Buying Danish silence with Schleswig-Holstein

A fleet passing in darkness might be reported by German diplomats in Denmark, but the speed and credibility of those reports would remain uncertain. Britain could improve the odds by assuring Denmark that it need not enter the war. A private promise of Schleswig-Holstein or control of the Kiel Canal after an Allied victory would give Copenhagen a reason to let the passage occur without prompt warning. Danish officials might then ensure that German embassies and consulates learned little until the operation was already underway. This is a plausible diplomatic inducement, but Danish consent remains uncertain. Neutrality is central because the route depends on Danish forts treating the fleet as a passage through international waters instead of an enemy assault. Danish entry into the war to recover Schleswig-Holstein is a separate possibility.