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The Norwegian Campaign: ‘Missed the bus’

The supply of iron ore from Sweden to Germany via the northern Norwegian port of Narvik was essential to the German war machine. Both the Germans and British decided to take Narvik, the former to protect its supply route, the latter to disrupt it. When, on 8 April 1940, British ships started laying mines off the Norwegian coast, Chamberlain crowed that Hitler had ‘missed the bus’.

But the Germans advanced swiftly into Scandinavia, forcing Denmark into a rapid surrender and compelling neutral Norway to take up arms as, one by one, her ports fell to the Germans. The British response, although fast, was dogged with inefficiency and disruption, with troops landing in snowy Norway without skis and provided only with tourist maps. When, on 10 May, Germany attacked Holland and Belgium, British forces in Norway were evacuated to the Low Countries, leaving Norway to fall under German control and to be ruled by the Norwegian Nazi, Vidkun Quisling.

Winston Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, took responsibility for the Norwegian debacle, but it was Chamberlain, as prime minister, who fell. Unable to form a coalition government, he was forced to resign amidst shouts in the House of Commons of ‘Go, go, go!’. He was replaced, ironically, by Churchill. The date, 10 May, was the day that Hitler unleashed blitzkrieg south of the Channel. Six months later, Chamberlain was dead.