Safety lies forward.
Military
Maxim
Title: Fiasco
Author: John Deane Potter
Publisher: Stein and Day
Pages:
235
Content:
Potters book is a fascinating example of how luck and effective operational
planning can overcome the longest odds. In 1942, the Germans and British were
stalemated along the English Channel; however, operations in Russia had resulted in significant
German Luftwaffe units being deployed east. This in turn led to increased
capability of the British to launch air-raids on French ports where German
surface raiders such as the Gneisenau and Scharnhorst sheltered. This fact, combined
with Hitler’s belief that the Allies would be attempting an invasion of Norway,
resulted in his ordering these capital ships north to German waters and safety.
The most direct route was north through the Straits of Dover; however this held
the greatest peril as the Germans would be exposed for 36 hours to the combined
threat of the RAF and the Royal Navy. It also held the greatest opportunity as
the Germans felt that this would be the route that would be least expected and
therefore planned against by the British. German planning was hallmarked by
extremely effective liaison between the Luftwaffe and the Navy, audacity (they
planned the passage through the Straits of Dover for daytime), tight secrecy
and noteworthy operational planning that included incorporation of deception
and meteorological plans. The British response to the German breakout was
disorganised and piecemeal. The reasons for this included a mindset that
insisted that the Germans would never attempt a daylight passage through the
Straits, ineffective passage of information, lack of coordination of effort
between Coastal, Fighter and Bomber Command as well as the RN and an overall
failure to plan/practice for this contingency. As a result, not only did the
Germans breakout successfully, they did so while sustaining no damage from the
British attacks that did materialize. The takeaway from this operation
emphasizes the importance of planning, audacity and a willingness to accept
risk in order to attain objectives. Lessons that never lose their importance.
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