Post by laukkenan on Feb 18, 2009 19:14:22 GMT
German Invasion of Norway and Scandinavia
In September of 1939 the Nordic Countries of Norway, Sweden, and Finland all declared their neutrality. Hitler abided their neutralities and sat back and continued the discussions of an attack on the North Western Countries. Soon, Admiral Raeder, a German Naval officer, proposed that Norway would be perfect for naval operations in holding Britain back. After the attacks in the North West Countries were won, Hitler turned his attention to France.
He started the French Campaign, and was only starting it when the British had plans for entering the Baltic. OPERATION: ROYAL MARINE was a British plan to float sea mines down the Rhine, but was opposed strongly by the French for various reasons. The British then started OPERATION: WILFERD and Plan R4 went up for the better questions. These two operations were for laying sea mines in the Baltic while taking control of Norway.
The Germans on the other hand had already been planning the invasion so Denmark and Norway before they attacked the North West Countries. It was called OPERATION: WESERUEBUNG and the British operations were just what they needed for this campaign.
Beach landings soon began with regimental sizes in the cities of Narvik, Oslo, Bergen, Kristiansand, and Trondheim, while company sized landing parties attacked Egersund and Arendal for the cable networks. Soon after the invasions 64,700 German Soldiers were supposed to come in to Norway. Aalborg, a main military gain for the Germans had two airfields. The airfields were supposed to be taken at W+2 hours by a Parachute platoon, and an Airborne Battalion. Full lines of communications and airfields would be taken by the 170th Infantry Division, and 11th Motorized Rile Brigade.
On March 12 news said much of an impending peace between Finland and the Soviets. This hastened Allies to offer help to Finland, and give the Germans even more tension to start OPERATION: WESERUEBUNG. Soon after the Germans moved on with the attack and launched 5 Task groups. They were Task Force 1 which was to attack Narvik, Task Force 2 which was to attack Trondheim, Task Force 3 which was going to attack Bergen, Task Force 4 was to attack Kristiansand, and Task Force 5 was to finish it off with an attack on Oslo.
The British were also preparing and sent out the Home Fleet into Norwegian waters. They were to stop a German invasion force, but soon an event came up that almost compromised the operation.
On a stormy night the passage of Norway was blocked at two ships met. The German troop carrier and destroyer “Bernd von Arnim” met with the British Destroyer “Glowworm”. The two ships didn’t see each other, but German cruiser “Hipper” did. The “Hipper” opened up on the “Glowworm”. The captain of the “Glowworm” then smashed into the “Hipper” ripping armour off of it. The “Glowworm” then blew up away from the “Hipper”.
Soon after German ships landed infantry in Norway, while not firing one shot. All cities surrendered to the larger German military force.
Russian Invasion of Finland
It all started in Finland when the Russians asked that the government move the border 25 Kilometers from Leningrad, and to lend the Hanko Peninsula to them for 30 years. And, of course the Finnish rejected all of these proposals. Then when nothing could get any worse, the Russians bombed their own city of Mainila, and then blamed it on the Finnish. They asked that they apologise for the incident. The Finnish denied the attack and refused Soviet demands again. The Russians then attacked with 630,000 men, against the Finnish army of 250,000. Fierce fighting erupted along the Mannerheim Line. The Mannerheim line was the defense line named after Finnish General Mannerheim. By the end of the battle that lasted from 30 November 1939 to 13 March 1940, the Soviets had attacked with 1.5 million men, 6,541 tanks, 3,880 aircraft to the Finnish 250,000 infantry, 30 tanks, and 130 aircraft. At the end of the “Winter War” the casualties ran high on both sides, but the Finnish Army became one of the most dignified in the world. The Soviets had lost a total of 126,875 dead, 264,208 wounded, 5,600 captured, and 2,268 tanks. Compared to the Finnish 26,662 dead, 39,886 wounded, and 1,000 captured. After the signing to the Moscow Treaty Hitler felt that the Soviets had a weak army based on the results, which was probably one of the reasons he created OPERATION: BARBOSSA. The Finns had to move the border back 10-15 Kilometers.
In September of 1939 the Nordic Countries of Norway, Sweden, and Finland all declared their neutrality. Hitler abided their neutralities and sat back and continued the discussions of an attack on the North Western Countries. Soon, Admiral Raeder, a German Naval officer, proposed that Norway would be perfect for naval operations in holding Britain back. After the attacks in the North West Countries were won, Hitler turned his attention to France.
He started the French Campaign, and was only starting it when the British had plans for entering the Baltic. OPERATION: ROYAL MARINE was a British plan to float sea mines down the Rhine, but was opposed strongly by the French for various reasons. The British then started OPERATION: WILFERD and Plan R4 went up for the better questions. These two operations were for laying sea mines in the Baltic while taking control of Norway.
The Germans on the other hand had already been planning the invasion so Denmark and Norway before they attacked the North West Countries. It was called OPERATION: WESERUEBUNG and the British operations were just what they needed for this campaign.
Beach landings soon began with regimental sizes in the cities of Narvik, Oslo, Bergen, Kristiansand, and Trondheim, while company sized landing parties attacked Egersund and Arendal for the cable networks. Soon after the invasions 64,700 German Soldiers were supposed to come in to Norway. Aalborg, a main military gain for the Germans had two airfields. The airfields were supposed to be taken at W+2 hours by a Parachute platoon, and an Airborne Battalion. Full lines of communications and airfields would be taken by the 170th Infantry Division, and 11th Motorized Rile Brigade.
On March 12 news said much of an impending peace between Finland and the Soviets. This hastened Allies to offer help to Finland, and give the Germans even more tension to start OPERATION: WESERUEBUNG. Soon after the Germans moved on with the attack and launched 5 Task groups. They were Task Force 1 which was to attack Narvik, Task Force 2 which was to attack Trondheim, Task Force 3 which was going to attack Bergen, Task Force 4 was to attack Kristiansand, and Task Force 5 was to finish it off with an attack on Oslo.
The British were also preparing and sent out the Home Fleet into Norwegian waters. They were to stop a German invasion force, but soon an event came up that almost compromised the operation.
On a stormy night the passage of Norway was blocked at two ships met. The German troop carrier and destroyer “Bernd von Arnim” met with the British Destroyer “Glowworm”. The two ships didn’t see each other, but German cruiser “Hipper” did. The “Hipper” opened up on the “Glowworm”. The captain of the “Glowworm” then smashed into the “Hipper” ripping armour off of it. The “Glowworm” then blew up away from the “Hipper”.
Soon after German ships landed infantry in Norway, while not firing one shot. All cities surrendered to the larger German military force.
Russian Invasion of Finland
It all started in Finland when the Russians asked that the government move the border 25 Kilometers from Leningrad, and to lend the Hanko Peninsula to them for 30 years. And, of course the Finnish rejected all of these proposals. Then when nothing could get any worse, the Russians bombed their own city of Mainila, and then blamed it on the Finnish. They asked that they apologise for the incident. The Finnish denied the attack and refused Soviet demands again. The Russians then attacked with 630,000 men, against the Finnish army of 250,000. Fierce fighting erupted along the Mannerheim Line. The Mannerheim line was the defense line named after Finnish General Mannerheim. By the end of the battle that lasted from 30 November 1939 to 13 March 1940, the Soviets had attacked with 1.5 million men, 6,541 tanks, 3,880 aircraft to the Finnish 250,000 infantry, 30 tanks, and 130 aircraft. At the end of the “Winter War” the casualties ran high on both sides, but the Finnish Army became one of the most dignified in the world. The Soviets had lost a total of 126,875 dead, 264,208 wounded, 5,600 captured, and 2,268 tanks. Compared to the Finnish 26,662 dead, 39,886 wounded, and 1,000 captured. After the signing to the Moscow Treaty Hitler felt that the Soviets had a weak army based on the results, which was probably one of the reasons he created OPERATION: BARBOSSA. The Finns had to move the border back 10-15 Kilometers.