"I have decided to prepare for, and if necessary to carry out, an invasion against England."--Adolph Hitler, July 16, 1940 Operation Sealion was the codename for the Nazi invasion of Britain that Hitler ordered his generals to plan after France fell in June 1940. Although the plan ultimately never came to fruition, a few sets of the Germans' detailed strategy documents are housed in the rare book rooms of libraries across Europe. But now the Bodleian Library has made documents from their set available for all to peruse in this unprecedented collection of the invasion planning materials. The planned operation would have involved landing 160,000 German soldiers along a forty-mile stretch of coast in southeast England. Packets of reconnaissance materials were put together for the invading forces, and the most intriguing parts are now reproduced here. Each soldier was to be given maps and geographical descriptions of the British Isles that broke down the country by regions, aerial photographs pinpointing strategic targets, an extensive listing of British roads and rivers, strategic plans for launching attacks on each region, an English dictionary and phrase book, and even a brief description of Britain's social composition. Augmenting the fascinating documents is an informative introduction that sets the materials in their historical and political context. A must-have for every military history buff, German Invasion Plans for the British Isles, 1940 is a remarkable revelation of the inner workings of Hitler's most famous unrealized military campaign.

All Britain was convinced that the Germans would come. They had nothing left with which to oppose the German panzers. In only five weeks the Germans had crushed France and expelled the BEF from Belgium. Now those panzers stood on the Channel coast, waiting for the order to send them to England.

In the summer of 1940--after the Nazis crushed France and defeated Belgium--all Britain prepared for a German invasion. English forces stood on the Channel coast, waiting, but though the Luftwaffe bombarded Britain day and night, occupying forces never arrived. Why did they never attack this nearly defenseless island? Look through German eyes and get to bottom of the indecision that in the end may have cost them the war.

During the Summer of 1940, Hitlers Germany appeared unstoppable. The Nazis were masters of mainland Europe, in alliance with Stalins Russia and only the English Channel prevented an immediate invasion.Britain stood alone. The BEF had been routed but, due to the Dunkirk miracle, most of her manpower had returned albeit without their transport and heavy equipment and guns. There was no doubt that the Nazis planned to invade all intelligence pointed that way. In the event it never materialised, thanks to the outcome of the Battle of Britain and Hitlers decision to invade Russia.Operation SEALION examines just how realistic the German threat of invasion was. The author studies the plans, the available capability and resources, the Germans record in Norway and later Crete. The author weighs these against the state of Britains defences and the relative strengths of the land, air and particularly naval forces.The result is a fascinating study of what might or might not have been.

An analysis of World War II German and British plans that were in place if the Nazi forces had successfully managed to invade mainland Britain in 1940. In 1940 Britain faced its biggest threat since the Spanish Armada. Hitler’s invasion plans were in full swing, and Britain had to quickly assemble a secret resistance force. This compelling study reveals the intentions of both sides, from Hitler’s strategies for Operation Sea Lion and subsequent occupation, to Britain’s secret plans for resistance. German decrees show that the occupation would have been severe, with mass deportation for all able-bodied men as well as widespread arrests, as revealed in the notorious Gestapo Arrest List. In telling this story Lampe relates one of World War II’s best kept secrets and offers insight into what would have been a brutal future. Originally published in 1968, The Last Ditch remains the authoritative work on this subject and features interviews with key players who lived through the action. “An extremely good read. I was enthralled by the book as an undergraduate and twenty-five years later I reread it with much pleasure.” —Gary Sheffield, Professor of War Studies, University of Birmingham, from the foreword

In compliance with the Fuhrer's directive on the imminent invasion of Britain in 1940, the Gestapo prepared a secret handbook for the occupation forces. The first part, edited by senior Nazi Walter Schellenberg who had been educated in England, is a detailed analysis of how the Germans thought the country worked. The second, equally intriguing section is a list of the men and women the Gestapo had earmarked for immediate arrest. Written in August 1940, the handbook sheds extraordinary light on the British political system, the establishment, the church, industry, the police, trade unions and even the Boy Scouts. The chapter on the British Secret Service was considered so embarrassingly accurate that the few copies captured at the end of the war were retained by the authorities, and it is only now, more than half a century later, that a translation has been made to reveal the full remarkable truth.

An in-depth analysis of Nazi Germany’s unused strategy to invade the UK during the Battle of Britain in World War II. It is hard to believe that in the summer of 1940, neither the Allies nor the Axis powers had any experience of large amphibious operations. German planning for Operation Sealion was concerned with pioneering new techniques and developing specialized landing craft. Remarkably, in only two months they prepared an invasion fleet of 4,000 vessels. In Operation Sealion, Peter Schenk begins by examining the vessels that were developed and deployed for the operation: converted cargo vessels and steamers, more specialized landing craft, barges and pontoons, and auxiliary vessels such as tugs and hospital ships. He then goes on to outline the strategic preparations for the landing and looks at the operational plans of, in turn, the navy, army, and air force. The planned invasion is described in full detail so that the reader can follow the proposed sequence of events from loading, setting sail, and the crossing of the English Channel, to the landing and the early advances into southern England. Schenk uniquely estimates the chances of success. This absorbing account of Hitler’s abortive mission, more detailed than anything written before, is of interest not just to the naval historian but to anyone with an interest in World War II or military strategy.