Meanwhile, the German conquest of Norway in April 1940 eroded any chance of completing "Graf Zeppelin". Now responsible for defending Norway's long coastline and numerous port facilities, the "Kriegsmarine" urgently needed large numbers of coastal guns and anti-aircraft batteries. During a naval conference with Hitler on 28 April 1940, Admiral Erich Raeder proposed halting all work on "Graf Zeppelin", arguing that even if she was commissioned by the end of 1940, final installation of her guns would need another ten months or more (her original fire-control system had been sold to the Soviet Union under an earlier trade agreement). Hitler consented to the stop work order, allowing Raeder to have "Graf Zeppelin"s 15 cm guns removed and transferred to Norway. The carrier's heavy flak armament of twelve 10.5 cm guns had already been diverted elsewhere.