Royal Navy amphibious options for Norway

Hermes and, as she became available, Invincible would accompany amphibious forces reinforcing Norway. Fifth Brigade might deploy there instead of Denmark, leaving Third Commando Brigade available for a later assault on Svalbard. The Royal Marines were the specialists for an opposed landing, while Fifth Brigade's original role centred on rapid reinforcement of Denmark. In the Falklands, many of Fifth Brigade's intended units had already sailed with Third Commando Brigade, leaving a formation assembled from units unfamiliar with one another. Its port-to-port assumptions also encouraged troops to treat a landing as a transport movement, when the safer model was a contested river crossing requiring rapid disembarkation. Similar difficulties could arise in Norway. Ships whose radars were well suited to the open North Atlantic would also encounter coastal reflections and clutter, and some older sets might perform better near shore.