Transcript Operation Weserübung

Julia Hong, Kaytlin Melvin, Julia Mitchell, Erin Shea
Mr. Myers and Mrs. Curd 3/4
A
Thesis
Germany’s control over the neutral countries of Denmark and
Norway after Operation Weserübung gave Germans greater
mobility in seaports, allowing them to gain more military
power in WWII.
Goal and Background
-Denmark to Germany is a strategic area used to conduct operations in
Norway
-Germany is extremely paranoid about managing its border nation,
Norway
-Germany is motivated to take control because:
-Denmark is directly next to the Baltic Sea, which would allow
Germany to have control of naval and shipping to major Soviet ports
-In Germany’s mindset, Denmark army is weak and small enough to
beat
Battle Events in Denmark
April 9th, 1940: Germany invades Denmark and Norway
-Forces advance by ferry to southernmost town of Denmark (Gedeser)
-Units land and take over two airfields of Denmark
-move to Amalienborg Palace to capture Danish royal family: King
Christian X
-Germany attacks ground by low aircraft and automatic machinery
-Neutralized the Danish Army Air Service
-They used cannons and machine guns
Battle Events in Denmark
-King Christian X and the entire Danish government surrender
-an exchange for political independence in domestic matters
-Invasion of Denmark lasted less than 6 hours
-shortest military campaign by Germans during WWII
Battle Events in Norway
Goal: Seize major cities and fan the attack out throughout the country
Oslo (capital)- attacked by both sea and air
Sola (major air base in the south)- attacked by air landing
Nearby cities attacked via parachutes and coastal cities attacked via the sea
Strategy: FIVE major groups
Group 1- battle cruisers (‘Gneisenau’ and the ‘Scharnhorst’) attack Narvik
Group 2- ‘Hipper’ attack Trondheim
Group 3- attack Bergen
Group 4- attack Kristiansand
Group 5- attack Oslo
Battle Events in Norway
-Group 1 took out Norwegian and British coastal defenses (only 8 out of
182 crew members survived) fast enough that Norwegian forces thought
that they were international aid. Upon approach, Narvik surrendered to
German forces.
-All other targeted cities quickly surrendered.
Who Was Involved
Grand Admiral Erich General Nikolaus von
Raeder, chief of the Falkenhorst, planner
of invasion of Norway
German navy
Major Vidkun Quisling,
Minister of Defence in
Norway, allowed German
forces to land unopposed
Impact
-Germany keeps Denmark in a neutral government until 1943
-soon arrests and deports Danish Jews to refuge in Sweden
-approx. 477 Danish Jews deported
-around 70 Danish Jews killed
-Norway provided Germany strategic naval and air bases in order to attack Britain
- Protected iron ore supply to Germany from Sweden
-German military occupation in governments of Denmark and Norway
-Occupation in Norway allowed easier access to the Atlantic
-Marked the start of the real war
Impact Maps
1939
1940- After the
Operation
Fun Facts
-Operation Weserübung was the first use of paratroopers in actual combat
-First operation in history to have air land and sea attacks
-The invasion of Denmark lasted less than six hours and was the shortest
military campaign conducted by the Germans during the war
-Falkenhorst purchased a traveler's guide to Norway and used it to design
a general invasion plan since he had little time to prepare, and knew
nothing about the subject
Discussion Questions
Why does it matter that Germany has gained northern territory?
Why was Germany so obsessed with border nations and nearby
territory?
Was it strategical of Norway to keep Denmark with its small and
inexperienced army?
Works Cited
Bird, Keith W. "German Navy: World War II." World at War ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
C N Trueman "The Invasion Of Norway 1940" historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 20 Apr 2015. 3 Mar 2016
Chen, Peter C. "Invasion of Denmark and Norway." WWII Database. N.p., 2004. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
Cordier, Sherwood S. "German Conquest of Norway: World War II." World at War: Understanding Conflict and
Society.ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
"World War II." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2016. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.