Nazi Germany Aggression
Adolf Hitler was determined to many objectives in his vision for a “Thousand Year Reich”. At the heart of his ambitions was the goal of ruling not just a single nation, but a powerful empire of nations. To this end, Hitler was determined to bring the whole of Europe under the control of Nazi Germany. The beaches of France and stages of Poland aside, he set his sights on Great Britain. His ambition to master the country sprouted far before the German army took to the beaches of France and the trenches of Poland. The question remains — how did Hitler intend to defeat Great Britain?
Obtaining dominance over sea-faring nations has been a cornerstone of European ambitions since antiquity and Nazi Germany was no exception. By 1939, the German navy had been preparing for a battle against Great Britain which Nazi Germany had always viewed as its greatest obstacle. They had set up a formidable fleet with the goal of destroying British naval forces and control the Atlantic to prevent war materiels from America.
The Germans commenced a sound strategy to neutralise the Royal Air Force, as without air superiority Nazi submarines and battleships had nowhere to hide. The Blitzkrieg strategy focused on the Luftwaffe, or German Air Force, and was centred on the idea that air strikes would demoralise, degrade, and destroy Britain’s harbours, ships, and other vital elements of the economy. Bombing raids on British cities seemed to be one of the most promising strategies, and at the beginning of summer 1940, Hitler’s forces began a merciless campaign.
Luftwaffe and the Battle of Britain
In this period the world held its breath as Britain came tremendously close to defeat. In fact, the Royal Air Force Intelligence believed that the Battle of Britain was the only chance Britain had to hold off the German forces. The nations of the world watched as the RAF fought in the skies above them, and managed to hold off the determined Luftwaffe. In the meantime, Nazi submarines wreaked havoc in British shipping lanes, sinking hundreds of ships every month.
The Blitzkrieg however failed in its goal. It was clear that the British knew that the air superiority was where the battle would be won or lost. By employing new methods of radar and modifying their fighter planes, they managed to push the Luftwaffe’s aerial assaults just far enough that they it couldn’t get the upper hand. The RAF had more planes, better systems of communication between their pilots, and bonuses, and such advantages referred to in the annals as the “British Miracle” eventually proved determinant.
On 31 October 1940, Hitler finally acknowledged the loss of the battle, He then instructed his forces to turn East, and set his sights on the Soviet Union.
Sea Power
Hitler continued to see the British Isles as his prize and intended to use naval power as his key strategy for achieving it. Germany began building a fleet to rival the British but the most notable aspects of Nazi strategies were the attempts take control of the seas around Britain. Blocking British trade and starving British citizens of food and supplies was an important strategy they had used against Poland and Holland and was sure to work against Britain as well.
They planned for U-boats to operate along with a force of destroyers, battleships and cruisers to carry out surgical interception of Allied shipping. In addition, they breached a number of waterways – the English Channel, the Irish Sea, the North Sea – in an attempt to stifle the British war effort.
Their tactics caused Britain a great deal of stress and nearly crippled her ability to engage in the trading of materials from around the world. The stress on the country was thus immense, so much so that Prime Minister Winston Churchill would later refer to this period as the “Hinge of Fate” in Europe.
Operation Sea Lion
Through the terror of air bombardment, effective use of submarines and utilizing naval forces to bring the fight to Britain Hitler thought he had discovered a way to defeat the country and the answer was “Operation Sea Lion.” This was the plan to launch a full-scale amphibious invasion of England and finally take the country by force. Hitler was convinced that this plan would succeed due to a number of advantages.
He was convinced that his navy would be able to control the seas at least temporarily and the Luftwaffe would be able to gain control of the skies so the German army would have the opportunity to land safely. Hitler also saw the British people as exhausted by the ongoing battle against Germany and feeling of hopelessness.
But before the invasion could commence, Hitler needed his navy to gain control of the seas around Britain and with the support of German submarines and U-boats, Hitler hoped to deplete the British naval offensive ability.
The Battle at Atlantic
As Germany took over key ports in France, the U-boats had access to the Atlantic ocean. Despite attempts by the British to protect ships, U-boats still managed to sink hundreds of Allied ships. Hitler also made attempts to blockade British harbors and carry out raids on British shores. In an effort to stop Britain from running out of essential resources, the Royal Navy started convoys of ships to cross the Atlantic.
The battles at Atlantic were intense and a significant part of the war effort. Nazi submarines were able to sink many ships, but mostly the British were able to protect the ships using naval escorts. The increased losses made it hard for Germany to maintain control of Atlantic trade and ultimately, they did not succeed in their plan to starve the British from any supplies.
Nazi U-Boats
Three waves of advanced U-boats were designed to conduct the war on the seas. These were the U-38, the U-47 and the Type XII. The U-38 had a range of 6,400 miles and carried 8 torpedoes while the U-47 was capable of diving deep and could travel up to 6,000 miles. The Type XII U-boat was the most advanced of the three and was capable of traveling up to 7,000 miles. These U-boats also had various other weapons including long range deck guns capable of damaging lightly armoured ships.
Hitler was sure that his U-boats were going to give them the edge and allow them to cut the supply lines to British forces before the invasion could begin. Although U-boats had succeeded in some operations, they still failed to achieve the complete blockade of supplies heading into Britain which was necessary for Operation Sea Lion to succeed.
Operation Sealion Put on Hold
It soon became clear that the naval operations were not sufficient to weaken the British military forces. With the RAF still in the fight and refusing to accept surrender, Hitler knew that an invasion force would not succeed. As a result, the decision was made to hold off Operation Sea Lion until the war was in Germany’s favour.
Hitler then shifted his attention to the Eastern Front and the invasion of the Soviet Union. Throughout this campaign, he maintained a plan to return to Operation Sea Lion with greater strength.
Nazi Defeat
Unfortunately for Hitler, the plan to defeat Britain never came to fruition. Despite the measure taken against the country, the British held on and continued to fight against Nazi Germany. It was a war of attrition, and the Battle of Britain was just the first step in the long journey to ultimate defeat of Nazi Germany.
In the end, Germany was overwhelmed and exhausted by the end of the war with the Allied forces. Germany had some successes such as U-boat attacks on Allied shipping but overall, it was simply unable to defeat the British military or naval forces. Hitler’s plan to take Great Britain was ultimately doomed to failure.
