Operation Weserubung and the Origins of Joint Warfare

Abstract

The German military genius for maneuver warfare is well illustrated by an often overlooked operation of World War II, the invasion of Scandinavia in 1940. Operation Weserubung also warrants examination because it was joint in execution and demonstrates that the German army, navy, and air force--Wehrmacht, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe--could fight as a team even if rivalry among the headquarters of the services made Hitler the operation's unified commander by fault. A combination of speed, surprise, and daring enabled the German armed forces to defy the Royal Navy by transporting troops directly to their objectives along the Norwegian coast. Furthermore, quickness and dash baffled the hapless Norwegians and beleaguered Allied forces. The lessons of this operation were not lost on the British for the balance of the war and remain relevant today as a case study in joint warfare and the operational art.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA528871

Entities

People

  • Christopher Coglainese
  • Richard D. Hooker Jr.

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Aircrafts
  • Command And Control
  • Landing Fields
  • Military Education
  • Military History
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Navy
  • New York
  • Second World War
  • Three Dimensional
  • Transport Ships
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • History

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Polar and Arctic Studies