We March Against England (operation Sea Lion, 1940–41)

By (author) Robert Forczyk; By (author) Forczyk Robert
Description
In May 1940 Nazi Germany was master of continental Europe, the only European power still standing was Great Britain – and the all-conquering German armed forces stood poised to cross the Channel. Following the destruction of the RAF fighter forces, the sweeping of the Channel of mines, and the wearing down of the Royal Naval defenders, two German army groups were set to storm the beaches of southern England. Despite near-constant British fears from August to October, the invasion never took place after first being postponed to spring 1941 before finally being abandoned entirely. Robert Forcyzk, author of Where the Iron Crosses Grow, looks beyond the traditional British account of Operation Sea Lion, complete with plucky Home Guards and courageous Spitfire pilots, at the real scale of German ambition, plans and capabilities. He examines, in depth, how Operation Sea Lion fitted in with German air-sea actions around the British Isles as he shows exactly what stopped Hitler from invading Britain.
Table of contents
Introduction Chapter 1: Strategic Setting, June–July 1940 Chapter 2: Improvising an Invasion Force Chapter 3: Diplomacy, Espionage and Intelligence Chapter 4: Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe Capabilities Against England, 1940–41 Chapter 5: Countdown to Sea Lion Chapter 6: British Anti-invasion Capabilities, 1940–41 Chapter 7: Feasibility of S-Tag, 25 September 1940 Chapter 8: The Isle of Wight Gambit Chapter 9: Siege Operations against Great Britain, October 1940–May 1941 Chapter 10: Sea Lion Redux, May 1941 Chapter 11: Hidden Benefits of Sea Lion: Germany Gains an Amphibious Capability for other Theatres Chapter 12: The Reckoning Glossary Appendices Notes Bibliography Index
Biographical note
Robert Forczyk has a PhD in International Relations and National Security from the University of Maryland and is a specialist in European and Asian military history. He retired as a lieutenant colonel from the US Army Reserves having served 20 years as an armour officer in the US 2nd and 4th Infantry Divisions and as an intelligence officer in the 29th Infantry Division (Light). He is the author of 26 other books, ranging from warfare in the French Revolutionary period to the Second World War. He regularly uses the captured German records at the National Archives and Research Administration (NARA) in Maryland to seek new insights into German operations in the Second World War, including Operation Sea Lion.
Promotional headline
We March Against England tells the thrilling tale of Operation Sea Lion, Hitler''s plan to invade Britain and end its involvement in World War II. This in-depth examination of the German plan for invasion will shed new light on the greatest threat to the British Isles in over 100 years.
Feature
Operation Sea Lion is one of the most famous ''what ifs'' of World War II.
Feature
Robert Forczyk''s study will focus on key aspects of the campaign that have been hitherto overlooked; he will approach it as part of an integrated German operational plan, just as he did with air-sea-ground actions in the Crimea in Where the Iron Crosses Grow.
Feature
There is a huge body of fiction based in an alternate history where Operation Sea Lion was successfully carried out, and it is a popular scenario for wargamers.