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Air-Landing and Parachute Troops.
21.
The Germans have 630 troop-carrying aircraft which are immediately available for operations and approximately another 600 in training schools. The employment of these latter aircraft would, however, interfere considerably with training, and we should receive some warning of their intended use. About 50 four-engined transport aircraft are also available.
The Germans might decide to employ substantially the whole of their troop-carrying aircraft for the speedy domination of the whole of Ireland. For this purpose the initial sortie might land some 8,000 to 12,000 airborne troops (less casualties) on the first day, with the object of seizing key-points throughout Eire and the capture and the consolidation of all available aerodromes. In subsequent sorties these airborne troops could be substantially reinforced by the employment of part of the available aircraft for this purpose and part for maintaining supplies and equipment.
The operation of troop-carrying aircraft over Central Eire would probably necessitate refuelling, and the amount of troops and stores deployed would consequently be considerably less than if operations were confined to the Southern Coast. In this case, however, the employment of very large numbers of airborne troops would appear to be uneconomical, and the figure would probably not exceed 8,000 on the first day, and these could be carried in the first-line aircraft without interfering with training.
Possibilities of Interception.
22.
Owing to the small number of our fighter forces which are stationed in South West England and the extreme radius at which they would be operating there can be no doubt that the major portion of the German troop-carrying aircraft would reach their objectives without interception. Interception would only be possible by day if we received sufficient warning to move additional fighter forces down to this area. Even then a small detour by the German aircraft would make interception extremely difficult, The only bombing attacks which we could intercept effectively would be those which passed within range of our fighter defences in daylight.
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