This section sets the northern flank beside the central German front rather than treating it as a side show. Norway needed rapid reinforcement, while the wider alliance depended on ships carrying forces and supplies from North America to Europe. Soviet surface ships and submarines escaping into the Atlantic could threaten those sea lines of communication, making the northern approaches central to NATO's ability to sustain a conventional war. Late-Cold-War planning therefore moved the defensive line north and east, seeking to contain Soviet forces before they reached the Atlantic routes.
Chapter · 1:24:29-1:27:58
NATO's northern flank and the Atlantic reinforcement problem
NATO needed Norway defended and Atlantic sea lanes open because North American personnel and matériel were vital to balancing Warsaw Pact forces in Europe.