Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940, quickly securing control over Bergen and its vicinity. Two RAF squadrons of Blackburn Skuas flew from RNAS Hatston on Orkney the following day, successfully sinking the German cruiser "Königsberg" in Bergen. This was the first sinking of a major warship in the Second World War by aircraft. Admiral Otto von Schrader was concerned about the lack of German air support in the area. His only option was using Sola Air Station outside Stavanger, which provided insufficient response times.