German Invasion Plans for the British Isles, 1940 by Bodleian Lib, . (2007) Hardcover

by Bodleian Library

“I have decided to prepare for, and if necessary to carry out, an invasion against England.”—Adolph Hitler, July 16, 1940 Operation Sealion was the codename for the Nazi invasion of Britain that Hitler ordered his generals to plan after France fell in June 1940. Although the plan ultimately never came to fruition, a few sets of the Germans’ detailed strategy documents are housed in the rare book rooms of libraries across Europe. But now the Bodleian Library has made documents from their set available for all to peruse in this unprecedented collection of the invasion planning materials.The planned operation would have involved landing 160,000 German soldiers along a forty-mile stretch of coast in southeast England. Packets of reconnaissance materials were put together for the invading forces, and the most intriguing parts are now reproduced here. Each soldier was to be given maps and geographical descriptions of the British Isles that broke down the country by regions, aerial photographs pinpointing strategic targets, an extensive listing of British roads and rivers, strategic plans for launching attacks on each region, an English dictionary and phrase book, and even a brief description of Britain’s social composition.Augmenting the fascinating documents is an informative introduction that sets the materials in their historical and political context. A must-have for every military history buff, German Invasion Plans for the British Isles, 1940 is a remarkable revelation of the inner workings of Hitler’s most famous unrealized military campaign.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Reference

Hardcover

First published July 16, 1940

About the author

The Bodleian Library, established in 1602, is the main research library of the University of Oxford and one of the oldest libraries in Europe. In Britain it is second in size only to the British Library.

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Reviews

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect for those aspiring invaders of 1940s Britain. It probably has much more use as a source for those looking for a snapshot of late 30s/early 40s Britain, as it includes plenty of stats on roads, electricity and industry. Note there aren’t any actual invasion plans in the book.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a let-down, this slim volume is mistitled: it doesn't have any of the German invasion plans, but is rather a translation of the German intelligence overview of Great Britain as it was in the early 1940s. As such it is actually an informative portrait of Britain in that era. There are interesting observations on British infrastructure, industry, social conditions, and geography. Included are handy references for the potential invader, such as on Britain's complicated currency system (which they have thankfully changed), plates with photographs and maps of important cities and installations, and even a Welsh pronunciation guide. If Operation Sea Lion (the Wehrmacht's plan for invading Britain in 1940) is an interest of yours, this book is an important component of that plan.

[Ronald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed because there's no information about the plan itself, only general and military Intel about the British isles at that time. 'plans' implies how to stage, land, and proceed after landing. Nothing of the sort is present in this book.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This particular book is a copy of the intelligence about UK that the Germans planned to disseminate to commanders should operation sea lion have gone ahead.
It would have been good to read about the intended plans themselves but this nine the less is a good insight into sea lion intel.

[Sophie Bourne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great little insight into the German re-con of the UK and plans for any potential invasion. A Must read for anyone interested in Nazi Germany's planned invasion of the UK.

[Timo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent travel book with loads of hints of things to see. German's were funny.

[Benjy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting conceptually, and spine tinglingly scary to think what may have been. However, this is more a topographical and logistical reconnaissance guide to the British Isles, outlining the pros and cons of invading in certain regions, however it doesn't actually provide a recommendation for which option to take or any details whatsoever how that goal might be achieved. I did learn however that there are (or were in 1940 anyway!) 8 different kinds of road surface, and hedgerows along motorways hinder troop movement. Nothing earth-shattering to my mind. This really could have been compiled by a university student. Fascinating though to think this may well have been used and reviewed in reality by senior Nazi officials. A piece of history, thankfully only theoretical.

[Rainier Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very interesting book, I learnt about all of the stratigies the Nazis had,that were going be played against the British. This book is very neat too, I like it how the writing and photos are presented. Overall this book was very scary how countries can find different intelligence but top secret. Interesting...


90 words, but very small words.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the invasion plans per se, but the strategic assessment of Britain as far as transport, infrastructure, topography etc is concerned. The kind of thing you read (well, I read) with weird fascination.

[Gavin3919 · Rating 1 out of 5]

A terrible book, for it doesn't actually contain any of the German's invasion plans like the book's title suggests.

[J P · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, though abridged enormously.