Hitler's Preemptive War: The Battle for Norway, 1940 - History's First Special Operations Campaign [Hardcover]

Henrik Lunde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2009

A thorough examination of one of history's revolutionary campaigns . . .After Hitler conquered Poland, and while still fine-tuning his plans against France, the British began to exert control of the coastline of neutral Norway, an action that threatened to cut off Germany's iron-ore conduit to Sweden and outflank from the start its hegemony on the Continent.

The Germans quickly responded with a dizzying series of assaults, using every tool of modern warfare developed in the previous generation. Airlifted infantry, mountain troops and paratroopers were dispatched to the Scandinavian nation, seizing Norwegian strong points while forestalling larger but more cumbersome Allied units.

The German navy also set sail, taking a brutal beating at the hands of Britannia, while ensuring with its sacrifice that key harbors could be held open for resupply. As dive bombers soared overhead, small but elite German units traversed forbidding terrain to ambush Allied units trying to forge inland. At Narvik, some 6,000 German troops battled 20,000 French and British, until the Allies were finally forced to withdraw by the great disaster in France, which had then get underway.

As a veritable coda to the campaign, the aircraft carrier Glorious, while trying to sail back to Britain, was hammered under the waves by the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst.The air, airborne, sea, amphibious, infantry, armor and commando aspects of this brief but violent campaign are here covered in meticulous detail. Henrik Lunde, a native Norwegian and former U.S. Special Operations colonel, has written perhaps the most objective account to date of a campaign in which 20th century military innovation found its first fertile playing field.

REVIEWS

"While it's almost impossible to find a new book about a hitherto unexplored WWII-related subject, it's almost as unlikely to discover a new book that turns out to be the best yet written on the topic. . . . Henrik Lunde's new Hitler's Pre-Emptive War is certainly not the first book about the 1940 invasion of Norway and the battles around Narvik, but it sure looks like the best."-Stone and Stone Second World War Books

"Lunde has thoroughly dissected both ground and naval battles and managed to make a complex politico-military situation clear. . . . military collections will want to acquire this excellent effort . . ."-Library Journal

"Well written with an unbiased eye. . . . Every aspect is covered, with British, French, German and Norwegian viewpoints, decisions and actions all being taken fairly into account. . . . It's an interesting story and one I would recommend." - Military Modeling, 06/2009

"..a detailed, well laid out history... essential reading; a must-have in your military library and a job very well done by the author."Military Model Craft International, 07/2009

"This large book will fuel debate. . . . Exhaustive research and intellectual detachment enable the author to bring objectivity and a fresh interpretation to a subject that has been until now laden with national self-justification. . . . Holds the reader's interest while progressing seamlessly from political and strategic decisions to theater operations and tactics of the various national forces engaged, including describing and analyzing combat on land, at sea, and in the air. . . . This book is a gem."-Parameters

"...an excellent job of compiling research material, which can be quite challenging due to the bias of what's out there...tough to put down...well written and thoroughly researched."Internet Modeler, 08/2009

"Thoroughly researched, objective and thoughtfully written... a highly recommended addition to the historiography of World War II, and sheds new light on this misunderstood campaign."Carlo D'Este, World War II Magazine, 11/2009

"A very detailed look at what was the first "joint" operation of the Second World War, the highly risky and amazingly successful German invasion of Normandy in April 1940...a comprehensive account of what was one of the most complex campaigns of the war..."The NYMAS Review, Fall-Winter 2009

"..will undoubtedly become recognized as a milestone among the books about Norway in 1940."MILITAR HISTORIA 3/2009 (Norway)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Casemate (May 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932033920
• ISBN-13: 978-1932033922
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #865,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > History > Europe > Norway

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25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A well-researched work with some prominent flaws, June 20, 2009

By 

Jonathan Lupton (Little Rock , AR USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hitler's Preemptive War: The Battle for Norway, 1940 - History's First Special Operations Campaign (Hardcover)

Voltaire once said: "the secret of being a bore is to tell everything, " a quote that summarizes this title's main flaw. The narrative is frequently pedantic and artless. It tends to emphasize the ground fighting in Norway in 1940, with inadequate coverage of vital air and naval aspects of the campaign. The writer gives great detail to certain parts of the campaign and short shrift to others. He began writing a history of the Narvik campaign only, then expanded the effort to the entire campaign.

However, the emphasis remains on Narvik. For example, the naval battles of Narvik are explored in exhaustive detail, including a thoughtful review and comparison of the literature and records that recount the battle. Yet the author completely ignores important actions elsewhere, like the nearly disastrous effort by the cruiser HMS Suffolk to bombard the Sola airfield. In describing the fighting in central Norway, he rarely gives detail below the battalion level; yet around Narvik the emphasis is on companies and smaller units.

Mr. Lunde undoubtedly breaks new ground in this study, by comparing Norwegian, German, French and British sources on the Norway campaign more comprehensively than any other author has yet done. If the majority of English-language accounts of the Norway campaign published to date have a pro-British bias, Mr. Lunde's account veers in the other direction. Not without validity: as Francois Kersaudy pointed out in his much more readable Norway 1940, the British were instrumental in bringing the war to Norway, in defiance of Hitler's little-known desire to leave Scandinavia neutral. Once the fighting began, the British made grand promises of support, provided paltry and mostly second-rate forces instead, and then yanked the rug out from under their Norwegian allies time and again with quick withdrawals that left major bodies of Norwegian troops with no alternative but to surrender.

If you take this monster on, beware: you are in for a tough read. The narrative throws in unit numbers and obscure place names constantly, with more detail than anyone except an idiot-savant could possibly remember. The mapping is sadly inadequate. Several times I had to consult Mr. Kersaudy's shorter and less detailed history to get adequate maps to understand events. Names like Bjornefjell and Elvegardsmoen are hardly household words even in Norway; yet in the narrative these names are passed out casually and constantly, with inadequate mapping to help you find them. Several times the text refers to "the map on page xxx" but there is NO SUCH PAGE in the book. My guess is that a large map of the vital Narvik area was left out, and "p. xxx" was the author's place-holder to be typed in once the map was complete and the page number was known. It never happened, so dig out a very good atlas or keep Wikipedia up if you need to find out where things are. In other words, the publisher did a rush job.

If you need a detailed reference source on the naval and ground operations around Narvik, you may find this title useful. It probably gives a more detailed account of the Norwegian point of view than any other English-language source. But if you want a good read on the Norway campaign, refer to Norway 1940 by Francois Kersaudy, which has flaws of its own but is more cogent and compelling. While Mr. Lunde's research effort was thorough and he provides new information, the definitive English-language history of Norway 1940 has yet to be written.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Battle for Norway revisited, May 21, 2009

By 

Eric Chevreuil "Pardon my French" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hitler's Preemptive War: The Battle for Norway, 1940 - History's First Special Operations Campaign (Hardcover)

Great book. An in depth look into the Norwegian Campaign. For the first time since declaring war to Germany after the invasion of Poland, British,French Forces and their allies are facing the German military.This book written by a retired US officer of Norwegian origins is a vivid account of how every single tool of modern warfare was used and tested in Norway: Air and Naval, Airborne, commando and specialized infantry, Armored and Artillery. The depiction of the French forces in action is my favorite...but what do I know? I am French and a retired Armor officer! Highly recommended reading!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Guidebook for America's War Colleges on Conducting Combined/Joint Operations, October 24, 2009

By 

Tim Swain (Peoria, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hitler's Preemptive War: The Battle for Norway, 1940 - History's First Special Operations Campaign (Hardcover)

This is a book that should be read by all 4.8 million Norwegians, and anyone else who is interested in the events and history of World War II.

The author, a Norwegian-American, who spent his illustrious career as an officer in the U.S. Army, including multiple combat tours as a highly decorated Airborne Ranger. Later, he served as Director, National and International Security Studies, U.S. Army War College. The reader benefits from the author's savvy insights and observations.

Norway, situated east of the British Isles, serves as the northern coastline on the Atlantic (North Sea and Norwegian Sea) below and above the Arctic Circle. It is strategically situated to control access to Sweden, the Baltic Sea, Finland and Russia.

The book details Hitler's battle plan for Germany to conquer Norway early and fast. The 62 day war was primarily fought against the Norwegians, British and French. Each battle of the war is described in detail from the vantage point of historical perspective. This book could well stand as the authoritative tome of Norway's early involvement (and conquest) in World War II.

The Norwegian soldier excelled in both marksmanship and the ability to fight from skies. Their professional and courageous performance is described along with the deficiencies in leadership of the higher ranks and those responsible for policy-making.

Readers learn of the reason that the conquest of Norway was so important to Germany, namely to safeguard the route to and through Sweden for its critical (especially for the German Navy) importation of high-grade Swedish iron ore. An alternative to the failed defensive strategy used (meet the enemy at fixed locations at the water edge) is suggested by the author. One that involved a more fluid, elusive defense utilizing the mountainous/fjord-laden terrain (go "high and wide" in the mountains) might have better suited the Norwegians, known for their mountain warrior abilities.

As the first combined operation of World War II, the attack upon Norway (and earlier Denmark) provides an early glimpse into the way the German war machine operated (including repeated use of airborne troops to secure airfields, the use of ships and aircraft) and how best to defend against such a combined attack.

The allies at times worked in harmony, and at times with self interest and even deception of fellow allies (e.g. the surprise - to the Norwegians - of the evacuation of Narvik by the allies).

The German war machine is recognized for its remarkable plans, attention to detail, close cooperation between the services even in the absence of a unified command structure, their display of imagination, innovation, taking of calculated risks to achieve successes through the use of boldness and skill in the execution. Coincidently, the author earned a similar reputation for his combat planning skills in the 1960's with the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne in Vietnam.

A great deal of attention is given to the navies and the battles. Fascinating stuff. Ships with names such as Glowworm, Glorious, Acasta are representative of the naval heroism found in the Battle for Norway. Norway sacrificed their entire Navy (and Air Force) in defense of their country. We are told the story of British Lieutenant Commander Glasfurd of the Acasta last observed opening his cigarette case to light up as he prepared to go down with his ship. This was following the series of naval engagements by the Acasta, including its torpedoing of the German battleship Scharnhorst, that probably resulted in the saving the lives of some 20,000 troops.

It is impossible to adequately cover in a review the comprehensiveness of this book. The book that lays out the facts, good and bad, of what happened, and what maybe should have happened. Any student of war will gain a full education through the reading of this single "handbook" on the conduct of joint operations warfare, offensively and defensively.