Now, Alien Space Bats don't get stranger than this ...

[Borys]

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=149674

By forces unknown you find yourself before Haakon VII on July 15th, 1920 and informed that for the next 20 years ending on July 15th, 1940 you are the Defense Minister and answerable only to the King, though the Storting still has to approve your budget.

Ground rules:

1. No assassinating Hitler or Stalin or interfering with internal policies of the USSR or Germany
2. You can lobby the King and Storting to allow immigration of those persecuted by Hitler and Stalin
3. Under no circumstances act outside Norwegian interests

What I do:

I ask the Storting to approve a 10 year Fortification Plan. Under this plan, each port that can support invasion forces receives eight 16" guns in four double turrets and twenty 6" Howitzers in protected revetments to protect the ports. I also arrange for the citizens of these ports to be trained in the handling of these weapons so as to have a ready source of manpower to call on.

I also ask the Storting to approve a dual use Landing Vehicle Tracked for my Mechanization Plan. The ideal is to develop this vehicle and mount the entire Norwegian Army and Police Units in it and sell unarmed models to civilians. We can also produce it for export around the World.

Flying Boats and Float planes: I concentrate on getting the best of these I can. Many people dismiss these, but that shows their profound lack of understanding of the Earth.

These planes unlike land planes can land on 70% of the planet compared to 1% for regular aircraft and Float Planes and Flying Boats can be based in more places that can be camouflaged, and serve as invaluable rescue units as they can land in the water to pick up survivors.

When the time comes, these planes operating out of hard to reach Fjords and the middle of nowhere will serve as my counter attack force.

Improvement of the Infrastructure: I encourage the Storting to expand roads, railways, telephone, radios when they come, Dams, build Coal Gasification, Buna plants, and Hospitals to improve the defense of the nation and spur economic activity.

Regulation: I advise regulation of the Banking Industry by using the principles of the the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933.

Navy: I will opt for some more Torpedo Boats and some mine clearers, but no more than that as Norway can not afford to man CLs much less BBs.

Airforce: I will buy Hurricanes when they become available, I will also work to get a Radar System set up, rig the Airfields for demolition, and scout good spots for my Hurricanes to operate along the roads.

I will also buy some Blimps for ASW and Cargo work and when the USS Akron comes along I push the Storting hard to order our own to further improve our ASW and SAR abilities as the Akron class can carry four fighters. I also express interest in improving the Airborne Aircraft Carrier role.

While a Blimp Aircraft Carrier can never quite Supersede a Water Aircraft Carrier, it does fulfill a niche role in ASW and Ferry role. Even more, convoys escorted by a Blimp never suffered a loss.

Well lets see your ideals.

[The Rock Doctor]

Stupid ground rules...

Well, first I start learning the Norwegian language...

[Guinness]

FWIW: Every single Norwegian I've ever met speaks English, although that's also true of every Dane I've met, and every Swede, though not every Fin.

[Borys]

OK - I'll explain - these "ground rules" were posted by a bloke on the Axis History Forum. And he is strongly pushing them against all arguments that his ideas are ASB.
A good laugh, that thread is ...
Borys

[The Rock Doctor]

"Your Majesty:

"Thank you for entrusting the security of your realm to a Canadian from eighty-eight years in the future.  Obviously, my job will be simplified somewhat by general knowledge of events to come, but if the Alien Space Bats had provided me with a half-hour's warning, I'd be here with some interesting articles from Wikipedia that would have been really useful.

"Now, while I would never advocate assassinating leaders or interfering the policies of Germany and Russia...or the Soviet Union...or whatever it's called at this particular moment, I do think we should have a chat in a decade or so about arranging a meeting between an Englishman named Chamberlain and some circus performers supplied with the Kama Sutra, a basket of vegetables, and a camera.

"I think I will also propose the future appointment of a fellow named Quisling to a diplomatic position in Bolivia.  He will be of valuable service there, I assure you.

"I'd also like to talk with the Minister of Finance in 1928 about an investment strategy based on short-selling of global stocks.

"Finally - for the moment - I'd like to ask if my employment with the Canadian government to date will be counted for the purposes of determining my salary and benefits..."

[The Bushranger]

Heh heh...

Navy: I will opt for some more Torpedo Boats and some mine clearers, but no more than that as Norway can not afford to man CLs much less BBs.

Well, they did have two CDBBs...

*puts on thinking cap*