Why Operation Sealion could not have been performed successfullly by the Third Reich

I was talking with my brother last night and he reminded me of this 'best-case' scenario we worked out. Even i is pretty much a pipe dream though.

Somehow the German's discover that Engima has been compromised. So like the USN at Midway a trap is set. RN Intelligence gets word from Engima that the invasion fleet is going to sail. The RN puts major units (capitol ships and cruisers) into the Channel to stop them. But the loaded barges only go out a few miles and turn around. The Luftwaffe now tries to wipe out the RN in the Channel, hoping to cripple enough ships to allow the real convoy's through.

Two big problems though. The first is that, as I've already mentioned, is that the Luftwaffe just isn't that good against ships. Damage is going to be a lot less than hoped. The second is that, with major units in the Channel, the RAF will put every fighter available over them. Losses on both sides are going to be heavy and most pilots/crews lost aren't going to be recovered. For the RAF the loss of the pilots will be far greater than the loss of the aircraft. This might end with a different Battle of Britain but won't help Sealion much.
 
I was talking with my brother last night and he reminded me of this 'best-case' scenario we worked out. Even i is pretty much a pipe dream though.

Somehow the German's discover that Engima has been compromised. So like the USN at Midway a trap is set. RN Intelligence gets word from Engima that the invasion fleet is going to sail. The RN puts major units (capitol ships and cruisers) into the Channel to stop them. But the loaded barges only go out a few miles and turn around. The Luftwaffe now tries to wipe out the RN in the Channel, hoping to cripple enough ships to allow the real convoy's through.

Two big problems though. The first is that, as I've already mentioned, is that the Luftwaffe just isn't that good against ships. Damage is going to be a lot less than hoped. The second is that, with major units in the Channel, the RAF will put every fighter available over them. Losses on both sides are going to be heavy and most pilots/crews lost aren't going to be recovered. For the RAF the loss of the pilots will be far greater than the loss of the aircraft. This might end with a different Battle of Britain but won't help Sealion much.

If the Royal Navy is coming from Scapa, it would be better to try this trap with mines and u-boats deployed en masse everywhere. Of course, throw in the Luftwaffe too, but I agree they wouldn't achieve anywhere near as much potentially

IMVHO of course

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
Even the initial landing for the Germans would have been hard to pull off. Assuming they do manage a sneak attack though as so many n00bs imagine they could- they aren't going to be getting any supplies...
 
If the Royal Navy is coming from Scapa, it would be better to try this trap with mines and u-boats deployed en masse everywhere. Of course, throw in the Luftwaffe too, but I agree they wouldn't achieve anywhere near as much potentially

IMVHO of course

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

The RN would be sending every destroyer and ASW boat/plane they can find...

Why do you think I put an alternate name for the invasion as Operation Canopener :p
 

bard32

Banned
If the Royal Navy is coming from Scapa, it would be better to try this trap with mines and u-boats deployed en masse everywhere. Of course, throw in the Luftwaffe too, but I agree they wouldn't achieve anywhere near as much potentially

IMVHO of course

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

Would this work? Given the fact that the Germans were hardly a naval power.
They didn't even have an aircraft carrier. All they had were a predreadnaught,
the Bismarck, the Scharnhorst, the Gneissenau, and the Tirpitz. The Tirpitz
was sunk by the British RAF using a Tall Boy bomb. Scharnhorst was sunk off
North Cape, Norway, early in the morning of December 26, 1943, by the HMS Duke of York and the other escorts of an empty convoy. The number of which, I forget. It was HX-something. The Bismarck, was sunk by Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers from British aircraft carriers. The sinking of the
Bismarck, like Pearl Harbor seven months later, spelled the end of the battleship. Bismarck, BTW, was in the company of Prinz Eugen, when she was attacked. Ironically, the crew of the Bismarck had trained to fight the
HMS Hood. When Hood was sunk, the crew of the Bismarck was surprised.
There were only two survivors. I forget how many there were from the Scharnhorst over two years earlier.
 
Would this work? Given the fact that the Germans were hardly a naval power.
They didn't even have an aircraft carrier. All they had were a predreadnaught,
the Bismarck, the Scharnhorst, the Gneissenau, and the Tirpitz. The Tirpitz
was sunk by the British RAF using a Tall Boy bomb. Scharnhorst was sunk off
North Cape, Norway, early in the morning of December 26, 1943, by the HMS Duke of York and the other escorts of an empty convoy. The number of which, I forget. It was HX-something. The Bismarck, was sunk by Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers from British aircraft carriers. The sinking of the
Bismarck, like Pearl Harbor seven months later, spelled the end of the battleship. Bismarck, BTW, was in the company of Prinz Eugen, when she was attacked. Ironically, the crew of the Bismarck had trained to fight the
HMS Hood. When Hood was sunk, the crew of the Bismarck was surprised.
There were only two survivors. I forget how many there were from the Scharnhorst over two years earlier.

The Swordfish only disabled the steering gear. HMS King George V and HMS Rodney closed for the kill in the surface action. Of course, there is some controversy over who actually sank the Bismarck in the surface action though.
 
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