Wellingtons can reach Berlin and Ploiești from Oslo or London, but the Norwegian route avoids much of Germany's strongest air defence. The approach crosses less-defended Poland and Romania instead of the Ruhr, changing the likely attrition even when the mileage is similar. Convoys bringing Scandinavian supplies could also move fuel and bombs northward to support the airfields. Romanian oil and refineries calibrated to it are a critical German vulnerability, although navigation and sustained bombing operations would remain difficult.
Notable Point · 1:19:19-1:27:15
Using Norway to threaten Ploiești oil
Forward air logistics in Norway could make Romanian oil a more accessible and less heavily defended target than from Britain.