Channel Dash 1942

• Oct 13, 2019

• #1

The Basket

Senior Master Sergeant

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Jun 27, 2007

I be thinking about this and kinda has a mad logic to it.
Element of surprise plus bad weather. Plenty of Luftwaffe fighter support and smaller naval escort vessels.

Far better than going round the Denmark Strait unescorted into a trap.

So on recollection it is far more reasonable and realistic than at first glance.

To me at least.

 

• Oct 13, 2019

• #2

G

Glider

Captain

8,937

5,136

Apr 23, 2005

Lincolnshire

I would also suggest that daylight was a good time to do it. Generally the British were much better at night fighting and command and control of a developing situation was a lot easier by day. The swordfish at night would have been a more formidable threat if they could have been directed to the target, which in theory was possible.

 

• Oct 13, 2019

• Thread starter
• #3

The Basket

Senior Master Sergeant

3,712

1,891

Jun 27, 2007

The channel dash was a long one so depends when you want daylight but passing the Straits of Dover at the narrowest point at exactly 12 noon is either genius or pure madness.

But the air cover saw off the Swordfish which did in the Bismarck and would have done in the 3 ships had they been caught without air cover.