If WWI was delayed, is there any way the Germans could have caught the British in the Naval race?
No, I don't think so, barring some serious economic upheaval that hits only the British Empire - unlikely.
If WWI was delayed, is there any way the Germans could have caught the British in the Naval race?
If WWI was delayed, is there any way the Germans could have caught the British in the Naval race?
But that means that the British would literaly have to stop building anything above a destroyer for about two years before the Germans could get any ships in the water.
But to the topic at hand: How fast would the Germans lose a naval war in 1911? The French would probably be involved which would start a land war. But if the British win at sea before there is fighting on land or if there is a stalemate on land. Then the British would demand the Germans stop trying to make a navy and the French would throw in demands as well. But how would the French hold up their claim if it's a stalemate?
Early in 1905, she decided on a strategy which would remain essentially unchanged for the next six years: when Britain and Germany were to clash, her primary objective would be the destruction of the German navy, the Hochseeflotte. After this objective had been obtained, Germany and France would be left to their own devices. Their encounter could end in another Jena or another Sedan for all the admiralty cared (still convinced that isolationism was official British policy), but neither would be in a position to threaten Britain. Thoughts were entertained on amphibious landings on the German coast to force her to give in to British demands or a possible economic blockade of her coastline, but these were not part of official naval policy: the First Sea Lord, “Jacky” Fisher, kept his precise plans as opaque as possible, often boasting that they would only become evident when war broke out.
While the debate on the Naval Prize Bill raged on, relations between Britain and Germany reached a new low. Again, the Germans tried to gain influence in Morocco, and, this time, had sent the gunboat Panther to enforce their demands, followed by another round of blunt and clumsy diplomacy on their part. In case Germany and France might come to a head and provoke Britain’s involvement, Prime Minister Herbert H. Asquith convened a secret meeting of the CID on 23 August 1911, at which senior Army and Navy officers would outline their strategy. Arthur K. Wilson, who had succeeded Fisher as First Sea Lord the previous year, spoke first. In a decidedly clumsy manner, he outlined the Navy’s plans for a close blockade of the German coastline, the subsequent bombardment of her coastal batteries and an eventual invasion of the German mainland—a steadily recurring theme in Admiralty plans from 1905 onwards. He received a cold reception to his presentation. The assembled Cabinet members and Army representatives took turns denouncing the idiocy of the plans, stating the vulnerability of ships in a close blockade to new weapons such as torpedoes, mines and submarines, and the sheer folly of sending a small expeditionary force on her way to Berlin. After Wilson left the stand, the Army stated her case. Using charts, maps and graphs, the eloquent Army representative explained in detail how a British Expeditionary Force would operate in conjunction with the French to counter a German invasion and tip the scales decidedly against her. His time-table for the Army’s deployment was so thorough, that he even scheduled in regular tea breaks for the B.E.F. on her way to the front.
After the August 23 meeting, several Cabinet members, including Lord Haldane, argued for a reshuffling of the Navy’s command structure, replacing stalwart isolationists with capable men working in conjunction with the Army. Asquith acquiesced, and ordered McKenna and Winston Churchill, Home Secretary and vocal opponent of Wilson’s plans, to trade places
Its interesting to consider whether everyone would have rounded on his plans if war had already broken out - after all, there wouldn't be TIME to go and get a new set of plans for war.
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
There is another work to consult since I don't think Wilson and the Navy really had any concrete plans. Or I also think that Wilson had his ideas for dealing with Germany that were not the same as the Naval planners. Wilson had really be brought back to the Admiralty to restore some order following Fisher.
Which other work, and would someone like to consult it ?
Regarding this apparent chaos - if war suddenly DOES break out, then the Admiralty will have to go with what plans it has. It can't do NOTHING, so there is potential for them to go ahead with their half-baked plans and try to impose a close blockade
It was really the Agadir Crisis which brought about a wholesale revision of these plans. So, if crisis is replaced with immediate war, then we have the potential for the Admiralty to learn some very nasty lessons
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Which other work, and would someone like to consult it ?
Regarding this apparent chaos - if war suddenly DOES break out, then the Admiralty will have to go with what plans it has. It can't do NOTHING, so there is potential for them to go ahead with their half-baked plans and try to impose a close blockade
It was really the Agadir Crisis which brought about a wholesale revision of these plans. So, if crisis is replaced with immediate war, then we have the potential for the Admiralty to learn some very nasty lessons
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
So the Germans are defeated at sea, but what happens on land. Does trench warfare take over? And what about U-Boats? And would the British pursue any kind of blockade?
The Roayl navy suffers atrocious losses due to close blockade, which leaves it vulnerable to mines and other nasty devices. However, the high seas fleet is wiped off the North Sea in a short amount of time. not sure if u-boats are developed enough to wage a full commerce war, but given the british asw measures effectivness (or lack thereof), it will be an interesting event.
The war on land depends on how the alliance system drags in other nations. One possibility, however, is that Jackie Fisher tries his landings on the baltic or north sea coast of germany.