Editing Operation Sea Lion (section)

===Deception===
The ''Kriegsmarine'' invested considerable energy in planning and assembling the forces for an elaborate [[military deception|deception]] plan called [[Operation Herbstreise]] or "Autumn Journey". The idea was first mooted by ''[[Generaladmiral]]'' [[Rolf Carls]] on 1 August proposing a [[feint]] expedition into the North Sea resembling a troop convoy heading for Scotland, with the aim of drawing the British Home Fleet away from the intended invasion routes. Initially, the convoy was to consist of about ten small [[cargo ship]]s fitted with false funnels to make them appear larger, and two small [[hospital ship]]s. As the plan gathered momentum, the large [[ocean liner]]s {{SS|Europa|1928|2}}, {{SS|Bremen|1928|2}}, {{SS|Gneisenau|1935|2}} and {{SS|Potsdam|1935|2}} were added to the list. These were organised into four separate convoys, escorted by light cruisers, torpedo boats and minesweepers, some of which were obsolete vessels being used by naval training bases. The plan was that three days before the actual invasion, the troopships would load the men and equipment of four divisions in major Norwegian and German ports and put to sea, before unloading them again on the same day in quieter locations. Returning to sea, the convoys would head west towards Scotland before turning around at about 21:00 on the following day. In addition, the only heavy warships available to the ''Kriegsmarine'', the heavy cruisers {{ship|German cruiser|Admiral Scheer||2}} and {{ship|German cruiser|Admiral Hipper||2}}, would attack the British [[Armed merchantman#Armed merchant cruisers|armed merchant cruisers]] of the [[Northern Patrol]] and convoys inbound from Canada; however, the ''Scheer'''s repairs overran and if the invasion had taken place in September, would have left the ''Hipper'' to operate alone.<ref>Schenk, pp. 319–21</ref>