wiking said:
Remember too that it took the USAAF and RAF 3 years with their massive production, training, numerical, supply, and later technological superiority to achieve daylight superiority over Germany and even this only with German distracted by a multifront ground and air war.
That was to achieve superiority over all of Germany for an extended period. What Germany needed was temporary & much more geographically limited.
wiking said:
the attrition war heavily favors the British, not least because of Radar.
In short a daylight air superiority battle is just not winnable for the Luftwaffe,
If the aim is to destroy the RAF, yes. If the aim is to achieve temporary local superiority, no.
wiking said:
nor is Sea Lion remotely potentially successful.
Michele said:
Sorry, this has been discussed to utter boredom. I'm not going to rehash it again here. I think you know where you can find the information.
You seem to believe I'm saying it would succeed. I never suggested otherwise than failure. I merely mean, given
Seelöwe is to actually be carried out (leaving off it's
prima facie lunatic

), destruction of the RAF proper is unnecessary.
King Augeas said:
Necessary to execute the notional invasion--given anybody is actually nutty enough to try it.
Michele said:
This hits the usual limitations. "Intensive", you say. This has to be daylight operations
Does it? Following bombers back was impossible? Marking them on a map so the intruders can find them again is impossible?
Michele said:
From those safe bases, the British bombers can thus take off every night and head for their own targets. Unlike air bases, their targets are easy to find even at night, and close-packed (they are the ports of departure and the beachheads). Remember that without even dedicating an all-out effort to that, Bomber and Coastal Command sank or damaged around 12% of the German flotilla in its own ports.
Which is about the probable failure of
Seelöwe, & AFAIK, that's not in doubt.
What I was talking about was an effort to interfere with Britain bombing the hell out of German cities, not preventing attacks on the notional invasion beaches...