BruceAZ
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Wild Bill:
Is this what you had in mind?
OPERATION WESERUBUNG: Invasion of Norway
By Bruce Hodgman
April 19, 1940 – 18:45 hours, Bremen Naval Base. Headquarters: Armeegruppe XXI
Briefing held by General von Falkenhorst, Kommandierender General, Armeegruppe XXI. Officers present for the briefing are Generalleutnant Fuerstein, 2nd Gebirgs (Salzburg) Division, Generalmajor Dietl, 3rd Gebirgs (Salzburg) Division, Generalmajor Tittel, 69th Infantry (Munster) Division, Generalmajor Engelbrecht, 163rd Infantry (Berlin) Division, Generalmajor Woytasch, 181st Infantry (Hanover) Division, Generalmajor Pellengahr, 196th Infantry (Danzig) Division and Generalmajor Horn, 214th Infantry (Kassel) Division. Also present was Generalleutnant Geisler, X Fliegerkorps and Grossadmiral Raeder, Chief of Kriegsmarine Staff (OKM).
“Ah, there you are Hans. Gentlemen, may I present Oberstleutnant Hans-Peter von Wachtstein? Han’s father, Baron Generalleutnant Graf von Wachtstein, is a good friend and now assigned to OKW. Oberstleutnant Wachtstein has been secretly training a special unit in Bremen for the last 8 weeks for this very day. This unit, called ‘Wachtstein Panzer-Abteilung zur Besonderen Verwendung’ was created to support the German invasion of Norway. This unique battalion sized unit consists of 3 select Kompanies given up from 3 separate Panzer-Grenadier (Pioneers), Gebirgs (Mountain/Ski) and Fallschirmjaeger (Parachute) Regiments along with supporting Flak, Panzerjager, and Artillerie units. These elite units were the best available and have been training in combined arms maneuvers including naval assault. They represent Plan B for OPERATION WESERUBUNG.”
“As you all know, Plan A called for the air and naval assault of Norway on April 9th but this has failed when the primary target at the Fornebu Airfield was covered in fog and the coastal fortress in Oslofjorden blocked the entrance to Oslo. The Heavy Cruiser Blucher was sunk. This, of course, required all naval assault units to return to their bases in Germany. The Norwegian military has now completed their mobilization and all coastal fortresses are manned. This turn of events now requires us to implement Plan B.”
“Plan B calls for the direct assault of Oslo by sea. The key to conquering Norway are her coastal fortresses. You capture the fortresses and the Norwegian defenses will collapse. This is what Oberstleutnant Wachtstein’s command was specially trained for. His unique command of pioneers, ski and parachute troops has learned the special technique in assaulting coastal fortresses and will lead the attack. Your divisions will follow through after the key fortresses have been silenced and perform occupation duties. Grossadmiral Raeder will provide Battle Cruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst along with six cruisers and 14 destroyers for Kriegschiffstaffel protection and naval bombardment duties. After the initial invasion is successful, the Battle Cruisers will break out into the Atlantic.”
“OKW has indicated the early capture of the Norwegian capital of Oslo will force the Norwegian government to surrender. We shall begin with the capture of the large coastal fortress near Vikane in the Oslofjord. This fortress is west of Fredrikstad. After its capture, the Norwegians will be forced to abandon Fredrikstad and we shall have a naval base to land the follow-up forces. Intelligence feels the Norwegians will expect our follow-up attack through Sarpsborg and take Oslo from the east. But our next assault will be to capture the Norwegian Naval Base at Horten and the city of Moss and attack through the west. This will allow us to move our forward base closer to Oslo. The next assault will be difficult but necessary if we are to capture Oslo. Protecting the sea entrance to Oslo Harbor is the great fortress at Drobak called ‘Oscarsborg.’ After this fort has been silenced we can advance on Oslo.”
“The Norwegians should capitulate by then. If not, we shall continue our campaign with attacks against Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Narvik. The last two are of particular importance to the Kriegsmarine as they have plans for bases to contain Uboot Gruppe 1 and 3. Abwehr indicates the Norwegian 1st Division is in the Askim area along with units from the various Norwegian military schools and a dismounted cavalry regiment partially converted to bicycles. The 1st Infanteribrigad is near Fredrikstad and the 2nd Infanteribrigad near Drobak. Their elite Konglisk Norges Marine Battalion is based near Horten.”
“The Norwegians do not have any panzer formations, however, we can expect British and French forces including tanks to intervene especially in the northern campaign. We should not concern ourselves with the Norwegian airforce as the Luftwaffe destroyed most of their planes in the last ten days or they have flown to British airfields in Scotland. However, the Abwehr has predicted that you will see French and British air forces so please plan accordingly. The British Home Fleet is expected to sortie from Scapa Flow but we do not think they will interfere because of our air superiority over southern Norway.”
“Oberstleutnant Wachtstein primary objectives will be the Oslofjord Fortress, Vikane, the mobilization station east of Lervik. This supply depot must be seized, as it will open the road to Rade. With their flank threatened, they must fall back to the main line of defense near Askim and that will allow us to take Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg without much interference. We have rumors the Norwegian King Hakon VII is rallying his people and called up many citizen units called ‘Det Frivillige Skyttervesen’ in Norwegian. These are nothing more than hunting clubs and should not be of concern or considered partisan units.”
“Gentlemen, Plan B will commence in 72 hours. Return to your commands and begin embarkation. I will set up the forward command post of Armeegruppe XXI in Fredrikstad after the Oslofjord Fortress has been taken. You are dismissed.”
DESIGNER NOTES: Important! This campaign is not an exact historical recreation. It has been altered for wargame play to allow varying outcomes. You will play many of the same key Norway battles but some events or places have been altered to allow advance play or improve strategy. It is significant for each player to read all introductory notes before each battle as there are clues and tips that will help you in your fight. This is your intelligence report! War-gamers should select their core units with care. It is recommended that you purchase a company of engineers, parachute or mountain (ski) troops as part of your core units. The campaign will require their services and most battles will have transport available for naval landings and auxiliary forces for airborne operations. However, tanks and other arms in a supporting role (as part of your core Group) will be critical in later battles.
This is a game of combined arms warfare where strategy and decisive action will make the difference between success and failure. Players should be familiar with the technique of loading and unloading men and equipment from landing barges. Fast, mountain (ski) or parachute infantry with tough combat engineers in support are your key elements to be successful. Make sure your troops are as mobile as you can as speed is vital in many of the battles. The Allied Version (Norwegian Commander with British, French and Pole assistance) of this campaign is also available from the Matrix SPWAW web site. Good luck, you will need it!
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