Norway is invaded on this day in History

[STEED]

Operation Weseruburg 1940 saw a surprice move by Hitler and the largest operation of the Kriegsmarines.

Was the cost to the Navy to high?


Read here - Operation Weseruburg (http://www.ndu.edu/INSS/PRESS/jfq_pages/jfq1301.pdf)

[bigboywooly]

Always a risky venture to send your large warships up those narrow Fjords

I can see the reasoning to use them as troop transports as they were fast but the lack of some proper assault craft really showed there

Took a huge toll on the Kreigsmarines resoucres with all the losses

BLUCHER and gunnery training ship BRUMMER along with Torpedoboot ALBATROS and Raumboot R17 all sunk at Oslo with the Lutzow and Emdem damaged

KARLSRUHE damaged at Kristiansand - later sunk by British submarine TRUANT on the way home

KONIGSBERG and BREMSE heavily damaged at Bergen - KONIGSBERG later sunk by Br dive bombers

HIPPER rammed by HMS Gloworm causing 120ft gash in the Hipper

April 10th Br DD TF enters Narvik and sink 2 of the German DD and damage the remaining 3 before sinking 8 German mercs in the harbour and the Ammo ship RAUNFELS on the way out
By this time 5 more Ge DD turn up and sink 2 British DD

LUTZOW further damaged by a British sub

April 13: "Second Battle of Narvik." Nine British destroyers, supported by the WARSPITE and aircraft from the carrier FURIOUS, enter Narvik and wipe out the eight German destroyers still afloat. WARSPITE's catapult-launched Swordfish spotter biplane also sinks a U-boat. Although the destroyer ESKIMO has its bow blown off by a German torpedo, no British ship is sunk in this encounter.

Losses the Kreigsmarine couldnt bear

A good read http://www.feldgrau.com/norwegian.html