People also forget that the rest of the Empire and Commonwealth, would also shove troops, equipment towards the UK as well in order to help push the Germans back out of England.
@@potatoman7604 U-boats don't really have much staying power on the surface in a pitch gun battle, the channel is shallow as well and many U-boat captains would never venture into it as it is a deathtrap. Just look what happened to the U-boats that tried to stop D-day. finally U-boats are just poor transports nearly useless to move troops in numbers across the water. They would only be useful to tow the river barges close to shore. U boats are deadly ambushers not really useful in pitch on naval battles in shallow waters, under air attack and naval attack.
@@potatoman7604 The water is shallow, the tides are terrible and the minefields are dense. Plus the British have many, many destroyers, and Uboats are terrible against high speed targets.
Just to detail the commonwealth units in Britain in Sept 1940. The FIRST Canadian infantry Division (the full strength division that you mention) stationed south of London around the Crawley area in West Sussex, the 2nd Canadian division at the time was a skeletal force whose poorly equipped subordinate units only started to arrive in Britain in late august 1940 and was in no condition for combat. Then there was the "2nd Australian Imperial Force" which though nominally comprised of 2 brigades (the 18th & 35th) actually only had the combined strength of a single 8000 man Brigade stationed outside Basingstoke, and finally the "2nd New Zealand Expeditionary force" a grand sounding title that hide the fact that it was comprised of solely the NZ 2nd infantry division which was infact an single understregth 6000 man infantry Brigade (29th NZ independent Brigade). Its single understrength brigade was bolstered by the addition of the BRITISH 1st motor machine gun brigade and was stationed near to Maidstone in Kent. By the time of the expected invasion in Sept 1940 the British army was fielding 2 British Armoured divisions 2 British Armoured tank brigades 15 British infantry divisions (full strength) 7 British infantry divisions (under strength). 7 British infantry Brigades 2 British motor machine gun Brigades 1 Canadian infantry division (full strength) (plus some small under equipped subordinate units of a 2nd division) 2 Australian infantry brigades (BOTH under strength) 1 NZ infantry division (actually an understrength infantry Brigade but with an attached British motor machine gun brigade)
Slight correction to your video, you stated that the British Expeditionary Force when retreating from France lost most of their equipment. Incorrect, the BEF lost their HEAVY equipment, most of the soldiers still had the issued weapons that would have been used against any intruder.
Interesting video, and very well researched as always in your videos. A gigantic task no doubt. Impossible? Well, everything looks very difficult until it is done. And then, everybody will say that it was easy. Who would say that France would fall so easily by then? How many now joke what a paper tiger France was? This is the irony of deterministic history: all is sooo obvious...afterwards... I rest my case
I think that if the germans had a decent force of landing crafts capable of landing tanks/trucks and torpedo bombers they could have pulled it off. Not planning is planning to fail.
These torpedo bombers would also need radar, and to operate at night, because thats when the RN will be coming out to destroy the resupply effort. Similarly, just landing tanks isnt enough - you also need to land the fuel and ammo for them. But the big problem is landing the horses, and horse fodder, that are dragging the German artillery.
@Mr. Kelowna Probably not worth posting this so late, but two questions come to mind, especially since replying to 'Would have/could have' Sealion fans is always amusing. 1. Why were they not able to do that at Dunkirk? Possibly because they had neither any training in anti-shipping operations, nor even any front-line torpedo bombers, perhaps? 2. Have you the slightest idea exactly how large the Royal Navy of 1940 really was?
@@ianwhitchurch864 The Luftwaffe didn't have any front line torpedo aircraft in 1940, only a handful of seaplanes, about 20 or so, based in Norway and used to attack unarmed merchantmen, even then with very limited success. Nor did they have any tank landing craft. Indeed, they had no landing craft of any sort.
@Mr. Kelowna Well, they hadn't figured it out at Dunkirk, and in the whole of the war they never managed to sink any British warship larger than a light cruiser. They didn't even have operational front line torpedo bombers until 1942. So, frankly, no I don't think they could have, although in fact they really did want to.
@Mr. Kelowna Also, while the Luftwaffe is trying to figure out anti surface warfare on the fly, they aren't attacking British airfields, supporting the invasion or doing any of the other things they need to be doing.
Sürprise!
SovietWomble reference missing? I swear I see his avatar in at least one in two of your videos though that could be a coincidence
Just a short question: Why couldn't the german U boat fleet asist the operation in the channel?
People also forget that the rest of the Empire and Commonwealth, would also shove troops, equipment towards the UK as well in order to help push the Germans back out of England.
@@potatoman7604 U-boats don't really have much staying power on the surface in a pitch gun battle, the channel is shallow as well and many U-boat captains would never venture into it as it is a deathtrap. Just look what happened to the U-boats that tried to stop D-day.
finally U-boats are just poor transports nearly useless to move troops in numbers across the water. They would only be useful to tow the river barges close to shore. U boats are deadly ambushers not really useful in pitch on naval battles in shallow waters, under air attack and naval attack.
@@potatoman7604 The water is shallow, the tides are terrible and the minefields are dense. Plus the British have many, many destroyers, and Uboats are terrible against high speed targets.
Good point you made: real history was not a sim game.
MILITARY HISTORY VISUALISED! OH MY GODDDDDDDD
Just to detail the commonwealth units in Britain in Sept 1940. The FIRST Canadian infantry Division (the full strength division that you mention) stationed south of London around the Crawley area in West Sussex, the 2nd Canadian division at the time was a skeletal force whose poorly equipped subordinate units only started to arrive in Britain in late august 1940 and was in no condition for combat. Then there was the "2nd Australian Imperial Force" which though nominally comprised of 2 brigades (the 18th & 35th) actually only had the combined strength of a single 8000 man Brigade stationed outside Basingstoke, and finally the "2nd New Zealand Expeditionary force" a grand sounding title that hide the fact that it was comprised of solely the NZ 2nd infantry division which was infact an single understregth 6000 man infantry Brigade (29th NZ independent Brigade). Its single understrength brigade was bolstered by the addition of the BRITISH 1st motor machine gun brigade and was stationed near to Maidstone in Kent.
By the time of the expected invasion in Sept 1940 the British army was fielding
2 British Armoured divisions
2 British Armoured tank brigades
15 British infantry divisions (full strength)
7 British infantry divisions (under strength).
7 British infantry Brigades
2 British motor machine gun Brigades
1 Canadian infantry division (full strength) (plus some small under equipped subordinate units of a 2nd division)
2 Australian infantry brigades (BOTH under strength)
1 NZ infantry division (actually an understrength infantry Brigade but with an attached British motor machine gun brigade)
Slight correction to your video, you stated that the British Expeditionary Force when retreating from France lost most of their equipment. Incorrect, the BEF lost their HEAVY equipment, most of the soldiers still had the issued weapons that would have been used against any intruder.
Aside from 3rd Div destined fro 2nd BEF you also had the Canadian Division, and the 52nd Division which were at full strength.
Thanks- IMO a fascinating and excellent review of the issue.👍
great job!
Interesting video, and very well researched as always in your videos. A gigantic task no doubt. Impossible? Well, everything looks very difficult until it is done. And then, everybody will say that it was easy.
Who would say that France would fall so easily by then? How many now joke what a paper tiger France was?
This is the irony of deterministic history: all is sooo obvious...afterwards...
I rest my case
I think that if the germans had a decent force of landing crafts capable of landing tanks/trucks and torpedo bombers they could have pulled it off. Not planning is planning to fail.
These torpedo bombers would also need radar, and to operate at night, because thats when the RN will be coming out to destroy the resupply effort. Similarly, just landing tanks isnt enough - you also need to land the fuel and ammo for them. But the big problem is landing the horses, and horse fodder, that are dragging the German artillery.
@Mr. Kelowna Probably not worth posting this so late, but two questions come to mind, especially since replying to 'Would have/could have' Sealion fans is always amusing.
1. Why were they not able to do that at Dunkirk? Possibly because they had neither any training in anti-shipping operations, nor even any front-line torpedo bombers, perhaps?
2. Have you the slightest idea exactly how large the Royal Navy of 1940 really was?
@@ianwhitchurch864 The Luftwaffe didn't have any front line torpedo aircraft in 1940, only a handful of seaplanes, about 20 or so, based in Norway and used to attack unarmed merchantmen, even then with very limited success. Nor did they have any tank landing craft. Indeed, they had no landing craft of any sort.
@Mr. Kelowna Well, they hadn't figured it out at Dunkirk, and in the whole of the war they never managed to sink any British warship larger than a light cruiser. They didn't even have operational front line torpedo bombers until 1942.
So, frankly, no I don't think they could have, although in fact they really did want to.
@Mr. Kelowna Also, while the Luftwaffe is trying to figure out anti surface warfare on the fly, they aren't attacking British airfields, supporting the invasion or doing any of the other things they need to be doing.