in Belgium, and in 1917, around Ypres
The countryside was torn to pieces, and millions of British and German soldiers were killed. He knew the terrain here. Massive shelling made the ground as soft and muddy as a swamp. Countless creeks and creeks made the invaders' progress difficult.
.Indeed, Hitler believed that if he attacked southward, perhaps it would be more effective through the Ardennes forest zone.
However, the generals scorned this view.
By the spring of 1940, as the delayed offensive plan was being put into action, Hitler found that at least some of his officers were beginning to agree with his point of view.
General Erich von Manstein was the chief of staff of General von Rundstedt, commander-in-chief of Army Group A on the Western Front. After studying the terrain of the Ardennes region, he came to the same conclusion as the Führer.
He discussed this point of view with General Heinz Guderian, Germany's most famous tank expert.
They agreed to adopt such a radical strategy: the German armored divisions would rush along the narrow forest roads here and advance to the gently rolling hills of northern France, and launch a sudden attack from the open areas here. The German armored forces would be able to do whatever the enemy did.
Good defense preparation before passing through the enemy forces.
It is more difficult for these high-speed mobile troops to carry enough artillery. Other German commanders believed that there would be an offensive pause when transporting artillery forward, resulting in a World War I-style battle between the two sides along the Maas River.
battle.
Guderian and his tank troops were confident that they could quickly defeat the French defenses. The Luftwaffe's bombers, especially the formidable "Stuka" dive bombers, would replace artillery to provide close air support!