When Germany invaded Denmark on 9 April 1940, the German Luftwaffe (Air Force) launched one of the first airborne operations in history, in which paratroopers captured the airport. Aalborg Lufthavn was considered a crucial element in the ferrying of troops and equipment from Germany to Norway as it acted as a refuelling base for Luftwaffe transport planes, especially &lt;a href="Junkers%20Ju%2052/3m"&gt;Junkers Ju 52/3m&lt;/a&gt;, during the campaign.