ABSTRACT
After the fall o f France, Hitler still hoped that the British Government would be prepared to negotiate a settlement which would leave him master o f Europe but with the British Empire intact. If the British were unwilling to treat with the Germans, then they could be forced to the negotiating table by a bomber offensive and an intensified war at sea which would cut off essential supplies. O nly if everything else failed would it be necessary to invade, but this was considered a last resort. An invasion across the Channel would be an exceptionally risky enterprise and if it were to fail it would result in a disastrous loss o f German prestige. Even if it were successful, the British Government would probably move to Canada and continue the war from overseas.
