"Vanishing American Air Superiority"

"Alexander" wrote in message
...
William Black wrote:

"Alexander" wrote in message
...

A determined Germany would have eaten England alive, but for massive
war materials and massive military direct aid.

Well, assuming they could get there, which they couldn't...

Are you really daft enough to believe that would always be?
That is a very short Channel.

Actually its about 300 miles long. At its narrowest its only about 22 miles
wide but that has its own problems.

The topography at its narrowest point is rather unfriendly to the invader.
Landing on the beach between Folkestone and Deal leaves you at the
foot of precipitous cliffs riddled with tunnels and batteries of guns.

Think Omaha beach x 10

If you head NE to the beaches around Deal , Sandwich and Ramsgate
you greatly increase the length of the sea crossing. Not a good idea when
your barges can only do 4 knots especially given that the tidal race in
those parts can run at 2-4 knots. Of course there is the little matter that
it brings you closer to the RN ships at Harwich, Ramsgate and Chatham

That leaves you landing on the beach between Folkestone and Rye.

This is an area the British Army had been planning to defend since
the Napoleonic wars. Apart from the fixed defenses there were gun
batteries placed back from the coast with pre-surveyed fields of fire.

There were five fully equipped infantry divisions covering this area
with another 5 and an armoured division held in reserve. The Germans
would have little or no armour or heavy guns but would be equipped
with infantry weapons and a few mountain guns and mortars. Pity
the poor soldier of the Heer short of food and ammunition trying
to cross the royal military canal under fire from 7.2" and 25 pounder
artillery into the teeth of the machine gun fire from the concrete pillboxes
on the other side.

The purpose of the home guard was NOT so much to fight the German Army
as to release regular troops from routine security tasks.


paranoid racist diatribe deleted

Keith