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IV. SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS FOR OPERATIONS INVOLVING AN OPEN SEA PASSAGE AND TO MEET WASTAGE.
24. To summarise the above paragraphs, our total requirements in special. shipping and landing craft are:---
Infantry Assault Ships.
Winettes or Mara- caibos.
T.L.C. S.L.C. A.L.C.
M.L.C. Eurekas.
M.L.C. Carriers.
Operational
quirements
re-
6
10
88
30
120
88
64
2
Reserves...
3
ลง
15
8
90
25
40
1
Total
12
103
38
210
113
104
3
Existing or
order
on
3
6
95*
24
131
129
162
3
Balance
6
6
8
- 14
-79
+16
+58
* This figure does not include the 44 Z craft being built in India.
V.
CONCLUSIONS.
25. The conclusions to be drawn from the above summary are :
(a) Our present programme for landing craft is only sufficient to meet operational requirements involving an open sea passage if we suffer no losses whatsoever.
(b) To meet losses and wastage in landing craft which we anticipate, we must start constructing the following as soon as the present programme is completed :---
T.L.C. S.L.C. A.L.C.
8
14
79
(c) We have a surplus of M.L.C. and Eurekas over and above our estimated requirements. The M.L.C. surplus is small, and we suggest that no action is required.
The balance of the Eurekas will be required for D.C.Os. raids based on the United Kingdom.
(d) Unless further Infantry Assault Ships and Tank Assault Ships are provided, we will not be able to undertake operations in 1942 involving an open sea passage.
We require 6 more Infantry Assault ships and at least 6 more Tank Assault Ships.
ANNEX III.
STATEMENT OF THE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS INVOLVED IF WE ARE TO BE PREPARED To Land a CONSIDERABLE FORCE ACROSS THE CHANNEL.
WE estimate that the initial assault would have to be carried out by the equivalent of one armoured and one infantry division, to be followed within a few hours by another two armoured and one infantry divisions. The limiting factors in arriving at these figures are:---
(a) The number of assault ships and landing craft which we think can be built without seriously interfering with the productive capacity of the country, and
•
(b) The size of the force which we could reasonably hope to maintain from
an open beach until a port could be captured and repaired.
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