Originally Posted by Brent
I looked at the militaryphoto.net link but only skimmed through the other - just don't have the time to read it completely at the moment. My doodle reference was meant for aircraft only since the Germans cranked out dozens of paper concepts of all manner of shape and propulsion. Let a thousand monkeys bang away on a thousand typewriters and after a thousand years one is bound to reproduce the works of Shakespeare......
I don't think it was a mistake for the Germans not to continue across the channel after Dunkirk. The Royal Navy was intact at the time and would have been committed 100% to repel an invasion. The invasion of the Soviet Union was definitely a mistake and was a major, in fact the major factor in the defeat of Germany.
The Battle for Britain would have been interesting to say the least. The British Navy was indeed intact, but dispersed, in the North Atlantic, The Mediterranean, the North Sea. The German Navy was formidable as well, and the submarine force had to be reckoned with. The Germans did not have the landing ship armada as seen on D-Day, and had the White Cliffs to contend with, however paratroops could have created confusion and diversionary tactics. The 2 Queens were the only ships crossing in 4 days and only carried 7,000-8,000 troops between them. Hitler was a charismatic orator but no military genius. He disdained the advice of his best Generals and caused their rebellion, and Rommel's suicide. Lots of what ifs....
John P