The Invasion of Denmark and Norway
- April 8th and 9th 1940 Hitler invades Denmark and Norway
- 2 Reasons:
- The British had landed in Norway declaring their help for Finland= Threatened the steel that came from Sweden
- Provided a much more forward base for the German U-Boats
- Provides the word Quisling to the English dictionary (a collaborator, works with the enemy so something bad doesn't happen to them)
- All Norwegian shipping goes to British (gets all the merchant ships)
Invasion of the Low Countries
- Hitler begins his attack on the west in neutral 'Low Countries' May 10, 1940
- Netherlands falls in 4 days
- Belgium falls in 18 days
- Luxembourg falls in 2 days
- The British Expeditionary Force (BEF)
- Tried to defend Belgium but they came too late and had to retreat
Summary
Hitler invaded Norway and Denmark because it would provide a suitable base for German U-boats, also because steal (that came from Sweden) was being threatened by the British landing in Norway. Hitler's invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg (Benelux) and manages to take them all using Blitzkrieg tactics.