First of all, PR - I haven't said anything on how effective the German torpedo-bombers would be against the RN..... ...Secondly, it is not by chance that their targets were mainly merchants. That was the German priority, just as for the U-boats and the regular bomber squadrons. Therefore, this is no real yardstick on what concentrated attacks by torpedo-planes and bombers would result in. My point with the He115's and M35's is the same, to place them in the common equation, something very few have done. Mind you, The He59's and Arado 95's of the Küstenfliegers could also carry torpedoes. Why should these be less effective than, say, the British Swordfish. They flew as fast, long and carried as much load.phylo_roadking wrote:You tell me...Further up the thread you were told that the air-dropped torpedoes available to the Germans were relatively slowmoving...and just by chance their successes (AFTER the putative Sealion date!) are all against equally slow-moving merchant shipping?Sep. 15th – He115 obtains a torpedo hit on a 5.000 tons merchant
Oct. 20th - He115’s from 3./506 Gruppe reports 3 merchants sunk
Nov. 11th – Merchant hit by air-launched torpedo – blew up
Nov. 14th – Merchant hit by air-launched torpedo – result inconclusive
Nov. 15th – Torpedo hit on ammunition ship – blew up
Nov. 18th – 8.000 tons ship hit by torpedo
Where are the necessary successes against fastmoving destroyer-class naval vessels? Necessary that is to demonstrate that such a tactic would be as effective as you say against the RN, rather than the Merchant Navy??? Ships fast enough to manouver to turn into/avoid incoming torpedoes AND heavily-protected with AA?
So far the dicussions on Seelöwe have gone on much like this:
The U-boats couldn't stop the RN alone, so the invasion couldn't succeed
The minefields couldn't stop the RN alone, so the invasion couldn't succeed
The German coastal artillery couldn't stop the RN alone, so the invasion couldn't succeed,
The 20 S-boats couldn't stop the RN alone, so the invasion couldn't succeed,
The 24 large minesweepers (19 M35's + 5 M16's) couldn't stop the RN alone, so the invasion couldn't succeed
The 30 R-boats couldn't stop the RN alone, so the invasion couldn't succeed
The 9 large destroyers (the 9th arrived in Brest on the 27th) couldn't stop the RN alone, so the invasion couldn't succeed
The 20 light destroyers (T-boote) couldn't stop the RN alone, so the invasion couldn't succeed
The dozens of Patrol Boats (Vorpostenboote) couldn't stop the RN alone, so the invasion couldn't succeed
The 25 adapted artillery ships couldn't stop the RN alone, so the invasion couldn't succeed
The Luftwaffe couldn't stop the RN alone, so the invasion couldn't succeed
The Küstenfliegers couldn't stop the RN, so the invasion couldn't succeed
The Herbstreise escorts (about 20 fighting ships) couldn't stop the RN alone, so the invasion couldn't succeed
You all get my point...?