Night crossings and British night-fighting experience

The plan required a first wave to cross during one night and the next wave to follow the next night. Choosing darkness, even while assuming control of the air, would bring the invasion into conditions the British had worked hard to exploit. The German fleet's escape after Jutland helped drive the Royal Navy's interest in night fighting. RAF force planning had rested on the belief that the bomber would always get through. After that doctrine's advocates lost control of the Air Ministry, night bombing offered a way for bombers to improve their chances of reaching their targets. The Army also had a long-standing interest in fighting after dark. German forces did have night-fighting capabilities, but that did not establish their readiness for this particular amphibious assault.