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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Well Put-Together Campaign Summary, May 2, 2007
This review is from: Denmark and Norway 1940: Hitler's boldest operation (Campaign) (Paperback)
The German invasion of Norway and Denmark is a fascinating subject in military history that unfortunately has not received a great deal of attention from English-speaking historians since the British Official History was published decades ago. Readers looking for an unbiased account of the military campaign were hard put to find a good single volume reference. However, Douglas C. Dildy, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, provides that sorely needed reference in Osprey's Campaign No. 183. Not only does the author provide a well-balanced summary of the operations in Norway, but he also details the little-known operations in Denmark, as well. This is a very well put together campaign summary.
In the opening sections, the author lays out the origins of the campaign and the genesis of the German and Allied plans for Norway. The section on opposing commanders covers 3 German army leaders, 1 naval and 1 Luftwaffe leader, but skims over Norwegian leadership and then describes 3 British and 1 French leader. This section was a bit unbalanced, with French General Bethouart - the only Allied leader who accomplished anything of substance in the campaign getting only a nod (no photo), while British commanders who did little (e.g. Mackesy and Auchinleck) get more than their due. This unbalanced perspective is probably a result of over-reliance on the British official history, which slights the contributions of French, Norwegian and Polish officers while exaggerating the role of people who exercised only paper commands. The section on opposing forces is weightier, with 10 pages discussing relevant air, land and sea forces from all participants. A 2-page order of battle is also included.
Graphically, the volume includes five 2-D maps (Deployment of naval forces, 8 April 1940; the invasion of Denmark, 9 April 1940; Deployment of Royal Navy forces to counter the invasion of Norway, 9 April 1940; the German capture of Southern and Central Norway, 12 April - 3 May 1940; Deployment of forces for the Battle of Narvik, 10 May 1940), three 3-D BEV maps (seaborne assaults in Oslo fjord, 9 April 1940; the battles around Lillehammer, 20-24 April 1940; Allied forces recapture Narvik, 12-28 May 1940) and three battle scenes by John White (the destroyer battle in Narvik Harbor, 10 April 1940; the NBFZ B Heavy tank in the Battle of Kvam, 25 April 1940; FAA Skua attack on the Scharnhorst in Trondheim Fjord, 13 June 1940). The author also provides an excellent bibliography.
The campaign narrative lays out the opening German invasion moves in Norway and Denmark with a commendable level of detail for a volume this size. Coverage of the invasion of Denmark is particularly noteworthy, since few works address this subject (although the author does not really discuss why the troops in Jutland failed to defend the border but the palace guards defended the capital). The author then covers each invasion area in about a half-page, with emphasis on the capture of Oslo. The next sections deals with the Royal Navy's response, the arrival of Allied troops in Norway, the Luftwaffe's air superiority and the recapture of Narvik. Final sections cover the Allied evacuation and the last air-sea battles in Norwegian waters. The photographs supporting the text were excellent throughout the volume.
The author sees the German invasion of Norway as a Pyrrhic victory that crippled the Kriegsmarine for the rest of the war, but "as a joint campaign it set the standard and pattern for all other air-land-sea offensives that followed." I'm not sure that the war's outcome would have been much different if the cruiser Blucher and the 10 destroyers lost at Narvik had survived the campaign - after all, the Royal Navy had the Kriegsmarine outgunned before the invasion, so losses in the campaign could hardly be credited with altering the naval balance. The diversion of numerous divisions to guard Norway's coastline was probably more damaging for the German war effort, since about 10 badly-needed infantry divisions sat on the war on a sideshow front. Overall, this is a terrific effort, with the only significant omission being the lack of data on personnel casualties suffered in the campaign or aircraft losses.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A more complete study than most you'll find., April 9, 2008
This review is from: Denmark and Norway 1940: Hitler's boldest operation (Campaign) (Paperback)
I have read quite a bit about the Norwegian campaign, but this slender volume covers much that is new to me. Too often, the focus is on the initial invasion and the naval actions. The land side typically only rates brief mention about how the lack of air cover doomed the Allied counter-invasion. However, Doug Dildy instead focuses on the land side, detailing how the Germans managed to conquer Norway on a shoe-string. It is a remarkable story. There are plenty of maps to help understand the complex operation, the 3-D maps in particular being used to show critical actions in detail. He shows how German airpower was actually employed to help decide the battles; but it is also clear that German aggressiveness, tactical superiority and ability to out-maneuver their opponents was not limited to their panzer divisions.
The naval side is hardly slighted and Dildy also covers the invasion of Denmark, something usually completely ignored. It is very impressive how he was able to cram so much in just 96 pages; this book ranks among the best of the Osprey Campaign series.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A enlightening account of an overlooked part of WW2., August 7, 2009
This review is from: Denmark and Norway 1940: Hitler's boldest operation (Campaign) (Paperback)
When it came to discussing operational matters during WW2, many of Germany's most senior officers privately referred to Hitler as; "that Bavarian corporal." Whilst his position as supreme commander of all armed forces may well have led to Germany's initial successes at the beginning of WW2, his lack of requisite experience of military matters at every level became the main factor in Germany's inevitable failure and final defeat on all fronts.
No country can sustain several campaigns - by air, land and sea, in different theatres of war at the same time and expect to win them all. Hitler, of course knew better. In this book, retired US Army colonel Douglas Dildy examines a much overlooked part of WW2 during which Hitler sought to dominate Denmark and Norway.
In a work which is very well researched, I was staggered by some of the facts and figures produced about a campaign I previously knew little about. With all opposing sides including their commanders, troops, ships and aircraft carefully described, I was particularly surprised to discover how small the British fleet was on the day Britain declared war - even though this was the most powerful fleet in the world at that time. Similarly, I was not aware that Germany lost one heavy and two light cruisers, ten destroyers and six U Boats in this particular operation with only one battle cruiser, one heavy and one light cruiser and four destroyers surviving.
Having skilfully outlined all the protagonists and the forces available to each, this book contains an enthralling account of what actually happened in those northern climes in 1940. I was most impressed by the range of historic photographs which include several Allied personalities in addition to British and German individuals, ships, aircraft, actions and so forth. Once again, Osprey Publishing has included a selection of first-rate artwork to support an equally first-rate product.
This book covers one particular aspect of WW2 with great style. As such, it will fill a gap in the knowledge of a great many people and probably lead to further personal research on the part of many. It certainly has with me.
NM
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