The Prelude to Invasion: Hitler’s Northern Gamble

Following the swift conquest of Poland in September 1939, Nazi Germany turned its attention westward. Adolf Hitler and his generals recognized the strategic necessity of securing Scandinavia—not only to protect Germany’s northern flank but to seize control of Norway’s ice-free ports and Sweden’s iron ore shipments, vital for the Reich’s war machine. Denmark, though less resource-rich, offered a crucial geographic gateway.

Both nations presented soft targets. Denmark—trusting in its 1935 non-aggression pact with Germany—had only two underprepared infantry divisions. Norway’s six scattered infantry divisions relied on unrealistic assumptions of British-French reinforcements. German planners, led by General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst, devised Operation Weserübung (“Weser Exercise”), combining naval landings with unprecedented large-scale airborne assaults—a tactical innovation that would redefine modern warfare.

The German War Machine Unleashed

The operation called for synchronized attacks:
– Phase One: Paratroopers would seize key Danish airfields and bridges while simultaneously capturing Norwegian airports to facilitate mass troop landings behind enemy lines.
– Phase Two: Follow-up airdrops would secure Norway’s interior, exploiting chaos to consolidate control.

Germany committed 14,000 troops, including the elite 1st Parachute Regiment and three air-landing infantry regiments, supported by 500 Junkers Ju 52 transport planes. The plan exemplified Blitzkrieg principles—speed, surprise, and overwhelming force—but with an audacious vertical dimension.

Denmark’s Four-Hour Collapse

At dawn on April 9, 1940, Germany struck with chilling efficiency. In Denmark:
– Aalborg Airfields: A single platoon of paratroopers captured two northern airfields unopposed, enabling rapid reinforcement.
– Vordingborg Bridge: Using only pistols (their weapon crates unopened), German Fallschirmjäger seized the 3.5 km bridge linking Zealand and Falster islands. Bicycle-riding troops then sped across, symbolizing Denmark’s helplessness.

With German naval forces landing at Copenhagen, King Christian X capitulated by 8:00 AM—the fastest conquest of WWII.

Norway: Triumph and Tribulations

Norway proved more contentious. Thick fog diverted 29 transports carrying the first paratrooper wave to Denmark, but a battalion of the 324th Infantry Regiment pressed on. At Oslo’s Fornebu Airport:
– Improvised Victory: Out-of-fuel German fighters landed first, strafing Norwegian defenses with machine guns. Follow-up transports disgorged infantry who overwhelmed the stunned garrison.
– Parade of Conquest: That afternoon, 1,500 Germans marched into Oslo with “ancient conqueror’s pomp,” aided by Vidkun Quisling’s fascist fifth column.

Meanwhile, at Stavanger’s Sola Airport, paratroopers seized the airfield after 30 minutes of fighting, enabling sea-landed troops to capture Bergen and Kristiansand.

Yet setbacks emerged:
– Narvik Gambit: A mountain artillery company landed on a frozen lake but faced later Allied counterattacks.
– Dombås Disaster: Scattered paratroopers (only 63 of 150 regrouped) were captured after four days resisting Norwegian troops near Åndalsnes.

By June 10, reinforced German forces controlled all Norway—but at steep cost: 170 transports lost and 1,000 airborne casualties.

The Paradigm Shift in Warfare

Operation Weserübung marked history’s first strategic airborne campaign, demonstrating:
– Vertical Envelopment: Paratroopers could bypass traditional defenses, as seen at Vordingborg and Fornebu.
– Logistical Limits: Poor weather and coordination at Dombås revealed airborne operations’ fragility without air superiority.
– Psychological Impact: The spectacle of soldiers falling from the sky shattered civilian morale, a tactic later refined in Crete (1941) and Normandy (1944).

Nazi propaganda celebrated the operation, but Allied observers took notes. The U.S. and UK rapidly expanded their own airborne divisions, culminating in operations like Market Garden (1944).

Legacy: From Blitzkrieg to Modern Doctrine

Today, Weserübung’s lessons endure:
– Special Operations: Modern forces like the U.S. 82nd Airborne still study these early airdrops.
– Nordic Neutrality Redefined: Denmark and Norway’s postwar embrace of NATO stems directly from 1940’s trauma.
– Ethical Shadows: Quisling’s collaboration birthed the term “quisling” for traitors, while Denmark’s resistance (later in the war) became a symbol of defiance.

For historians, Weserübung remains a watershed—the moment paratroopers leaped from theory into the annals of war, forever altering how nations defend their skies.