THe invasion of norway and low countries
•April 8 and 9 1940 Hitler invades Denmark and Norway
•Purpose is two fold for Hitler:
•1) The British had landed in Norway declaring their help for Finland = Threatened the steel that came from Sweden
•2) It provided a much more forward base for German U-boats
•Provides the word Quisling to the English dictionary
•All Norwegian shipping goes to the British•Hitler begins his attack on the west in the neutral ‘Low Countries’ May 10, 1940
•Times to surrender:
•Netherlands = 4 days
•Belgium = 18 days
•Luxembourg = 2 days
•The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and French try to defend Belgium but arrive too late
•Purpose is two fold for Hitler:
•1) The British had landed in Norway declaring their help for Finland = Threatened the steel that came from Sweden
•2) It provided a much more forward base for German U-boats
•Provides the word Quisling to the English dictionary
•All Norwegian shipping goes to the British•Hitler begins his attack on the west in the neutral ‘Low Countries’ May 10, 1940
•Times to surrender:
•Netherlands = 4 days
•Belgium = 18 days
•Luxembourg = 2 days
•The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and French try to defend Belgium but arrive too late
summary
Germany invaded Denmark and Norway, ostensibly as a preventive manoeuvre against a planned, and openly discussed, Franco-British occupation of Norway. Norway was important to Germany for two primary reasons: as a base for naval units, including U-boats, to harass Allied shipping in the North Atlantic, and to secure shipments of iron-ore from Sweden.