This alternative begins after German troops have already landed. Whitworth had considered landing directly at Narvik, and a larger Royal Navy force could have made it possible. If Germany then lost Narvik or Trondheim quickly, Norwegian and Allied troops could have concentrated southward for a campaign in central Norway. The German position would have weakened, while fighting inside Norway would have continued. Control of the ports and their reinforcement routes came with the political and human cost of turning neutral Norway into a sustained battlefield.
Notable Point · 1:38-2:34
A rapid counterstroke at Narvik and Trondheim
A stronger Royal Navy intervention after the landings could have denied Germany key ports, but it would also have made central Norway a harder battlefield.