The Anglo-German Naval Race
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The Anglo-German Naval Race
Although Kaiser Wilhelm II had expressed his wish for a navy to challenge Great Britain’s, Germany’s naval program only really kicked off after the Anglo-Russian War, and the Brussels peace talks, where it was apparent that despite Germanys overwhelming superiority in its armed forces, she was severely outmatched by Britain’s control of the waves.
As such, during 1906, Germany began embarking on a massive ship building program designed to bring Germanys navy to the size of Britain’s. With the advent of the new Dreadnought and Battlecruiser class ships, Germany heavily invested into its Kaiserliche Marine and Britain, responding to the minimal losses sustained during its war with Russia and the German hostility, devoted massive funds into its navy. Great Britain and Germany built the following ships over the next several years;
Dreadnoughts Great Britain Germany
1906 1 0
1907 3 0
1908 2 3
1909 3 4
1910 4 3
1911 5 1
1912 5 2
1913 5 3
1914 4 5
1915 5 4
1916 6 4
1917 6 5
Total 49 34
Dreadnought Battlecruisers Great Britain Germany
1906 0 0
1907 3 0
1908 1 1
1909 1 1
1910 2 3
1911 2 0
1912 1 0
1913 1 0
1914 2 1
1915 2 2
1916 3 2
1917 1 2
Total 19 12
The German naval program was not without its obstacles however. A minor recession in Germany’s economy suspended ship building during 1911-1912. Also, although it came close, the Germany’s naval program would not break the British superiority of the seas. Finally, perhaps worse of all, funds for the naval program were siphoned from the military, as the Kaiser believed that the army was invincible as it was, and that it would not need to fight a war with the destabilised French and Russians for a long time. As a result, while the navy got the funds it needed, the army was largely neglected by the time war came once again to the European continent.
The Anglo-German Naval Race
Although Kaiser Wilhelm II had expressed his wish for a navy to challenge Great Britain’s, Germany’s naval program only really kicked off after the Anglo-Russian War, and the Brussels peace talks, where it was apparent that despite Germanys overwhelming superiority in its armed forces, she was severely outmatched by Britain’s control of the waves.
As such, during 1906, Germany began embarking on a massive ship building program designed to bring Germanys navy to the size of Britain’s. With the advent of the new Dreadnought and Battlecruiser class ships, Germany heavily invested into its Kaiserliche Marine and Britain, responding to the minimal losses sustained during its war with Russia and the German hostility, devoted massive funds into its navy. Great Britain and Germany built the following ships over the next several years;
Dreadnoughts Great Britain Germany
1906 1 0
1907 3 0
1908 2 3
1909 3 4
1910 4 3
1911 5 1
1912 5 2
1913 5 3
1914 4 5
1915 5 4
1916 6 4
1917 6 5
Total 49 34
Dreadnought Battlecruisers Great Britain Germany
1906 0 0
1907 3 0
1908 1 1
1909 1 1
1910 2 3
1911 2 0
1912 1 0
1913 1 0
1914 2 1
1915 2 2
1916 3 2
1917 1 2
Total 19 12
The German naval program was not without its obstacles however. A minor recession in Germany’s economy suspended ship building during 1911-1912. Also, although it came close, the Germany’s naval program would not break the British superiority of the seas. Finally, perhaps worse of all, funds for the naval program were siphoned from the military, as the Kaiser believed that the army was invincible as it was, and that it would not need to fight a war with the destabilised French and Russians for a long time. As a result, while the navy got the funds it needed, the army was largely neglected by the time war came once again to the European continent.
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