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From: R2RS1%AKRONVM@vm1.cc.UAKRON.EDU
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Scharnhorst and Gneisenau
Message-ID: <1991Mar30.020459.28272@amd.com>
Date: 29 Mar 91 04:34:09 GMT
Sender: military@amd.com
Organization: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Lines: 31
Approved: military@amd.com



From: R2RS1%AKRONVM@vm1.cc.UAKRON.EDU

The flight of the Scarnhorst and Gneisenau from Brest up the English
channel is beautifully described in a book called " Fiasco ". I forget
the author but a title trace on any library's computer must get you to
the book.

Further I would like to add that when these two ships were built the
German navy never had any ambitions of challenging the Royal Navy or
launching a naval attack on Britain. In keeping with the tradition of
the Graf Spee I think these ships were designed mainly for commerce
raiding and swift hit and run attacks against convoys and light naval
forces.

In " The rise and fall of the third reich "  W Shirer  describes how the
German navy embarked on a 10 year grand plan to build up a strong navy.
This would have been accomplished by 1945. Admiral Raeder met Hitler
before the invasion of Poland and explained the need to delay WWII
till the German Navy was strong enough. But the landlocked mind of
Hitler would'nt agree and the invasion of Britain " Operation
SeaLion "  as given up even before it started, as the Navy could'nt
guarantee protection of the invasion force against the Royal Navy or
even enough logistics to convey the assault force.

--
R SUKUMAR 
R2RS1@VM1.CC.UAKRON.EDU
THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
DEPT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING