Operation Zerberus, the Channel Dash of Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen to their home ports from France. How did they escape the Royal Navy relatively unscathed? Your thoughts on the operation.
A typical British cock up. Unlike the totally efficient American Forces who obviously wouldn't have balls up quite so bad as we did. PS Pete, we talked about this awhile ago. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/war-air/10132-channel-dash.html?highlight=channel+dash You must have missed it.
A typical British cock up. Unlike the totally efficient American Forces who obviously wouldn't have balls up quite so bad as we did. PS Pete, we talked about this awhile ago. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/war-air/10132-channel-dash.html?highlight=channel+dash You must have missed it. Feb 2007, I guess I did, a good read.
Didn't the Germans use a screening force of destroyers to destract the Brits from the 3 capitol ships?
Just a well-planned op with good secrecy beforehand - in fact an evacuation from a seriously-exposed forward position. Sort of thing Fritz and Tommy both did well (eg. Gallipoli disengagement. Dunkirk). Intelligence always focusses best on offensive options open to an enemy, often neglecting the defensive - possibly rightly so. The operation amounted to an admission that Atlantic surface forays in strength were never going to be possible without disastrous losses, and could no longer make a real difference even if they had been. The Norway position, threatening the Arctic convoys, tied up a lot of naval power in containment; but again, actual surface attacks generally led to failure, or disaster, or both. And in the end, even the static threat position became untenable. Regards, MikB
Don't you feel that in Naval operation surface forays in strength conducted by the British and Germans always had a leash on success because of both navies lacking an effective cooperation between surface fleet and aviation early in the war? The Bismarck was effective in destroying the Hood but it was aviation that damaged her rudder causing the RN surface fleet to catch her. Without aviation the Germans wouldn't have been able to defeat the RN and ground forces in Norway. In Zerberus it is a good example of bad RAF/Fleet Air Arm coordination. 40+ lost aircraft to the British 15+ lost to German No sunken Battle cruisers. Interesting about the MTB/E boat clashes in the Channel.
