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Execution. How elastic was the German plan of invasion, how alert and audacious its execution, was seen when the campaign's only major slip-up occurred. The destruction of the cruisers Emden and Blücher by unquisled Norse in Oslo Fjord so seriously disrupted matters that no more Nazi troops landed in Oslo Fjord by ship for two and one-half days. Without batting an eye, General von Falkenhorst, who had meantime alighted on the Oslo airport with a battalion, proceeded to bring more troops into the Oslo district the same way he got there: by Junkers transports, under cover of menacing demonstrations over the city by bomber and fighting craft. Experts now know that a score or two of Allied bombers could have paralyzed the Falkenhorst expedition by a determined attack on Fornebo airport at any time in those first 48 hours. The Nazis say they counted on British sluggishness. They were not disappointed.
The original German plan also had called for King Haakon's capture in his palace, where he would be persuaded to issue a quick proclamation of nonresistance. Failure in this particular did not upset the plan for one simple reason: surprise had been achieved. The Norwegians, trusting, law-abiding, were completely disorganized; and it was six days before the Allies were able to land even territorial troops at any point south of Narvik. In the interval Falkenhorst recovered from his one serious setback. When the Allied Fleet and planes finally got busy in the
Skagerrak and Kattegat, when Norse resistance stiffened and the "Minute Men of Elverum" covered their Government's flight, more & more German men and arms were already pouring northward by sea as well as by air from Germany and from new Nazi bases in Denmark, grimly taking losses as they had to, but still coming on. Unlike the Allies' relief expedition, Falkenhorst's invasion was geared to smite and smite again.
By the time the Nazi flag went up at Åndalsnes last week, U. S. Army experts estimated 85,000 Germans had been put into action on Norwegian soil. By this week observers raised the figure to 150,000, despite a heavy toll from continued Allied attacks in the sea lanes off Sweden's west coast. Many more were expected in weeks to come, because Falkenhorst played for Norway for keeps. He got there first, now he must stay there last, since Germany needs Norway not only for military reasons, but for prestige and home morale.