General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst was appointed to command the invasion force before the final order was issued on 1 March. German planners initially considered 17 March, but the operation slipped as its logistics and naval complexity became clearer. The end of the Winter War removed the Allies' Finnish rationale without ending British plans for Norwegian waters. Mines laid under Operation Wilfred on 8 April might have damaged or confronted the German force sailing for the invasion the next day. Operation Royal Marine added a separate scheme to release mines into German rivers. French objections that some mines could drift into French territory show how alliance politics constrained the interdiction campaign.
Notable Point · 5:45-10:14
Mining schemes and the race to 9 April
German logistical delays and Allied mining schemes brought parallel invasion and interdiction plans toward a near collision in early April 1940.