Other than in Finland, the rest of December 1939 was remarkably quiet. De Valera's round-up of senior IRA men had spread such disarray that, even though Sean Russell was free, co-ordination was difficult, especially as many operatives were currently engaged in sabotage missions in Britain. The Germans were dismayed, and began to hold 'Dev' in a mix of contempt and hate. The British, however, were somewhat encouraged by the attitude of their erstwhile enemy.
The Finns were doing shockingly well, mainly because of the harshness of the winter. As the New Year approached, the Russians were still struggling to make much headway.
The real major next stage in the war came on 4th January 1940, in a move which had been kept quiet for some time, and which came as a vast surprise to almost all of the parties involved. Demanded by Raeder and encouraged by Goering, Keitel agreed to the operation of a plan designed to strategically control the Baltic and threaten Norway.
At dawn, German troops crossed into Jutland. The occupation of Denmark had begun. The troops raced towards northern Jutland, a tank corps ploughing towards Aalborg in an effort to cut off a major link to the mainland. By 10 o'clock that morning, the Danish government had decided it was best to surrender-taken by such surprise, it had little choice.
Raeder was overjoyed. His plan now was to build U-Boat pens at Esbjerg, Noerby and other coastal settlements. But what was not on the cards, despite Allied fears and Vidkun Quisling's hopes, was an assault on Norway.
