Atlantic Heats Up

Mar.28th, 1940 Allied Politics
Britain and France plan to mine Norwegian waters to force Nazi ships into the open seas and expose them to naval attack. Put off to April 8th, this is too late to prevent the Nazi invasion planned for the 9th.

Mar.31st, 1940 Atlantic Sea War
German cruiser Atlantis, captained by Bernhard Rogge, sets out to sink enemy ships. Over the months of early 1940, the total tonnage sank reaches over 93,000.
It is followed by the Orion on April 8th.

Apr.8th, 1940 Sea War, Norway
As the British lay mines off the coast of Norway, the British destroyer HMS Glowworm intercepts part of the German fleet but is sunk after ramming the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper. A British submarine sinks the transport Rio de Janiero. The deployed Royal Navy is unable to intercept the German invasion fleet.

Apr.9th, 1940 Invasion of Denmark and Norway
Codename Fall Weserubung or Operation Weser Exercise, begins in the early morning. The German tactic of blitzkrieg is put into full effect by lightning speed, meticulous planning and total secrecy. Denmark puts up little to no resistance. Two German aircraft are shot down and a few armored cars are damaged. Thirteen Danish soldiers are killed and only 23 wounded.
The German naval invasion of Norway incurs heavy losses, with three cruisers, the Karlsrube, Konigsberg, and Blucher sank and a battleship badly damaged. Invading with a 1000 aircraft, Luftwaffe units took over airfields and established air superiority while ships land ground forces at six locations. Norwegian forces are taken completely by surprise. King Haakon of Norway manages to escape to the north with most of his government. The whole campaign ends up lasting 62 days with 5000 casualties on both sides.