The distance comparison shows why northern basing matters. Berlin is given as 520 miles from Oslo and 580 miles from London, while the Romanian oil region is 1,212 miles from Oslo and 1,280 miles from London. Wellington, Whitley, and Hampden bombers already have the range to use that approach, while supplies could move by sea to Trondheim and onward to the airfields. A Norwegian route avoids much of the defended airspace encountered on flights from Britain through occupied western Europe. Bombing would still face serious obstacles, though the route gives Britain more target options while Germany loses Norwegian chemicals, ports, and forward bases.
Notable Point · 41:05-45:28
Norwegian bases put German resources closer to British bombers
Airfields in Norway offer shorter, less congested routes toward Germany and Romania, making oil and industrial targets more accessible to early-war British bombers.