Seelowe: germany's dumbest action pre tl discussion

Ok so I know seelowe would have failed but WI the German imperial navy attempted such a thing. I was thinking a war with Britain in 1880s or so. How would war play out. How could it start. What happens?
 
How?

Remember, even at its peak in 1914, the Hochseeflotte was still substantially smaller than the Royal Navy, and in 1880 it was even smaller in comparison.
 
How?

Remember, even at its peak in 1914, the Hochseeflotte was still substantially smaller than the Royal Navy, and in 1880 it was even smaller in comparison.

true but i never said it would succeed. What I am sayin WI GB and Germany go to war in 1880s or 1890s instead of otl and the Germans attempt a foolish invasion of England under willheilms orders
 
What happens to Germany depends very much on who else is involved. Just because the German fleet is destroyed/rendered impotent does not mean that the German army is in anyway diminished as a fighting force (minus any lost in the abortive invasion ofc).

Germany would be at a strategic disadvantage, but this is by no means a deceisive influence on the possible outcome of the war.
 
true but i never said it would succeed. What I am sayin WI GB and Germany go to war in 1880s or 1890s instead of otl and the Germans attempt a foolish invasion of England under willheilms orders
Maybe the best (long shot) chance would be around 1904.

Germany had around 20 battleships to UK's 40 but the techniques for mine warfare were not fully developed yet and "offensive minelaying" was a force multiplier for smaller navies.

If the Germans could have led the British battleline into a minefield then maybe, just maybe it could create sufficient short term weakness to allow an attack on the UK.
 
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