I don't think so. The problem is you aren't looking at the corresponding weaknesses of the Germans.RF wrote:Britain in mid June 1940 was in a far weaker position than you presume.
Really? Lets see looking at:At that time, particulary after the fall of France most people in France and the US assumed Britain would go under.
http://ibiblio.org/pha/Gallup/Gallup%201940.htm
For 5 May we have:
by June there's a bit more pesimism:Which side do you think will win the war?
Allies.............................. 55%
Germany........................... 17
No opinion......................... 28
Even then a long way from most in the US expecting Britain to go under indeed only ~1/3 do so.Interviewing Date 6/27-7/2/40 Survey #199-K Question #12
Which side do you think will win the war?
Allies.............................. 32%
Axis............................... 35
No opinion.........................33
Indeed but what about the LW? They had yet to move most of their support facilities forward and many of their planes were in need of significant maintnenance.The RAF at the start of summer 1940 was far shorter of trained pilots and aircraft than it was by early September.
But much of the artillery deficit was made good by the end of JUne and something like 500,000 rifles delivered more than amking up for what was lost in France. In addition significant quantities of ammo were also delivered during this peirod.The British Army was desparately short of weapons and ammunition, particulary of tanks and artillery. By September 1940 there were sixteen re-equipped and re-armed divisions available in Kent/Sussex to contest an invasion.
And what did the Germans have to contest it? Furhtermore what did they have to move troops across the channel?But in late June only the RN could act as a substantial barrier - at a time just when the war was extended to the Med and Indian Ocean.
In the period where they did this historically they lost ground against the RAF.The destruction of the RAF should have been straight forward because the Germans should have concentrated on the Fighter Command airfields and radar stations.
It was? Where? It took them what 2 months to gather enough barges and I'm not sure I'd consdier that adequate shipping.... As fortheinvasion itself - the required shipping was there if it had been properly prepared and organised.
Which they simply couldn't obtain. The RAF was going to pull back so they could contest the invasion if it looked like the Germans would gain Air supremacy and you can't hold air superioirty without having a fighter ration on the order of 3:1.Not that too much shipping would have been needed, the invasion forces required to land in a semi-armed England would not be large, especially with total air superiority.
That was the German plan for Sea Lion I believe. The questions is how much of the RN it would have drawn off.As for the Scheer - that ship would be of far greater use in attacking a North Atlantic convoy than it would be in the North Sea or the Channel. A German heavy ship in the Atlantic would stop the convoys for lack of escorts, causing far greater strategic damage to Britain and impacting on neutrals. If forces had to be sent against the Scheer then they wouldn't be able to operate in the Channel.