What if Norway and Denmark each possessed two Sverige-class coastal-defense ships in 1940?
Short answerThey would not solve Denmark's land-border problem, but Norwegian ships could greatly increase the cost and complexity of the German invasion.
NotesSverige-class ships offered modern fire control, useful secondary batteries, and 12-inch guns, making them far more dangerous than Norway's elderly historical coast-defense ships. Their location would determine the effect: a pair at Narvik could require Germany to risk a Panzerschiff or heavy cruiser, while units at Trondheim or Oslo strengthen those approaches. Any heavy German ship trapped in a fjord would then face Warspite and potentially a much larger Allied concentration.