Operation Sea Lion absorbed substantial effort despite senior German officers doubting that it could succeed. Even Hermann Göring appears among those who considered it unworkable. Some landing craft intended for the operation would not be completed until April 1941, although the proposed invasion belonged to 1940. Hitler postponed the operation indefinitely in September, and personnel assigned to it moved to other duties. The mismatch between the timetable and the equipment raises the question of what the planning exercise was meant to achieve.
Chapter · 0:55-2:17
Sea Lion's planning effort and the September postponement
The scale of Sea Lion preparations sits uneasily beside German commanders' doubts and landing craft that would arrive after the invasion window.