THE FORESIGHT WAR

by Anthony G Williams

  ‘I think I have a contact, sir!’

  The officer in charge of the radar crew came forward to look, while the other members of the team adjusted their instruments, trying to extract the maximum information from the signals caught by the long aerials above the fuselage. After a moment, the officer switched on the intercom to the pilot.

  ‘I think we’ve found what we’re looking for. It looks like a group of ships, bearing one-two-two degrees, range thirty-five miles. Not far off the Norwegian coast.’

  ‘Roger. We’d better take a look.’

  The heavy plane banked in a wide curve, then began a long slow descent to the contact.

  Don stood at the window, looking out over Whitehall and feeling depressed despite the bright May morning. He gulped the last of his coffee and turned to Charles Dunning.

  ‘How much longer are they likely to be?’

  ‘Have patience, they’ve had a lot on their hands with the politicians. It was bad enough persuading them not to get involved with Russia over Finland; when the Finns surrendered, they made all sorts of carping remarks about why their non-interventionist advisers suddenly wanted them to give guarantees to Norway; and now April has passed without the predicted invasion, they are questioning our judgment.’

  ‘They are going to go in if Norway is attacked, though?’

  Charles poured a fresh cup of coffee. ‘They finally agreed to. We made them understand the strategic importance of Norway to our own security, and the importance of the winter iron-ore route from Narvik to Germany. They accept that we would be in much weaker position against Germany if Norway fell to them. The problem is that the Committee has anxieties about the whole issue.’

  Don frowned. ‘Surely all the preparations are in hand?’

  ‘More than. In fact, everyone is becoming rather tired of sitting around waiting for something to happen. There certainly won’t be the fiasco that happened in your time. We have one big disadvantage, though; we’re not currently at war with Germany, so we can’t pre-empt their action. We have to wait until they attack and, what’s worse, wait until the Norwegians ask for our help. Chamberlain and Halifax won’t have it any other way. The only concession we’ve managed to extract is that we won’t be giving the Germans a long period to consider our ultimatum; we’ll go in immediately we’re asked to.’

  ‘The Germans will still have had time to get themselves established.’

  ‘Quite. And they’ll know we’re coming. It won’t be easy to dislodge them.’

  The Lieutenant-Commander squinted through the periscope, his view intermittently obscured by the choppy sea.

  ‘Bring her up a bit,’ he called. As the periscope head rose higher, he felt a surge of excitement. The smudge of smoke that had caught his attention was clearer, and underneath, squat, powerful-looking shapes were beginning to emerge.

  ‘Warships, heading our way. Down periscope. Steer eighty degrees.’

  The tension rose as the minutes ticked by. The commanding officer waited patiently until the calculated moment.

  ‘Up periscope.’ He scanned the scene for a few seconds. ‘Down periscope.’ He turned to the navigating officer. ‘Set a course to get us out of the Skagerrak as soon as possible.’ To the radio operator; ‘encode the following message for transmission as soon as we’re out of the way: two pocket battleships and smaller craft heading north at position fifty-eight degrees five minutes north, eleven degrees and fifteen minutes east.’

  He looked down pensively at the chart. The ships were on course for Oslo.

  ‘Now I wonder what they’re up to this time?’

  Chairman looked up as Don and Charles entered the room.

  ‘Good morning, gentlemen. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. We’ve been rather busy this morning.’ They murmured their acknowledgements and sat down. Chairman looked around the table.

  ‘I would like to review the current situation and the arrangements in hand, to see if our adviser has any comments. I’d better start. We’ve had a difficult time with the Chiefs of Staff, who are still inclined to take a blinkered view of their Services, but they did at last agree a coherent command structure with joint planning between all three Services and clear lines of control and communication once we go in. At least everyone should know what is expected of them, and of the others involved.’ He turned to Diplomat, who spoke slowly, studying the end of his cigarette with elaborate casualness.

  ‘We have received reports from the British ministers in both Copenhagen and Berlin, who have picked up warnings of an impending assault on Norway. Troop concentrations have also been reported in German ports, as well as a build-up of substantial forces on their western borders; they appear to be fully mobilised to launch attacks either to the West or the North, or both, as they choose. We’ve relayed strong warnings to Norway and an assurance of immediate aid if requested. The problem is that the Nygaardsvold government is both strongly neutralist and passivist, and they don’t want to believe us. We’ve used what military contacts we have with the Norwegians to spread the warning as far as possible, in the hope that some at least of their commanders won’t be caught unawares. We’ve even used court contacts to get a message through to King Haakon, to warn him that the Germans are planning to capture him. The problem is that apart from their coast defence forts, they don’t have a lot to fight with.’

  Chairman nodded, and looked at Ruddy Face, who cleared his throat.

  ‘The assault force and covering naval units sailed yesterday and will soon be in position off the Norwegian coast. The aircraft carriers Ark Royal, Invincible and Courageous will be operating in a group with the battleships Hood, King George V and Prince of Wales, staying a hundred miles offshore at the latitude of Trondheim. Further south, Repulse and Renown, together with the carrier Furious, will be stationed about fifty miles off Bergen to intercept enemy naval units. The heavy cruisers Berwick and Cornwall, together with the light carriers Vindictive and Hawkins, will be covering fifty miles off Narvik. The main assault forces will move into position twenty-five miles from Narvik and Trondheim respectively by the early hours of tomorrow morning. They will be supported by the old battleships Warspite at Narvik and Malaya and Queen Elizabeth at Trondheim. Following the main assaults we are planning to secure Bodø and Tromsø to ensure that we have complete control over the northern part of the country. After that we can turn our attention to Bergen and Stavanger.’

  ‘Where are you planning to land?’ Don had clear memories of the problems that had occurred in his time due to over-cautious landings far from the objectives, giving the troops an almost impossible task in slogging through snowbound countryside, often in blizzard conditions, with totally inadequate equipment.

  ‘At Narvik the Germans will only be able to land lightly-equipped troops so we’re going straight into the fjord under air cover and naval bombardment and landing the Marines at Øyjord and Haakvik, flanking the Narvik peninsula and about three or four miles away from Narvik itself. Incidentally, the terrible winter we’ve just had has helped enormously with training. Many of the Marines are now competent on skis and the rest have snowshoes.’

  Don nodded. ‘And Trondheim?’

  ‘Same principle of landings a few miles either side of the city, although we expect much stronger opposition. It will be particularly dangerous entering Trondheimsfjord if the Germans have managed to seize the defending forts, so we’re sending in Special Forces by submarine to secure those first. Once we’re into the fjord, one of the key targets will be the airfield at Vaernes. We might secure the ports at Namsos and Åndalsnes later, but that’s not vital.’

  Don remembered the ill-fated landings at these ports, far from Trondheim itself.

  Military Man took over. ‘The First Armoured Division will be landed at Trondheim. We are also planning some paratroop drops to secure critical points. Once the city and the airfield are in our hands, the Division has orders to proceed south towards Dombås then down the Gudbransdal towards Oslo. Along the way, they sho
uld link up with the Norwegian government and the bulk of whatever Norwegian forces survive the retreat from Oslo. Once we have secured that link, together with Stavanger and Bergen, we will have effective control of all except the south-eastern lowlands around Oslo. That’s when we expect the major battle. By then, the Second and Third Armoured Divisions will have taken over from the First, supported by three motorised infantry divisions. The First Armoured will be withdrawn to England to re-equip, leaving their equipment behind as an attrition reserve.’

  ‘What about communications and specialist equipment?’

  ‘There are plenty of radios and a well-practised communications network, with interlinking possible between the Services. As at Narvik, all infantry will have snowshoes and we are including some ski-troops, although if the Germans delay their attack for much longer they will hardly be necessary. Thanks to your warnings, we also have a good supply of detailed maps and photographs of the operational areas.’

  Military Man handed over to Creamed Curls.

  ‘Coastal Command is keeping a close watch for German shipping movements, with torpedo-carrying Hampdens standing by in the Orkneys. As well as the maritime reconnaissance aircraft, we have some new versions of the Wellington with radar adapted to detect aircraft, and these are patrolling the southern North Sea. Photo-reconnaissance Reapers are carrying out at least one sortie per day, weather permitting, of all likely target areas in Norway and of the German ports and anchorages. We also have five squadrons of Reaper long-range fighters and a similar number of Mosquito bombers based in Scotland, ready to attack the Danish and Norwegian airfields seized by the Germans. Finally, we have several squadrons of Hurricanes with long-range tanks ready to travel to Norwegian airfields as soon as they are available.’

  Don sat back, thinking the arrangements through, racking his memory for anything he might have overlooked. ‘Air power is Germany’s biggest asset; it’s what made all the difference before. Attacking the German airfields to disrupt their activities has a high priority. Another thing; one problem common to both sides which the Germans may well have corrected was defective torpedo fuses. Losses to U-boats could be high.’

  Ruddy Face nodded. ‘All of our task forces have strong anti-submarine escorts including air cover, from the land as well as the carriers. We also have plenty of ships held back in reserve if we need to replace losses.’

  As they left the Committee, Charles looked at Don, seeing his anxiety. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said quietly, ‘everything that you have warned us about has been dealt with. We are as well prepared as possible.’

  Don sighed. ‘I know. It’s just that after all these years of preparation, the shooting is finally going to start. We don’t know whether Hitler will go for Norway or France first. If he goes for France, we’re in real trouble, as the politicians will come under severe pressure to divert our assault forces to help the French. Even if he goes for Norway, we have to sit on our hands and wait for the Norwegians to ask us to help, while the Germans can attack at their leisure.’

  The Norwegian government was in disarray. The British warnings of German intentions had been clear, specific and urgent. So had the German warnings of British attempts to drive a wedge between Norway and Germany, with the aim of acquiring Norway as an ally. Evidence had been collected showing that both sides appeared to be mobilising and dispatching naval units towards Norway. The Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Nygaardsvold, were painfully aware of their country’s unpreparedness to resist any attack. After long debate, Nygaardsvold turned wearily to to Defence Minister Ljungberg.

  ‘We are agreed then. However unwelcome it may be, it appears likely that we are going to be involved against our will in a conflict between Britain and Germany. We cannot judge who is telling the truth, but assurances from Hitler have been proved in the past to be worth little. Furthermore, the British are urging us to mobilise, which they would hardly do if they were intending to attack us. In the circumstances, we have agreed that we should issue a general mobilisation order immediately. We can only pray that this will deter any aggression. If the Germans attack us, we will immediately ask the British for help. In the meantime, we had better prepare for the evacuation of the government and the Royal Family.’

  There was a quiet tension on the bridge of the cruiser HMS Sheffield as it ploughed through the rough seas off the coast of northern Norway, just inside the Arctic Circle. The Coastal Command Wellington had relayed the course and speed of the force; they should intercept it soon. The lookouts stood with eyes glued to binoculars; it was early evening but at this time of year it never became really dark even at midnight.

  The first alert was issued from the radar operators in the small cabin behind the bridge. In response to the Captain’s order, the big cruiser turned and accelerated towards the coast. Shortly afterwards, the lookouts sang out their warning and the Captain picked up the big 7x50 glasses and focused them on the distant shapes.

  ‘A cruiser, large single funnel, either Leipzig or Nurnberg, with five – no six, destroyers in company,’ the First Lieutenant commented, ‘heading for the Vest Fjord. Have to be on their way to Narvik.’

  The Captain grunted. ‘Make a signal to the Admiralty, Number One. There’s nothing else we can do about it except watch.’

  The German force was slowly lost from view as the ships merged with the rugged background of the Norwegian coast.

  The Kapitanleutnant commanding U64 watched through his periscope as the British cruiser turned away from the coast and smiled grimly. Soon, he thought, very soon.

  General Nikolas von Falkenhorst leaned back and stretched in his chair, feeling a curious mixture of tiredness, satisfaction and nervous anticipation. He had still not entirely recovered from the surprise of the personal summons from Hitler which had led to his being given overall command of Operation Weserübung, the invasion of Denmark and Norway. However, no officer of the Wehrmacht is disconcerted for long, so he had rapidly begun planning the assault in close co-operation with the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe. His work had not been made easier by the close interest taken by the Führer in the details of the operation, and he had been forced to make certain changes to his initial plans, apparently at the behest of the elderly and rather academic-looking personal assistant who always seemed to be hanging around Hitler.

  However, the die was now cast, the plans fixed, the orders given, the forces dispatched. Denmark was unlikely to put up any resistance, but the planning for Norway had been particularly thorough. Merchant ships loaded with concealed military stores were already in place in the target ports and other merchant vessels with Marine units in the holds were due to dock just before the main assault began. Paratroop units had been assigned to take every airfield in Norway to prepare the way for the fleet of over 500 Junkers 52 transports already loaded on their airfields. He had not been given many ground troops – these were on standby in the West – but there wasn’t room to take many in the aircraft and ships available to him, and the number included some of the best; the Gebirgsjäger of the Second and Third Mountain Divisions under Feuerstein and Dietl.

  Admiral Raeder had been particularly co-operative and virtually every major surface unit, as well as most of the submarines, was included in the operation. Literally above all, some 500 combat aircraft of Fliegerkorps X were providing cover; a mixture of fighters and bombers with an emphasis on anti-shipping capability.

  The possible British response was a worry; reconnaissance had revealed a high degree of alertness in the Royal Navy, and Raeder had been concerned about the vulnerability of the northermost group assigned to take Narvik. However, the tanker with the fuel they would need for the return trip was due to arrive shortly. Von Falkenhorst checked his watch; 2.00 a.m. Three hours to get some sleep before the attacks commenced. Tomorrow would be a long day.

  ‘Wake up, wake up, it’s begun!’ Don groaned and rolled over in bed as Mary shook him awake. ‘Charles has just called.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘Nor
way!’

  ‘Thank God! What’s the time?’

  ‘Half past four. Come on, we’re needed in the Ops Room.’

  Don dragged himself out of bed and headed for the bathroom, thankful that he had insisted on a shower being fitted into their Whitehall apartment.

  Half an hour later, they were gathered in the so-called ‘Operations Room’; an underground office wallpapered with maps, situated close to a radio communications centre. Morgan and Taylor were already there in their respective RAF and Army uniforms, together with Harold Johnson, the stocky, dark-haired naval officer who had joined the group as the replacement for David Helmsford.

  ‘The Oversight Committee is meeting on the floor above if we need to communicate with them,’ commented Charles. He turned to the military intelligence officers. ‘What’s the current situation?’

  ‘Few surprises so far,’ stated Johnson briskly. Don had not got to know him well; Johnson seemed uncomfortable with him and Don suspected that he regarded him as some kind of freak.

  ‘Oslo is close to falling to a combined assault. German paratroops have secured Fornebo and Kjeller airfields and transports are flying in reinforcements. Two pocket battleships – we think they are the Lützow and the Admiral Scheer – have docked in the harbour along with other vessels, and somewhere between one and two thousand troops have disembarked.’

  ‘No resistance from the coastal defences?’ Don was surprised, remembering the massive damage inflicted by the handful of defenders in the Oscarborg fortress, who in his time had managed to sink a heavy cruiser.