Norway's slow mobilization magnified a risky invasion

Once Germany invaded Denmark, Norway could have treated the event as a signal for immediate general mobilization. The German operation depended heavily on surprise and local paralysis, and one prepared coastal fort was already able to inflict a major loss. Activating forts, ships, garrisons, and reserves throughout the country would have made infiltration and isolated orders to hold fire more difficult. General mobilization also places subordinate officers and senior noncommissioned officers in position to challenge a commander who refuses to resist an obvious invasion. The example joins operational tempo to institutions: a slow mobilization assumes that neutrality buys months, while mechanized war can bring the threat in hours or days.