The Equalizer wrote:
I'm finally up to the battle of Britain in the rise and fall of the 3rd Reich. Very interesting reading for those who like historical research. For me, the most interesting things about WW2 are the what ifs. Basically had Hitler not played yo yo with his generals in several different moments, the world would be a totally different place. Just for instance, had he not ordered his tank divisions to stop short of Dunkirk for 3 days, the Brits and French who evacuated there would have been wiped out. If they'd lost those 300,000 men, Churchill would have had massive public pressure to accept the German peace offerings (ultimatums) and the Nazis could have turned their attention to the east and the Russians again full force.
even when Hitler stopped short of Dunkirk, i still think he could have went ahead with Sea Lion and invaded Great Britain and probably overrun them before they knew what hit them. he was wanting to destroy the RAF, but if i am not mistaken, the RAF although pretty weak at the beginning of and during most of the Battle of Britain, were probably at their weakest while the Nazis were twiddling their thumbs getting their air force into position. if they would have used their air superiority to cover the invasion, they would have crushed the RAF and invaded the island all at the same time.
I don't think the Nazis had a strategic enough advantage in the English Channel and in British airspace to carry out Sea Lion. Every time it seemed that Germany had finally dominated the skies over London, the RAF fought them back even harder. Even at their weakest I think the RAF was superior to and better trained than the Luftwaffe.
Just as an aside...