The History of Traffic Analysis – WWI – Vietnam Part 5 of 8

The British Evacuation of Norway

Early in World War II, the British position in Norway became untenable, and they decided to remove their forces. (Featured image: The HMS Glorious)

The operation to accomplish this task took place in Narvik, Norway. It was supported by the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious, which evacuated pilots and planes. British T/A produced indications that German naval units were transiting into the North Sea and in all likelihood were prepared to engage in hostilities. These reports, some as early as two weeks before the engagement, were sent to the British Admiralty which, having little understanding of T/A, dismissed the reports as unproven and failed to send the warning to the Glorious. In fact, the German battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were moving into the North Sea and about to engage the Glorious. Had the Glorious received the warning, she might well have sent out defensive patrols and even attacked the German cruisers with her torpedo planes. The captain of the Glorious, however, not having received the intelligence reports, was totally surprised by the German presence.