HE162 Salamanda a how did it even work?

[Swagger7]

Originally Posted by Doktorwzzerd

Hear! Hear! The two highest scoring American aces of WW2, Richard Bong and Tommy McGuire, both flew P-38s exclusively. I need to feel all that speed, kinetic energy, and weight of fire; screw turning radius!

As to the other points in this thread, IMHO: 1) Sea Lion could have never succeeded as the Royal Navy would have obliterated the invasion fleet even if the RAF had been significantly reduced by the Luftwaffe. 2) Hitler was thoroughly sub-genius. German successes in France in 1940 and Russia in 1941 were due entirely to Guderian's genius as well as the excellent quality of the Prussian military machine, which the Nazis fully inherited and had nothing to do with. On the other hand all of the German reverses post-1941 were due almost entirely to Hitler's taking a direct role in the day to day tactical and strategic management of the war, a task for which he was eminently unqualified.

Yeah, Hitler was a 'tard, but I think Sea Lion could have succeeded. It just wouldn't have had a big impact on the final outcome of the war. The problem with using the Royal Navy to stop the invasion is that the invasion wouldn't have started until the RAF was thrashed. Then, the Luftwaffe could have seriously mangled the navy if it tried to interfere. Look what a couple of squadrons of Japanese bombers did to HMS Wales & HMS Repulse. Also, the Kriegsmarine could have filled the channel with dozens of U-boats, waiting silently at periscope depth to launch down the throat torpedo attacks on the RN. The Germans could also have mined the channel at night to deny the navy access.