A fairly interesting read. Like others I'm skeptical the submersable seaplane tender would work. Alternately consider this: Rather than attack the UK directly, the Sea Lion plan, use the German Air Force in close coordination with the navy to blockade. Specifically

1. Create a larger air reconisance force than the single KG 200 historically provided.

2. Assign at least 300 bombers to attacking Brit cargo ships in the western approaches (south of Ireland), the Irish sea, and as far into the Atlantic as practical. Two secondary air groups would fly from Norway and Holland to interdict cargo ships along the east coast of the UK.

3. Another air group would specialize in attacking ports.

4. A fourth group would be responsible for diversionary attacks on British industry in a effort to draw RAF defenses away from the ports and coastal attacks.

5. Crash programs to provide air dropped mines and torpedos.

6. Provision of auxillary (bomb bay) fuel tanks to increase range of the bombers.

7. Development programs for navigation and search aids for the long range interdiction aircraft.

Historically one KG of the Condor aircraft and two other KG using shorter ranged He 115, He 111, Do 17, eventually Ju 88 were able to sink a fair number of British cargo ships in 1940-41. From July 1940 though April 1941 these KG usually with barely 100 operational aircraft were able to account for 10% to 15% of all British ships sunk in those months. How much more damage could have been accomplished had Hitler firmly enforced cooperation between the air and naval forces?

I'm not expecting a instant result with this, It would be the spring of 1941 before serious effects result, and I think it would take until the autum before any decisive result could be had.

A few questions:

A. I've seen remarks about auxillary fuel tanks for the bombers. anyone have a refrence for when these were available & ow they affected preformance?

B. Air droppable mines and torpedos wer not available in 1940, correct? What were the techincal problems, and when were they fianlly resiolved?

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