April 9th 1940

Tuesday April 9th

The much vaunted putsch has at last begun.

Germany has invaded Denmark and Norway this morning. She has systematically been terrorising the northern neutrals for some time past - witness the Altmark incident – and, in order to counteract this and her use of the iron ore route from Narvik down the Norwegian coast, we - after giving full warning - laid a minefield in Norwegian waters on Monday. Germany declares that her invasion was a reprisal for this to 'protect' the neutrals from us!

(1) It is as well to recall in view of this preposterous statement that Narvik is 700 miles from the nearest German port. And, if the Germans had started out as soon as they heard of the Allied minefield, they would only have arrived there about twelve hours after their landing.

(2) Men and transports are not conjured up in 24 hours, nor elaborate plans and landings arranged and communicated all in 5 minutes.

(3) Leaflets in Danish were dropped over Copenhagen. Were these printed, distributed, and carried all in 12 hours?

Oslo has been bombed and surrendered, and Denmark is completely occupied - but the Allied Navy has gone to the rescue!

These events are part of Germany's 'Operation Weserübung'. See the Wikipedia entry for details.