A three-port strategy for defending Norway

The alternative plan gives Fleischer a brigade at Narvik while British, French, and other Allied troops make their main effort at Namsos and Trondheim. Cruisers, battleships, and other available naval forces could bombard Trondheim at night when daytime air attack made prolonged exposure too dangerous. The advance would link with Norwegian troops, secure Trondheim after Fleischer retook Narvik, and then move south toward Oslo. Controlling Narvik, Trondheim, and Oslo would create a coastal corridor whose ports and geography divided the remaining German lodgements. Surface ships and submarines could restrict seaborne resupply, while fighters and air defence would be needed against air transport. The closing castle analogy captures the final point: Norway's terrain favoured defenders if organized forces occupied it before the invader had time to dig in and consume captured supplies.