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Posts:
1,803
Registered:
10/30/07
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(61 of 63)
Re: How on earth did the R.A.F win the battle of BritAIN?
Jul 20, 2009 3:05 AM
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Given this:
> A: the Luftwaffe was NOT going to accomplish the task
> of taking the RAF out of business.
They can't accomplish this:
> The only way I could see Germany being able to pull
> off Sea Lion was to limit the scope. Air superiority
> over the invasion beach, ...
To maintain air superiority over the invasion fleet and beaches effectively cuts the LW fighter strength by at least a factor of 3 at the same time handing the initiative over to the RAF.
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Posts:
10
From:
Bellingham
Registered:
7/19/09
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(62 of 63)
Re: How on earth did the R.A.F win the battle of BritAIN?
Jul 20, 2009 7:06 AM
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Correct me if I am wrong, but technically not a single major air force in WWII was ever completely neutralized. What is meant by air superiority does not mean you have taken your enemy's air forces completely out of the picture. What air superiority means to me is being able to safely execute ground operations and control the air where your ground forces are. The Luftwaffe didn't need to take out the RAF to successfully get a beach-head on England at all. They merely needed to dominate the skies where they were landing. The Allies didn't need to completely destroy the Luftwaffe prior to the invasion of North Africa, Sicilly or even Normandy. They needed local air superiorty, which is far short of destroying your enemy's air forces.
To me the BoB was a mistake in scope by the Luftwaffe. This is more about operation Sea Lion than it is about a massive air battle over England. The problem wasn't the Luftwaffe's ability to suppress RAF air operations over Southern England. The problem has much more to do with Germany's inability to ship 100,000 troops accross the channel and secure a beach-head. The Luftwaffe could have, and did, suppress air operations if for a short period.
It was just a poorly thought out and executed campaign that had no hope of success. It was impossible for the Luftwaffe to take out the RAF with zero ground forces taking and occupying land. Taking out an entire Air force in WWII was a hopeless task. And I don't even consider that aspect of the BoB as even attainable let alone be amazed at how the RAF "barely" survived. Which is nonsense. As long as there were no German boots on the Island there would be no hope of winning the "BoB".
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Posts:
1,803
Registered:
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(63 of 63)
Re: How on earth did the R.A.F win the battle of BritAIN?
Jul 21, 2009 3:59 AM
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> Correct me if I am wrong, but technically not a
> single major air force in WWII was ever completely
> neutralized. What is meant by air superiority does
> not mean you have taken your enemy's air forces
> completely out of the picture. What air superiority
> means to me is being able to safely execute ground
> operations and control the air where your ground
> forces are.
So far you are correct.
> The Luftwaffe didn't need to take out the
> RAF to successfully get a beach-head on England at
> all. They merely needed to dominate the skies where
> they were landing.
This is where you are wrong. In order to prevent significant interference by the RAF the LW has to maintain a CAP over the invasion force and beaches capable of doing that. At the same time they have to support attacks on the RN and tactical targets in support of the ground forces. If you look at just the CAP part they will not be able to maintain even 1/3 of their fighters on CAP during daylight hours. When you figure in flight times, refueling and rearming, meals and such it's probably going to be less than 1/4. That means if the RAF can put a fighter force in the air that's ~25% of the LW fighter strength they can neutralize the CAP. To maintain air superiority over the invasion fleet and beaches the LW needs to in essence destroy the RAF (reducing it to ~20% or less of the LW strength would qualify)
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