'Seelöwe'

In July 1940 Britain faced the very real possibility of being invaded by Germany. Hitler’s war machine had subjugated the Continent in six weeks and ‘Engeland’ was next on the list. The German Navy had been working on the logistics for a seaborne invasion of England since the autumn of 1939, just in case it was sprung on them at short notice some time in the future. In July 1940 the operation was given the code-name ‘Seelöwe’ (Sealion) which was to be mounted from French, Belgian and Dutch ports