Denmark and Norway 1940: Hitler's Boldest Operation (Campaign): Hitler's Boldest Operation

Despite its shortness and lack of small unit action (in both Norway and Denmark), it is a very good book which include all of the major land and sea battles, and includes lots of great photographs, artwork etc.

As a Norwegian, I have been able to get books more specific to the small clashes in both Denmark and Norway, but they are in their native languages (Norwegian and Danish) and is probably unknown and unreadable to anyone who is not familiar with it or with the Danish or Norwegian languages. I also noted some minor spelling errors (like King Håkon VII's name should be spelled Haakon VII and Crown Prince Olaf should be spelled Crown Prince Olav), but they are not very important and only Norwegians or people which has an interest on this subject would notice them.

So as I already have said, despite it is somewhat short, it is a very good book, which I recommend for both starters and those who already has some knowledge of this campaign.

A very good book about this little known but fascinating campaign (2/2 people found this helpful)

As a history freak I was already somehow familiar with this campaign, but still I really enjoyed this book. Doug Dildy did an excellent job describing the motives behind the invasion and the reasons for which the Allies were taken by surprise. He very well seized the general spirit of this campaign - in fact, it was an extremely daring operation for Germans, a gamble which could easily fail and in which improvisation and desperate moves played a great role. For that reason it was a very dramatic fight and it makes a great read. You will find it hard to believe, but in one battle, because of lack of fuel German planes actually had to land on an airport still in hostile hands - the turret gunners then kept the Norvegian soldiers at bay until the landing of some paratroopers saved the entire force from certain destruction (if somebody made a movie out of it, the critics would certainly blast it as impossible)! You will certainly appreciate also the pictures of very modern Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns of British Army tracted by horses lend by sympathetic Norvegian farmers...
This is also a tale of great heroism - the lonely and desperate fight of HMS "Glowworm" against German heavy cruiser "Admiral Hipper" is very well described, as the daring attack of cmdr Warburton-Lee five destroyers against a German destroyer force twice as strong at Narvik.... Great blunders are also well described, as the one which resulted in the tragic and avoidable loss of the precious aircraft carrier HMS "Glorious" and the two gallant destroyers which were its only (!) escort, HMS "Ardent" and HMS "Acasta".
Being Polish, I particularly appreciated that our participation in this campaign was not forgotten - Polish submarine ORP "Orzel" torpedoed the "Rio de Janeiro", first German troop transport lost in this campaign, Polish mountain troops fought at Narvik and destroyer ORP "Grom" and great troop transport "Chrobry" became casualties.
Maps are good and there are three colour plates, of which two are very good - only the first, showing the first naval battle of Narvik, is of poor quality. Pity - the heroism of Warburton-Lee and his people desserved better than that.
Only one point, in which I can not agree with the author - according to Doug Dildy, losses suffered in invasion of Norway made it impossible for Germans to succeed in crossing the Channel, even if they won the Battle of Britain. Well, this is a daring statement, to say the least - actually German leadership believed it possible, and Winston Churchill believed it too; strongly enough to mobilise Home Guard and starting fortifying the beaches.... But this is a minor point. This is a great Osprey Campaign and I recommend it warmly.

A excellent overview of the campaign (1/2 people found this helpful)

This book gives a good outline of conditions and preconditins for the battle. The only German tri service planned operation of the whole war it set the standards for all axis and allied amphibious operations to come. Especially good account of the sea battle and the huge losses incurred on the Germans. Those losses made an invasion across the English Channel next fall impossible. The only drawback is its shortness (the book's that is!) and the inevitable lack of small unit accounts from all those nationals that fought in the battle of Norway.

Denmark and Norway 1940: Hitler's Boldest Operation (Campaign): Hitler's Boldest Operation

Doug Dildy

Reader Reviews:

Somewhat short, but good (1/1 people found this helpful)

A very good book about this little known but fascinating campaign (2/2 people found this helpful)

A excellent overview of the campaign (1/2 people found this helpful)

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