A military talk at a North Yorkshire regimental museum will explore the Nazi invasion plan for Britain during the Second World War.
Taking place at the Green Howards Museum in Richmond, the event will be held on Friday, May 8, from 6pm to 8pm, and will be led by retired Green Howard Major Jonathan Cunningham MBE.
He will delve into the German operation known as Operation Sealion and the defensive measures Britain put in place to repel an invasion.
Mr Cunningham said: "After the swift fall of Western Europe to the German forces, Operation Sealion seemed like the logical next step.
"Following the defeat of Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium and northern France, Hitler saw Britain as the last obstacle to total domination of the West."
The German plan hinged on neutralising the Royal Air Force (RAF), a goal that Hermann Goering, head of the Luftwaffe, believed would take only weeks.
However, during the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe failed to achieve air superiority.
Simultaneously, the Germans aimed to gain control of the sea, but the Royal Navy remained a formidable presence.
Without specialised landing craft and forced to rely on makeshift barges to cross the English Channel, the German invasion plan faced significant obstacles.
The talk will highlight how Britain’s combination of intelligence, resilience, and military innovation helped prevent the launch of Operation Sealion.
Mr Cunningham was commissioned into the Green Howards in 1994.
During his 16-year military career, he served as Battalion Intelligence and Operations Officer, before taking on a range of senior operational roles in Northern Ireland, Iraq, and elsewhere.
After leaving the Army, he established a health and safety consultancy and now manages several care homes in Southport.
The talk will explore British defensive strategies, including the use of intelligence.
Mr Cunningham will also discuss the use of codebreaking at Bletchley Park and how these efforts contributed to Britain's overall strategy.
Tickets cost £15 and spaces are limited, with advance booking recommended.
The Green Howards Museum in Richmond is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4.30pm, with last entry at 4pm.
The museum, now in its 50th year, is located in the old Trinity Church on Richmond’s Market Place.
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It holds more than 35,000 artefacts, including over 4,500 medals and 18 Victoria and George Crosses.
Regular events and exhibitions at the Green Howards Museum serve to strengthen the historic ties between the regiment and the Richmond community.
The museum is a charitable trust dedicated to preserving 300 years of Green Howards military history.
For more information or to book tickets, visit www.greenhowards.org.uk or email events@greenhowards.org.uk.
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