WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk The Channel Dash: Hide & Seek (Part 2)
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Mar 5, 2026 A detailed look at the audacious German breakout from Brest and the plans behind Operation Cerberus. They trace rehearsed air cover, radar jamming, and the Goldilocks weather that aided the escape. The narrative follows missed detections, delayed warnings, and how small misreads and redeployments let massive warships slip through the Channel.
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Cerberus Relied On Perfect Goldilocks Conditions
- The Germans planned Cerberus to exploit a narrow window of weather and darkness to move capital ships from Brest to Germany undetected.
- Vice Admiral Otto Ciliax timed the dash for long February nights and local visibility good enough for navigation but poor enough to keep enemy aircraft away.
Ciliax Used 'Exercise' Cover While Sea Lion Watched
- Ciliax held a 12 February conference and ordered a 19:30 slip under exercise cover while Sea Lion submarine watched outside Brest.
- Crews were told they were on exercises and Sea Lion surfaced 30 miles out to monitor traffic before the actual breakout.
Hudson Radar Failures Helped The Breakout Go Unnoticed
- Multiple Hudson patrols suffered radar failures, damp plugs and inexperience, causing key radar sweeps to be cancelled just before the breakout.
- Pilot Officer Wilson's ASV radar failed after switching off to evade a JU-88, and help aircraft also failed to start until after the fleet had passed.