If that is from Cox's dramatisation of the game it looks a lot different to the original Telegraph writeup. In that the Germans were spotted at 11pm, codeword Cromwell was issued and the RN directed the Home Fleet South immediately. The invasion fleet was attacked by a Cruiser and Destroyers from the west (Portsmouth) and lighter forces including MTBs from Dover. The RN lost the Cruiser and 2 Destroyers, the Kreigsmarine lost 3 Destroyer, in addition the Germans lost 20 barges sunk and 20 cut adrift (from memory it was either 20 of each or 40 of each, I'm getting old, but I've posted the lower figure). It was estimated that at least half of the barges had difficulties landing and/or landed at the wrong location.
Not quite the "the Germans landed unmolested" that people think.
Only I don't think anyone said un molested, they said with far less forces than were available
However the point is if that was the damage inflicted by the artificially reduced first response, what do we think would happen with a more realistic one.
Someone mentioned that the barges would be spotted as they moved down the coast but at most they were expected to take 5 or 6 hours to go from embarkation ports to the start points and most of that journey would have been done via inland water ways. Again I'm thinking of this from memory.
IIRC they had they had to move them down the coast just while getting the barges into the vicinity (the RAF had run sorties against them) but I agree it make sense to move the barges through an existing canal system if possible. There are other factors though like were are the adaptions to the barges being done.
The embarkation itself would have take far longer than 5-6 hours, let alone leaving the home ports and forming up. Relying on inland water ways (assuming they are available) and setting your embarkation points further back might in theory protect them at that point but it would have slowed everything down further since you would have to wait for them to embark piecemeal, travel to the ports, mass and form up. Then you have the transit time
The annoying thing is with these damn threads is that in general we all agree on the final outcome... Sealion failure, but they just get bogged down in unrealistic assumptions and dredging over the same details over and over again.
Your right and to be frank you claims here that the RN was going to set some trap that involved letting large chunks of 9 German Divs land have also been gone over and debunked many times as well.
The RN has no need to stop the landings, only to prevent resupply, they knew that, they planned to do it that way, and everything I've read from contemporary documents shows that was the case. The war game in 1974 just confirms that.
Please provide a cite for the claim that RN is going to let the invasion fleet land almost unmolested and saw no need to stop the landing.
1). This would be counter to the primary role of the RN.
2) It also ignores the reality that the invasion fleet would be at it's most vulnerable to Britain's most powerful armed force (in operational context) that was most suitable to the task while the invasion fleet was transiting and attempting to land.
4). The corollary of 3, the most dangerous wing of the German armed forces and the one most important for the desired end result of the operation (the army) would be at it's most vulnerable and least able to operate or even resist while transiting and attempting to land .
5). It would require deploying the army/home defence to take out the landed troops, which they would be able to do but it would entail casualties for no good reason.
6). If the Germans troops landed it would more likely to necessitate the British forces sabotaging British facilities like ports than if the invasion fleet is destroyed in the channel, that's a resource cost for no reason.
7). If the Germans land in any numbers you will risk damage being inflicted on the local civilian population, and there will certainly be alarm and dislocation.
The wargame does not confirm your theory either, it was set up that that way give the army something more to game out than scouring the south coast for washed up flotsam, and buying the navy boys drinks. That by coincidence this looks like the RN deliberately holding back doesn't prove your trap theory.
Cheers, that's one I'd read previously but not the one I was looking for... The search continues 😊
It supports the point you disputed, so what quote are you looking for here?