In article ,
Alan Minyard writes:
The Nazis had quite a lot of trouble invading. ISTR they lost a
few ships and took heavy casualties from shore-based defences.

Actually, they took few casualties, they virtually walked into Oslo.

That, BTW, was an inside job. There's a reason that Quisling has
become a word found in nearly all European Languages. Norway was
hardly unique in that respect. While they may have been the
majorities in their countries, there were factions in most countries
that were, if not aiding Hitler outright, were at least sympathetic to
Hiter's, and thus Germany's aims, over those of their own nations.
The Anchluss of Austria, and the Annexation of Czechoslovakia would
not have been possible without these people. They were also found in
the U.K., and France, and the U.S.

The 15,000 ton cruiser Blucher, most notably, which halted
the Germans long enough for the goverment and king to escape
from Oslo.

One ship?? Not much in the way of casualties there, and wars
are not won by "escape from Oslo"

It ended up being more than that. Blucher ended up on the bottom in
Oslo, But _all_ the major German Surface combatants took some damage,
between the Norweigian defences and the Royal Navy. At teh end of the
campaigh, the Battleships Sharnhorst and Gneisenau, were in Kiel, and
weren't going to be back in service until the Winter of 1940/41. The
Panzershiffe Lutzow was also in Keil, and wouldn't be back until the
Spring of 1941. the Panzershiffe Admirial Scheer was in Danzig, and
wasn't out until October 1940. Blucher's sister ship, the Admiral
Hipper, was in Wilhelmshaven until October 1940. Also laid up were 4
of the remaining 10 destroyers.

Interesting point, that gets missed in most of teh Seelowe stuff I've
seen. During the Summer and Autumn of 1940, the German Navy consisted
of a handful of Light Cruisers (4-5), about 10-15 destroyers, various
S-Boats, and about 40 ocean-going submarines. That's hardly enough to
supply Naval Gunfire Support to a Marine Regiment, let alone escort an
invasion fleet and stave off the Royal Navy.

Whatever teh final outcome the Norweigians gave as good as they got,
as long as they could. The Norweigian Campaign effectively put an end
to the German surface Navy.
So your strategy is to run for the hills, and wait for the
US to bail you out. Not much of a strategy.

Not jumping to anyone's defence - I disagree with much of Bjorn's
opinion on more recent happenings, but it should be pointed out the
Norway can be easy to take, but very difficult to hold. The long adn
convoluted coastline can make invading easier, but the same coastline,
and the rugged terrain behind it, mean that controlling it is nearly
impossible.

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster