Video
A Book or Two to Review(30): Fight for the Fjords, The Battle for Norway 1940
Study A Book or Two to Review(30): Fight for the Fjords, The Battle for Norway 1940, a Dr. Alex Clarke video from 14 Sept 2021, with 15 time notes. Topics include Amphibious Warfare, Book Reviews, Naval Archives.
Time notes
- 0:20A Norway campaign history built from Royal Navy recordsChapter
The book presents the Battle for Norway through the Royal Navy's own wartime reports, with a warning about occasional confusion between similarly named officers.
- 1:45Planning a Trondheim landing without adequate air coverNotable Point
A wartime signal trail exposes the coastal-defence, mapping, and air-cover problems behind an opposed Trondheim landing.
- 3:18Building a fleet around carrier cover and shore bombardmentNotable Point
The proposed Trondheim force assigns battleships, a carrier, anti-aircraft cruisers, and destroyers distinct roles in protecting and supporting an amphibious assault.
- 4:14Matching the Trondheim assault plan to troops and commandersNotable Point
The Admiralty's reply assigns regulars, Canadians, and Royal Marines to the assault just as accidents force abrupt changes in its senior command arrangements.
- 5:48Turning cruisers and destroyers into a landing forceChapter
The operational orders reveal how warships were allocated troops, stores, landing craft, artillery, and rations for the Norwegian expedition.
- 8:04Following British preparations through force recordsNotable Point
Embarkation orders, ship dispositions, and command appointments show the deliberate work behind the Royal Navy's Norwegian force.
- 9:33Why Germany's invasion of Norway was a gambleNotable Point
British preparations show how narrowly German invasion forces avoided a stronger naval interception.
- 11:04Norway's slow mobilisation beside Denmark's rapid collapseNotable Point
The comparison between Norway's slow mobilisation and Denmark's rapid conquest separates operational speed from sustainable campaigning.
- 12:12Why Norway mattered more than Denmark to GermanyChapter
The review contrasts Denmark's supporting role with Norway's value for Swedish iron ore, northern waters, and strategic leverage.
- 13:49Destroyer shortages and vulnerable flying-boat reconnaissanceNotable Point
Destroyer scarcity prevents a sustained coastal patrol while German aircraft catch two British reconnaissance flying boats on the water.
- 14:22Moving Independent Companies along the Norwegian coastChapter
Transports and destroyer escorts distribute small Independent Companies among exposed northern Norwegian ports.
- 15:28Air superiority turns coastal garrisons into delay forcesNotable Point
Without established fighter cover, the Admiralty limits exposed detachments to harassment and delay rather than a durable coastal defence.
- 16:33Lord Cork's command problem as the campaign deterioratesNotable Point
A late campaign signal and a sharply critical command assessment show the difficulty of naval leadership when forces, time, and air cover are already inadequate.
- 17:22Working with reproduced records between archive visitsChapter
Close reproductions of Royal Navy documents let researchers work with the material between archive visits and reserve scarce travel time for other collections.
- 18:36Using published archives to plan deeper researchChapter
A printed collection of primary documents helps researchers decide which operations, units, and record descriptions deserve scarce archive time.