'Elch' was the German movement of reinforcements to Norway at a time when Adolf Hitler was convinced that this country, currently held by Generaloberst Nikolaus von Falkenhorst’s Armee 'Norwegen', was a decisive point in Allied (especially British) strategic plans for the prosecution of the war against Germany (7 April/May 1942).

The German leader’s fixation was also reflected in his insistence that 'Cerberus' be implemented as a means of bolstering German naval strength in this theatre even though it meant foregoing the possibility of further commerce-raiding into the Atlantic Ocean by the battle-cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen currently berthed at Brest.