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Meanwhile, across the Danish border, swarmed German troops by the thousands without sign of resistance from Denmark's surprised little army which has a peace strength of 11,000, a war strength of only 161,000. Denmark's island capital, Copenhagen, was taken without the firing of a shot. Within twelve hours the occupation was complete. Germany announced it had taken its neighbor "to prevent possible hostile attack." Free, democratic Denmark had ceased to exist.
Far to the north, Hitler's men were running into resistance from surprised Norwegian troops. While U. S. Minister Mrs. J. Borden Harriman announced that Norway had declared herself at war, that the Government had moved north from Oslo to safer quarters at Hamar. At Oslo, at Vallo, Bergen, Trondheim, Kristiansand, Narvik, other points along the west coast, German troops were landed.
As Norway's Government ordered full mobilization of its army and air force (war strength 90,000 men, 100 planes) Nazi fliers were bombing her cities to drive a wedge for their landing parties. As day ended, Germany began to report successes. Egersund, the ocean cable head, had been captured. Vallo, Bergen, Trondheim had been taken. Oslo surrendered at 4 p.m. Kristiansand was under heavy air bombardment.
Ready or Unready? Caught apparently by surprise, the Allies took challenge. Before the night was out France and Britain had made Norway their ally. Next morning in the House of Commons, haggard Neville Chamberlain announced that aid to Norway was already on the way. What it was he did not say, but the likelihood was that it was the air force, which can get under way fast and move with greatest speed to its objective. The British fleet, which had bungled in letting all but one of the German landing parties reach Norway, now had an infinitely tougher task. But to help Norway, to stop the Nazi thrust, more was needed, an expeditionary force with naval protection.
When would it be ready? An expedition such as the Germans launched against Denmark and Norway takes weeks and months of preparation and planning. It was a stroke of luck for German propaganda that the British had laid mines in Norwegian waters just before the Nazi attack was launched. That offered an excuse, but obviously the attack had been prepared long before—some of the German landing parties must already have been embarked when the British began minelaying. Germany had had all winter to prepare and plan its expedition. How soon would an Allied expedition be ready? Not for some time unless the Allies had foreseen what was coming.
Exit Denmark. "The Reich Government therefore has, beginning today, set in motion certain military operations which will lead to the occupation of strategic points on Danish soil. The Reich Government thereby assumes protection of the Kingdom of Denmark for the duration of this War. . . . The Reich Government, therefore expects the Royal Danish Government and the Danish people to have full understanding for Germany's procedure and not resist in any way. . . .