The Sound of Drums - A British Hearts of Iron II AAR
Part Fifty-Four
5th-17th October 1940
With the war in North Africa and the Mediterranean taking up the attention of the Cabinet and British press, it was no surprise that the war in Norway was becoming known as the forgotten campaign.
The front-line of the Norwegian war
Compared to the fast moving tanks and trucks war of North Africa, the Norwegian campaign was almost static. A vast line of trenches and fortifications, stretching from Bergen on the coast to Hamar on the Swedish border, would give a casual observer the notion they had stepped back in time to the Great War. This was a false impression - the trenches were nowhere near as complex as their ancestors from before, nor did the troops using them have any intention of staying in them for long.
Offensives in Norway happened often, and in great strength. In the first half of October alone the Germans hit the British Lines with ten divisions, forcing them back before being defeated by a joint British-Norwegian counter-attack that restored the front by the 15th. Taking advantage of the situation, the Allies pushed onwards into Hamar, but withdrew a few days later, deciding the province could not be held.
It was the terrain - rough at best, impassable at worst - that both sides were truly fighting. Both sides had long since learnt that the best way to thwart an offensive was to simply withdraw slowly, engage in small raids against the attackers weak points, then launch a counter-attack as they struggled to establish themselves in the new province. The Norwegian campaign was, simply put, an ever-shifting front-line that would always revert to its original position.
A Vickers-Wellington brought into Norway
Deciding that the Germans in Norway would not be defeated through stubbornness alone, British High Command brought forward a new plan. Aircraft were brought in - three Spitfire and a Vickers-Wellington tactical bomber wing to provide an edge in the air and begin attacks on German positions. At sea, the Third Fleet was reassigned from its standard patrol duties to one of convoy raiding - any and all German merchants or supply vessels in the Skagerrak Strait were subject to boarding or, in many cases, outright attack. Command of the Norwegian theatre was reassigned to General SirTommygun, who took over from Brooke-Popham.
Actual land offensives were halted, except to keep the Germans on edge with feints or counter-attacks, while a fresh plan could be provided. The idea of an amphibious landing near Oslo was brought up, possibly with the marines or airborne troops that were currently under development. It would require waiting until the spring, and by then it was assumed the Germans would be so devastated by the air and naval campaign that they would have little option other than surrender.
It was a long-term operation then, and it doomed southern Norway to German occupation for at least another four months. It was believed to be the most sensible and realistic plan to defeating the Germans there, and the Prime Minister approved of it. Delighted to provide some news of the war efforts somewhere other than the Mediterranean, he ordered a Cabinet meeting to be held to properly discuss Norway. As it happened, he was forced to have it cancelled due to a major event occurring in, of course, the Mediterranean. The Italian 1st Squadra had finally engaged the British fleet