Planning a Trondheim landing without adequate air cover

The plan envisages seizing German-held coastal batteries guarding the narrow approach to Trondheim Fjord, but the signals show how much basic information is still missing. Staff need firm landing locations, maps, troop roles, ships, and carrier arrangements before they can turn the proposal into a feasible operation. Sir Charles Forbes asks about the force, the aerodrome, and the role of the 1st Cruiser Squadron because he lacks even a shore map. He also warns that transports approaching and conducting an opposed landing cannot be protected properly from German Ju 88s. Coastal geography, the air threat, and incomplete information constrain the operation long before troops reach shore.