Invasion of Norway and Denmark
•April 8 and 9 1940 Hitler invades Denmark and Norway
-Germans wanted Norway because if the allies took it, they were concerned they would not get steal from Sweden
•Purpose is two fold for Hitler:
•1) The British had landed in Norway declaring their help for Finland = Threatened the steel that came from Sweden
•2) It provided a much more forward base for German U-boats
•Provides the word Quisling to the English dictionary
•All Norwegian shipping goes to the British
-Germans wanted Norway because if the allies took it, they were concerned they would not get steal from Sweden
•Purpose is two fold for Hitler:
•1) The British had landed in Norway declaring their help for Finland = Threatened the steel that came from Sweden
•2) It provided a much more forward base for German U-boats
•Provides the word Quisling to the English dictionary
•All Norwegian shipping goes to the British
Summary: Germany wanted to invade norway because if the allies got a hold of it, Germany was afraid that Sweden would stop supplying them with steel. When Norway was taken over, they sent all there ships to the British so they could be of help.
Invasion of the Low Countries
•Hitler begins his attack on the west in the neutral ‘Low Countries’ May 10, 1940
•Times to surrender:
•Netherlands = 4 days
•Belgium = 18 days
•Luxembourg = 2 days
•The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and French try to defend Belgium but arrive too late
•Times to surrender:
•Netherlands = 4 days
•Belgium = 18 days
•Luxembourg = 2 days
•The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and French try to defend Belgium but arrive too late
Summary: These invasions only took a small amount of time to gain control. This was because the population and military size of the countries were to small and would have never stood a chance against the German army.