German planners assumed that defeating the British army ashore would settle Britain's part in the war. The army asked Tirpitz to leave the British Expeditionary Force's crossing alone because it preferred to destroy that force on the Continent. An attack in the Channel would also have exposed the German fleet to a Royal Navy force closing behind it. German ships would then have faced a fight to return home or a long passage around the north of Britain. These considerations help explain why the crossing proceeded without German naval interception.
Notable Point · 53:19-54:34
Why the German Navy left the BEF crossing alone
German army planners preferred to destroy the British Expeditionary Force on land, while a Channel interception risked trapping the High Seas Fleet.