Germany's Invasion of Norway: Operation Weserübung (April 1940)

Yes, Germany invaded Norway on April 9, 1940, launching Operation Weserübung—a combined air, sea, and land assault that caught Norwegian and Allied forces largely unprepared.

Strategic Objectives

• Secure ice-free Norwegian ports for U-boat and surface raider access to the North Atlantic
• Protect Swedish iron ore shipments transiting Narvik (critical for German war industry)
• Preempt a planned British/French occupation of Norwegian ports (Operation Wilfred/R4)
• Establish air bases for Luftwaffe operations against Britain

Key Campaign Events

Simultaneous Multi-Port Assault: German forces landed at Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim, and Narvik simultaneously—an unprecedented amphibious/airborne coordination.

Oslo Fjord Drama: The heavy cruiser Blücher was sunk by Norwegian coastal fortress Oscarsborg's antiquated guns and torpedoes, delaying Oslo's capture and allowing King Haakon VII, the government, and gold reserves to escape.

Allied Counter-Landings: British and French forces landed at Narvik, Namsos, and Åndalsnes but faced superior German air power, coordination, and local logistics. The Allies evacuated by early June.

Norwegian Resistance: Regular forces fought for 62 days—the longest resistance of any Nazi-occupied country in 1940—before capitulating on June 10.

Consequences

• Norway under German occupation until May 1945 (Reichskommissariat Norwegen under Josef Terboven)
• Vidkun Quisling's collaborationist government installed
• Norwegian merchant fleet (world's 4th largest) largely escaped to Allied service—critical for Atlantic convoys
• Strategic failure: German surface fleet gained bases but suffered heavy losses; U-boat advantage temporary

The campaign demonstrated combined-arms innovation but also exposed German naval vulnerabilities that shaped later Atlantic warfare.