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Got a new book today called Operation Sea Lion by Peter Schenk. The book focuses more on the logistics of the preparations.

Removed from merchant trade were 174 ships , ideally these were capable of 12 knots these had to be converted and degaussed and armed with various weapons flak from the army and other guns from the army

Each needed a german merchant crew plus a complement of 15 men to run winches which were german dockers

200 fishing vessels and 100 auxiliary sailing coasters were taken up

Tugs were taken up 100 German ocean going tugs , 20 Rhine tugs , 140 captured inland and ocean tugs plus 140 trawlers as improvised tugs

15 ships were converted to hospital ships


so the Sea Lion prep took 2318 barges approximately 860 from Germany , 1200 from Netherlands and Belgium and 350 from la Seine . Barges had a crew of 3-4 men

These were strengthened and ramps were built so a considerable expenditure of wood , metal and concrete

a paper submitted to Fuhrer conference 26 July estimated conversion of transports would need 30 000 tons of iron and steel , 40 000 cubic metres of lumber and 75000 cubic metres of concrete

the use of all inland shipyards for 4 weeks , use of all workshops in german dockyards for 4 weeks having priority over submarine construction , full production of Germany's cable industry for 3 weeks , all harbour construction projects postponed by 4 weeks

The completion of Tirpitz was delayed as was fitting out of the raider Kormoran

movement of materials will require a great deal of transport supervised by Toft organisation and will have serious implications on armament industry, trade , transport, and private industry of the Reich.

213 000 life jackets were produced

Barge crews were conscripted but their families had to be re homed by social services .

invasion fleet was estimated to need 14700 men as crew . As part of effort To achieve this 8844 Un called up naval reservists were called up all in strategic industries with exemption certificates Schlesien was laid up and it's crew used and crews of Schleswig-Holstein, Emden and Tanneburg reduced to bare bones . Crew of Lutzow was also used ,

According to the book the bulk of these were kept at the channel ports until 1942 as a paper tiger the concrete used to strengthen them was tricky to remove and had to be done in inland shipyards

When Sea lion went into hibernation in September 1940 98 Dutch fishing vessels, 65 tugs , 24 motor coasters and 60 troop transports were retained on channel coast


So if all this time , effort and resources had not been used if Sea lion had not existed what would the impact have been on German war effort and economy.
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