Operation Sea Lion, also written as Operation Sealion (German: Unternehmen Seelöwe), was Nazi Germany 's code name for the plan for an invasion of the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force, the Luftwaffe. It has been described as the first major military campaign fought entirely by air forces. The Britis…
What was Operation Sea Lion and why was it important?
Operation Sea Lion was the code name given for the German invasion plan of Britain. Hitler had hoped that with the fall of France, Britain would be eager for a compromise with Germany, allowing him to turn east to settle scores with Russia.
What was Operation Sealion?
Operation Sea Lion, also written as Operation Sealion [2] [3] ( German: Unternehmen Seelöwe ), was Nazi Germany 's code name for the plan for an invasion of the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain in the Second World War.
What happened to Hitler after Operation Sea Lion?
Turning his attention eastward to the Soviet Union and planning for Operation Barbarossa, Hitler never returned to the invasion of Britain and the invasion barges were ultimately dispersed. In the years after the war, many officers and historians have debated whether Operation Sea Lion could have succeeded.
When was Operation Sea Lion edition printed?
This 'Operation Sea Lion Edition' was finalised and printed in the summer of 1940. Once the invasion was called off by Adolf Hitler most copies were distributed to English speaking POW camps. Original copies are very rare and highly sought after by serious book collectors interested in military history.
When did Operation Sea Lion start and end?
Operation Sea Lion was the German plan for the invasion of Britain in World War II (1939-1945) and was planned for sometime in late 1940, after the Fall of France.
What was the result of Operation Sea Lion and why is it significant?
What was a result of Operation Sea Lion? Hitler gave up his plan to invade Britain. Why did Germany invade the Soviet Union?
Where did Operation Sea Lion take place?
NormandyIsle of WightEnglish ChannelDevonDorsetKentOperation Sea Lion/Locations
Why was Operation Sea Lion A failure quizlet?
Why was Operation Sea Lion a failure? The German air force was unable to defeat the British air force. What was one result of Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union? Churchill and Stalin became allies.
When was Operation Sea Lion started?
September 1940Operation Sea Lion / Start date
What if Germany defeated Britain?
If Germany had been victorious in the Battle of Britain, there would have been little reason for the US to get involved in the European arena. Without a Churchill government, there would have been no call to President Roosevelt after Pearl Harbor.
What was the significance of the Battle of Britain?
Britain's victory in the Battle of Britain demonstrated the courage and resilience of the country's military and its people and allowed them to remain free from Nazi occupation. It also enabled the Americans to establish a base of operations in England to invade Normandy on D-Day in 1944.
What were the consequences of the German blitz of London?
Impact and legacy In the eight months of attacks, some 43,000 civilians were killed. This amounted to nearly half of Britain's total civilian deaths for the whole war. One of every six Londoners was made homeless at some point during the Blitz, and at least 1.1 million houses and flats were damaged or destroyed.
Who won the Operation Barbarossa?
Operation BarbarossaDate22 June 1941 – 7 January 1942 (6 months, 2 weeks and 2 days)LocationCentral Europe Northeast Europe Eastern Europe Mainly the Soviet UnionResultAxis failure Opening of the Eastern Front Axis failure to reach the A-A line Beginning of Soviet Winter counter-offensive
When was Operation Sea Lion?
Operation Sea Lion was the German plan for the invasion of Britain in World War II (1939-1945) and was planned for sometime in late 1940, after the Fall of France.
Why was Operation Sea Lion postponed?
Defeated, the Luftwaffe took heavy losses. Summoning Göring and von Rundstedt on September 17, Hitler indefinitely postponed Operation Sea Lion citing the Luftwaffe's failure to obtain air superiority and a general lack of coordination between the branches of the German military.
Why did Hitler postpone Operation Sea Lion?
Summoning Göring and von Rundstedt on September 17, Hitler indefinitely postponed Operation Sea Lion citing the Luftwaffe's failure to obtain air superiority and a general lack of coordination between the branches of the German military.
How many barges did the Kriegsmarine gather?
To remedy this situation, the Kriegsmarine gathered around 2,400 barges from around Europe. Though a large number, they were still insufficient for the invasion and could only be used in relatively calm seas.
What did Göring argue about the cross channel effort?
Göring continued to argue that such a cross-channel effort could only be made as "final act of an already victorious war against Britain.". Despite these misgivings, in the summer of 1940, shortly after Germany's stunning conquest of France, Adolf Hitler turned his attention to the possibility of an invasion of Britain.
When did Hitler push the Sea Lion back?
As this would remove the political threat of the operation, Hitler refused this request but agreed to push Sea Lion back until September 16. In the early stages, the invasion plan for Sea Lion called for landings on a 200-mile front ...
What was Rundstedt's command?
Composed of the 9th and 16th Armies, von Rundstedt's command would cross the Channel and establish a front from the Thames Estuary to Portsmouth. Pausing, they would build up their forces before conducting a pincer attack against London. This taken, German forces would advance north to around the 52nd parallel.
When was Operation Sea Lion?
Operation Sea Lion, the invasion of Britain, was set for Sept. 16, 1940.
What were the conditions for Operation Real Lion?
With Great Britain declining the Führer’s proposal regarding peace talks, and a variety of burgeoning strategies at his disposal to advance, Hitler agreed to move forward with Operation real Lion under four conditions . First, the Royal Air Force had to be eliminated, as German military planners had already suggested as a requirement in 1939.
How many barges did Raeder collect?
He had no purpose-built landing craft to complete his part of the strategy. The Kriegsmarine collected around 2,400 barges from across the continent, but this was still too few — and they could only be used in calm seas.
Why was the Kriegsmarine canceled?
The reason this plan was canceled was largely lack of preparation, and failure to establish the conditions necessary to succeed.
What was Germany's desperation to invade Great Britain?
Nazi Germany’s desperation to invade Great Britain was explored in a variety of ways during World War II. Some high-ranking members of Germany’s senior military leadership called for landings on British shores. Others pushed for blockades that would cripple the English economy.
What was the final decision of the war?
The final decision, however, was to engage in a seaborne invasion to capture various ports along the English Channel, and then force Britain to surrender. According to ThoughtCo, the strategy was to commence shortly after the Fall of France in late 1940. It was called, quite aptly, Operation Sea Lion. Commander of the Kriegsmarine Grand Admiral ...
Who lobbied against a seaborne invasion?
Commander of the Kriegsmarine Grand Admiral Erich Raeder and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring of the Luftwaffe both sternly lobbied against a seaborne invasion. Forcing Britain to endure exhaustive economic hardship through blockades would be a safer, more effective approach, in their minds.
Background
Adolf Hitler had decided by early November 1939 on forcing a decision in the West by invading Belgium, the Netherlands and France.
Air power
Beginning in August 1940, the German Luftwaffe began a series of concentrated aerial attacks (designated Unternehmen Adlerangriff or Operation Eagle Attack) on targets throughout the United Kingdom in an attempt to destroy the RAF and establish air superiority over Great Britain. The campaign later became known as the Battle of Britain.
Navy
The most daunting problem for Germany in protecting an invasion fleet was the small size of its navy. The Kriegsmarine, already numerically far inferior to Britain's Royal Navy, had lost a sizeable portion of its large modern surface units in April 1940 during the Norwegian Campaign, either as complete losses or due to battle damage.
Army
Providing armour support for the initial wave of assault troops was a critical concern for Sea Lion planners and much effort was devoted to finding practical ways of rapidly getting tanks onto the invasion beaches.
Broad versus narrow front
The German Army High Command ( Oberkommando des Heeres, OKH) originally planned an invasion on a vast scale, landing over forty divisions from Dorset to Kent.
See also
Alien space bats – a discussion how Operation Sea Lion relates to the plausibility of alternate histories
Why was the Sealion fleet dispersed?
On the 14th of September, Hitler pushed the invasion date back to the 27th, the last day of suitable tides. On the 17th, Sealion was postponed indefinitely, and on the 19th of September, the fleet was dispersed so as to avoid being a target for enemy bombers.
What was Hitler's plan for the invasion of England?
On 16th July 1940, Hitler signed Führer Directive No. 16. This gave the go-ahead for the invasion of England, a plan titled Operation Sealion. After making one last bid for peace on 19th July, he pushed ahead with the plan.
What did Hitler order the Luftwaffe to do?
17 on the 1st of August, ordering the Luftwaffe, the German air force, to dedicate itself to the swift destruction of the Royal Air Force.
How many aircraft did the Luftwaffe send to bomb Britain?
Upping the ante of their ongoing bombing campaign, from the 8th August the Luftwaffe sent up 1,500 aircraft over Britain each day to bomb radar stations and airfields. The Battle of Britain had begun.
What was the only country in Western Europe to successfully stand against the Nazis during World War 2?
Great Britain ’s success in holding out against Nazi Germany has become the stuff of national legend. The only country in Western Europe to successfully stand against the Nazis throughout World War Two, it was kept safe by the English Channel, thanks to which only the Channel Islands were invaded by Hitler’s troops.
Why did the Germans need air superiority?
Without it, British fighter pilots and their allies who had fled occupied countries such as France and Poland would be able to attack the incoming bombers. Fighting over their own territory, the British would be able to turn their craft around faster and keep the German planes under constant attack, preventing tactical bombing runs.
Was Operation Sealion ever launched?
By the time weather improved in the spring, Hitler’s attention had turned east to fighting Russia. Operation Sealion would never be launched. Britain had been saved.
What was Operation Sealion?
Operation Sealion was the code name for Nazi Germany ’s planned invasion of Britain. It was supposed to take place in September 1940 and, had it been successful, would have completed Adolf Hitler ’s domination of western Europe. In the preceding months, the German Army had already swept across much of the continent.
What were the three aspects of the German invasion plan?
There were three aspects to the German invasion plan: the battle in the air, the battle at sea, and the amphibious assault on the British beaches.
Why did the plan fail?
In the end these arguments were neither here nor there, because Germany failed to achieve any of their prerequisites for invasion. Despite Goering’s boasts, the Luftwaffe never managed to achieve command of the air. Against the might of the Royal Navy, winning command of the sea even for a short time also began to seem like a pipe dream. On 17 September, with the weather in the Channel becoming much more unpredictable, Hitler finally decided to postpone the invasion – indefinitely.
What did Admiral Raeder argue about the Channel?
Grand Admiral Raeder scoffed at such a notion, arguing that the only way to get across the Channel safely was to concentrate their forces on a much narrower front between Eastbourne and Folkestone. Halder argued back that concentrating all his men on just a few beaches, like Raeder wanted, would be “complete suicide”.
What was the second prerequisite for an invasion?
The second prerequisite for an invasion was command of the sea. For the Germans this seemed like a far more daunting challenge. Though the Kriegsmarine had dozens of U-boats at its disposal, most of its big surface ships had already been sunk, damaged or worn out in the Norway campaign earlier in the year.
When did Hitler postpone the invasion of Britain?
On 17 September, with the weather in the Channel becoming much more unpredictable, Hitler finally decided to postpone the invasion – indefinitely. A map detailing Operation Sealion, the proposed invasion of Britain by the Nazis. On 17 September, Hitler decided to postpone the invasion. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)
Who said his planes could smash the RAF?
A British aircrew ‘scrambles’, c1940. Hermann Goering famously boasted that his Luftwaffe planes could smash the RAF within just a few weeks. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
What was the first condition for the launch of Sealion?
The first condition for the launch of Sealion was the most important, and therefore plans for what became known as the Battle of Britain were advanced quickly. Initially, the Germans targeted strategic naval and RAF targets to bring the British military to its knees, but after the 13th August the emphasis switched to bombing the cities, particularly London, in a bid to scare the British into surrender.
When did the preparations for Sealion begin?
Planning begins. Preparations for Sealion began on 30 June, once the French had been forced to sign an armistice in the same railway carriage where the German High Command had been forced to surrender in 1918. Hitler’s real wish was that Britain would see its hopeless position and come to terms.
What was Hitler's hope for the invasion of France?
Hitler’s most optimistic hope was that air superiority and the bombing of British cities would encourage surrender without the need for a full invasion.
What was Hitler's real wish for the Sealion?
Hitler’s real wish was that Britain would see its hopeless position and come to terms.
Where von Moltke's troops had been stopped von Runstedt's tanks rolled on?
Where von Moltke’s troops had been stopped von Runstedt’s tanks rolled on remorselessly, carving through British and French defences and forcing the demoralised British survivors onto the northern beaches, hoping for an escape route. For Hitler it had been an astounding success, even more complete, swift and impressive than ...
Which coastal zone was covered by heavy artillery?
The coastal zone between Calais and Dover had to be covered and dominated by heavy artillery
Did Hitler say Sealion would not work?
As a result of all this, Hitler eventually had to concede by mid-September that Sealion would not work. Though he used the term “postponed” rather than “cancelled” to soften the blow, such an opportunity would never present itself again.
Background
German Planning
- Dubbed Operation Sea Lion, planning moved forward under the guidance of Chief of the General Staff General Fritz Halder. Though Hitler had originally desired to invade on August 16, it was soon realized that this date was unrealistic. Meeting with planners on July 31, Hitler was informed that most desired to postpone the operation until May 1941. A...
The Plan Changes
- Bowing to Raeder's arguments, Hitler agreed to narrow the scope of the invasion on August 13 with the westernmost landings to be made at Worthing. As such, only Army Group A would take part in the initial landings. Composed of the 9th and 16th Armies, von Rundstedt's command would cross the Channel and establish a front from the Thames Estuary to Portsmouth. Pausing…
British Preparations
- Aware of German invasion preparations, the British began defensive planning. Though a large number of men were available, much of the British Army's heavy equipment had been lost during the Dunkirk Evacuation. Appointed Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces in late May, General Sir Edmund Ironside was tasked with overseeing the island's defense. Lacking sufficient mobile for…
Delayed and Cancelled
- On September 3, with British Spitfires and Hurricanes still controlling the skies over southern Britain, Sea Lion was again postponed, first to September 21 and then, eleven days later, to September 27. On September 15, Göring launched massive raids against Britain in an attempt to crush Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding's Fighter Command. Defeated, the Luftwaffe took heavy l…
Sources
- Cruickshank, Dan. “History - World Wars: The German Threat to Britain in World War Two.” BBC, BBC, 21 June 2011
- “Operation Sealion.” History Learning Site
- Dunkirk evacuation, Operation Sealion and the Battle of Britain."The Other Side
Background
- Adolf Hitler had decided by early November 1939 on forcing a decision in the West by invading Belgium, the Netherlands and France. With the prospect of the Channel ports falling under Kriegsmarine (the German Navy) control, and attempting to anticipate the obvious next step that might entail, Grand Admiral (Großadmiral) Erich Raeder (head of the Kriegsmarine) instructed hi…
Air Power
- Battle of Britain
Beginning in August 1940, the German Luftwaffe began a series of concentrated aerial attacks (designated Unternehmen Adlerangriff or Operation Eagle Attack) on targets throughout the United Kingdom in an attempt to destroy the RAF and establish air superiority over Great Britain. … - Limitations of the Luftwaffe
The track record of the Luftwaffe against naval combat vessels up to that point in the war was poor. In the Norwegian Campaign, despite eight weeks of continuous air supremacy, the Luftwaffe sank only two British warships. The German aircrews were not trained or equipped to attack fas…
Navy
- The most daunting problem for Germany in protecting an invasion fleet was the small size of its navy. The Kriegsmarine, already numerically far inferior to Britain's Royal Navy, had lost a sizeable portion of its large modern surface units in April 1940 during the Norwegian Campaign, either as complete losses or due to battle damage. In particular, the loss of two light cruisers and ten des…
Army
- Panzers ashore
Providing armour support for the initial wave of assault troops was a critical concern for Sea Lionplanners and much effort was devoted to finding practical ways of rapidly getting tanks onto the invasion beaches. Though the Type A barges could disembark several medium tanks onto a… - Specialised landing equipment
As part of a Navy competition, prototypes for a prefabricated "heavy landing bridge" or jetty (similar in function to later Allied Mulberry Harbours) were designed and built by Krupp Stahlbau and Dortmunder Union and successfully overwintered in the North Sea in 1941–42. Krupp's desi…
Broad Versus Narrow Front
- The German Army High Command (Oberkommando des Heeres, OKH) originally planned an invasion on a vast scale, landing over forty divisions from Dorset to Kent. This was far in excess of what the Kriegsmarine could supply, and final plans were more modest, calling for nine divisions to make an amphibious landing in Sussex and Kent with around 67,000 men in the firs…
See Also
- Alien space bats – a discussion how Operation Sea Lionrelates to the plausibility of alternate histories
- Auxiliary Units– Planned British resistance movement had a German invasion been successful
- Battle of Crete
- British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
Bibliography
- Ansel, Walter (1960). Hitler Confronts England. Duke University Press.
- Burdick, Charles, Jacobsen, Hans-Adolf. (1988). The Halder War Diary 1939–1942. Navatop Press, California. ISBN 1-85367-022-7
- Corum, James. The Luftwaffe: Creating the Operational Air War, 1918–1940. Kansas University Press. 1997. ISBN 978-0-7006-0836-2
- Ansel, Walter (1960). Hitler Confronts England. Duke University Press.
- Burdick, Charles, Jacobsen, Hans-Adolf. (1988). The Halder War Diary 1939–1942. Navatop Press, California. ISBN 1-85367-022-7
- Corum, James. The Luftwaffe: Creating the Operational Air War, 1918–1940. Kansas University Press. 1997. ISBN 978-0-7006-0836-2
- Cox, Richard (1977). Operation Sea Lion. Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-015-5
External Links
- British Invasion Defences
- Why Sealion is not an option for Hitler to win the war(essay)
- Second Why Operation Sealion Wouldn't Work(essay)
- Sealion: an orthodox view (includes quotes from participants)