KM Force Ratio vs. RN Summer 1940

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BDV
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KM Force Ratio vs. RN Summer 1940

#1

Post by BDV » 23 Oct 2014, 22:51

Weserubung cost the German Navy one capital ship, plus two other out of commission for 5-6 months. On the other hand, Great Britain also lost an aircraft carrier and a cruiser.

With respect to a hypothetical 1940 invasion of British Isles (Operation Sealion), was the German/British naval force ratio worse (for Germany) after Weserubung, about similar, or better?
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phylo_roadking
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Re: KM Force Ratio vs. RN Summer 1940

#2

Post by phylo_roadking » 24 Oct 2014, 00:51

IIRC worse; don't forget the KM lost nearly half their destroyers as well, as well as one damaged by high seas on the way to Narvik. While the Allies lost destroyers off Norway too, they certainly didn't loose half their force! The RN alone began the war in September 1939 with c.125.

Somewhere I have a list of KM losses in WESERUBUNG but can't put my hand on it right now. IIRC there was also a number of Uboats lost, and there was a much longer list of vessels damaged than that.
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hucks216
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Re: KM Force Ratio vs. RN Summer 1940

#3

Post by hucks216 » 24 Oct 2014, 15:35

The Kriegsmarine lost more than just one large ship sunk and 2 damaged for the upcoming Sealion. During the Norwegian invasion they lost:
Königsberg, Karlsruhe & Blücher - all sunk.
Deutschland/Lützow - badly damaged after being torpedoed on 11th April and in repairs for over a year.

On top of that you have Gneisenau being badly damaged in June 1940 that puts her in repairs until December 1940 and also the loss of Leipzig & Nurnberg to the dockyard repair crews after being torpedoed in December 1939 and Graf Spee sunk in December 1939. And finally Admiral Scheer was undergoing refit and post-refit trials from February to October 1940. All those ships taken together is a sizable chunk of the fleet.

And then you have all the destroyers not just lost at Narvik, but also Z-3 & Z-1 lost in February 1940 (Operation Wikinger) and others undergoing repairs/refits as well as the torpedo boat 'Leopard' sunk.

Good books to read about the state of the Kriegsmarine and how this would of affected Sealion is Hitler's Armada: The Royal Navy and the Defence of Great Britain, April - October 1940 by Geoff Hewitt and both The German Invasion of Norway: April 1940 & The Battle for Norway April - June 1940 by Geirr H. Haarr

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Re: KM Force Ratio vs. RN Summer 1940

#4

Post by Polar bear » 29 Oct 2014, 12:26

hi, Hucks,

you forgot Scharnhorst being torpedoed during Op JUNO, Admiral Hipper being rammed by Glowworm and TB Albatros lost by grounding.

Yes indeed, it was a sad sight, the only larger ship available in July was the light cruiser Köln.

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