Late Norwegian readiness meets German naval hubris

Willoch and Askim pushed gunnery and readiness as the threat became unmistakable, but they were recovering from decades of underinvestment. Their crews fired so intensively that some sailors worried about wearing out the guns, showing the urgency of their late preparation. For some officers, the Altmark incident started the immediate countdown to invasion; others could see Germany's need for Atlantic access in the lessons of the First World War. Germany needed Norwegian and French bases to broaden submarine operations beyond the North Sea, yet the Kriegsmarine entered the war short of destroyers and cruisers. The Treaty of Versailles had forced the German Navy to rebuild almost from scratch, making the commitment of so much scarce destroyer strength at Narvik an act of considerable hubris.