Monday, March 29, 2010

Day 211 March 29, 1940

Following the decision to mine Norwegian waters, British General Staff hastily devises Plan R4 to react to German intervention. 1st Cruiser Squadron will deliver 1 infantry brigade to Narvik & 1 battalion to Trondheim from Rosyth. A battalion each will go to Stavanger & Bergen on slower transport ships. All are lightly-eqipped with no heavy artillery or tanks. They will be screened by Royal Navy ships but receive no air cover from either RAF or carrier-based aircraft. Purely reactive in nature, R4 naïvely assumes Allied troops will arrive before the Germans. In contrast, Germans intend to land 2 full divisions with full naval & air cover, quickly followed by 4 more complete with artillery & tanks, in an intricate but carefully-planned feat of combined arms.

Armed merchant cruiser HMS Transylvania intercepts German freighter Mimi Horn (en route from Curacao, Dutch Caribbean) between Iceland & Greenland. Mimi Horn is scuttled & Transylvania picks up all 41 crew. http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3332.html

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