quote:

Originally posted by John Steed:
I don't think it can be overstated how narrow the margin was in 1940.

quote:

Originally posted by Hound Dog:

quote:

Originally posted by John Steed:
I don't think it can be overstated how narrow the margin was in 1940.

I don't know. I don't think the margin was that narrow.

Of COURSE, the Brits performed splendidly; one can't help but be inspired by their resolve and resiliency. However, I think Churchill kind of over-hyped the danger to England.

The planning and material prep for our invasion of Normandy in 1944 was MASSIVE. Thousands of specialized landing craft were built; hundreds of specialized ships, massive shore bombardment from one of the most massive concentrations of naval power the world had ever seen up to that point, the combined efforts of 3 major countries (UK, US, Canada) and many minor ones (French, Polish, Aussie, New Zealand, etc), and practically undisputed command of the air over the beachhead (only 2 Luftwaffe planes appeared on D-Day - they made one strafing pass and got out of Dodge). . .

The Germans had NONE of that. They were collecting river barges and anything that floated to carry troops across the channel) - they did not built specialized landing/assault craft. They had NO naval bombardment force to speak of. They had, in the Fall of 1940, 2 Battleships and a handful of cruisers (Bismarck wasn't complete yet, Tirpitz not even close; they only had Scharnhorst and Gneisenau). This was NOTHING compared to the huge combined US/UK fleet with over a dozen battleships and countless Cruisers and Destroyers all pounding the beach and vicinity. The Royal Navy was still the prominent naval force in the hemisphere, and they would have intervened on any German landing attempt. They may have suffered losses from the German air power, but they would never had stood by idle while their home island was under invasion. And they would have decimated the German landing force with even a fraction of their surface force.

The German Luftwaffe was never as big or competent as the US 8th Air Force (not to mention the combined US/RAF forces we had available at Normandy), and the Brits would have put up a stiff fight. Only 20% of England was in range of German fighters (the Me-109 had notoriously short range), and the Brits would have been able to save a 'strategic reserve' of aircraft to challenge the invasion. The Germans would have had to fight for air superiority over the invasion beach, and the Brits would have made them pay. The Battle of Britain never 'broke' the RAF; they may have come close, but the RAF still had a LOT of good planes and pilots at the end.

I don't know about the fighting once the Germans would have made land fall. The Brits, of course, would have fought to the death. Considering how hard it was for us to secure Normandy (it was far from a 'sure thing' - so much so that Ike wrote a second speech apologizing for the failure of allied forces to secure a footing and being forced to withdraw), I don't think it would have been a guarantee for the Germans (and their successes on the continent were heavily dependent upon armor - something that would NOT have been available to them until they secured a port city and could ship in heavy weapons) (we couldn't even effectively employ armor at D-Day until we could secure the beachhead and bring in large ships).

Churchill, however, knew the UK was in a tight spot, and I think he exaggerated the threat a bit in order to secure US support and material aid. I have nothing but respect for the Brits during "The Battle of Britain," (and after) and it's extremely inspiring to see stories like this where 'plain everyday folk' came together to get things done.