How Germany's Norwegian gamble might have failed

Could Norway have stopped or defeated the German invasion in 1940?

Possibly. Better warning, firmer Norwegian command, and a rapid Allied concentration at Narvik could have denied Germany the foothold it needed.

Germany's invasion of Norway depended heavily on surprise, confused Norwegian orders, and Allied command failures. Earlier radio warnings and firmer orders could have allowed coastal forts to resist more effectively. General Carl Gustav Fleischer's northern troops had already mobilized against the possibility of trouble on the Soviet border. A prompt British-French concentration at Narvik could therefore have joined an organized Norwegian force instead of dispersing Allied effort between separate commands. Warspite's guns and accompanying destroyers offered heavy support, although using her Marines as a landing party depended on their being aboard. A successful concentration could have supported a southward advance against a fragile German position. The outcome remains counterfactual, with warning, command, and the availability of troops doing much of the work in the argument.