Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:05:27-2:06:23

What large warships were available to support Sea Lion?

Damage to Scharnhorst and Gneisenau left Germany dependent on a small heavy-cruiser force for prospective invasion support.

Fleet ReadinessGneisenauKriegsmarineOperation Sea LionScharnhorst
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Question

What large warships were available to support Sea Lion?

Short answer

Gneisenau and Admiral Hipper were the immediate heavy units considered, but damage to both German capital ships sharply restricted what the navy could provide.

Notes

Germany had only Scharnhorst and Gneisenau as its operational capital-ship pair. Damage to either forced a heavy cruiser into the supporting role, despite the small number of cruisers available. Admiral Graf Spee had already been lost, and Deutschland was undergoing changes associated with its renaming as Lützow. Scharnhorst's damage, followed by Gneisenau's damage while covering her, left Lütjens unable to conduct major operations for a time and available for Sea Lion planning.