"The German Paratroops jumped at dawn, as they had done in Holland, in Belgium, in Norway. But this time there were more of them. Nearly 8000 Fallschirmjager of the 7th Fliegerdivision, carried by a stream of 600 Junkers 52 transports.

The time was 6 o'clock on the morning of September 22nd 1940, just a few minutes after the official sunrise on a grey cloudy, windless day.

Below the long lines of aircraft the unwontedly calm sea was dark with the countless barges and motorboats of the invasion fleet. By breakfast time close on 90,000 troops were successfully ashore on the beaches between Folkestone and Seaford. Operation Sealion had begun."

Excerpt from Sealion by Richard Cox.

The German invasion of Britain in 1940 never happened, however in 1974 Paddy Griffith organised a wargame at Sandhurst Military Academy to see what might have happened.

The German umpires were General Adolf Galland (air), Admiral Friedrich Ruge (naval) and General Heinrich Trettner (land). Their respective British counterparts were Air Chief Marshall Christopher Foxley-Norris, Rear Admiral Teddy Gueritz and Major General Glyn Gilbert.

Operation Sealion is a book I've read many times and is a real page turner, describing in a novelistic format the unfolding of the German invasion of Britain in 1940.

Now sadly hard to get hold of, it really should be released again as an ebook, I'm sure it would do well.

… (more)

Flagged

mancmilhist | 1 other review | Aug 28, 2014 |

Sea Lion by Richard Cox

The story of the invasion of Britain in 1941. The book is a what-if, but one based on the real German plans, and 'war-gamed' by professional soldiers from both sides in the 1970's. I won't reveal here who 'won', but the conclusion accords with other reports I've read, and is not all that surprising. For all of it's fantastic aspect, and relative brevity, this is a serious book. It illustrates how the battle plans to defend the UK would most likely have played out, including some aspects that would have been almost unknown in the 1970's What the book does best however, is highlight how extraordinary the achievement of the United States and Britain was, just a few years later, when they successfully stormed the beaches at Normandy and defeated the German Armies in France. Highly recommended for anyone interested in this period of history.… (more)

Flagged

nandadevi | 1 other review | Dec 19, 2013 |

See More Reviews