Editing Operation Sea Lion (section)

=== The fall of France ===
Germany's swift and successful [[Battle of France|occupation of France and the Low Countries]] gained control of the Channel coast, facing what Schmid's 1939 report called their "most dangerous enemy". Raeder met Hitler on 21 May 1940 and raised the topic of invasion, but he warned of the risks and expressed a preference for blockade by air, submarines and [[Commerce raiding|raiders]].{{sfn | Bungay | 2000 | pp=31–33}}{{sfn| Overy | 2013 | pp=68–69}}

By the end of May, the ''Kriegsmarine'' had become even more opposed to invading Britain following its costly victory in [[Norwegian campaign|Norway]]; after [[Operation Weserübung]], the ''Kriegsmarine'' had only one heavy cruiser, two light cruisers, and four destroyers available for operations.<ref>Murray, Williamson & Millet, Alan ''A War To Be Won'' (Harvard: Belknap Press, 2000), p. 66.</ref> Raeder was strongly opposed to Sea Lion, for over half of the ''Kriegsmarine'' surface fleet had been either sunk or badly damaged in ''Weserübung'', and his service was hopelessly outnumbered by the ships of the Royal Navy.<ref>Murray & Millet, p. 84.</ref> British parliamentarians still arguing for peace negotiations were defeated in the [[May 1940 War Cabinet Crisis]], but throughout July the Germans continued with attempts to find a diplomatic solution.{{sfn|Bungay|2000|pp=9–13}}