Shadow Master
Banned
Ok, so like it says in the title, what effect would a small fleet of German commercial subs have had on history, had there been enough to handle strategic material imports from the USA, from 1914 onwards?
Let us say that Germany starts off 1914 with 6 trade submarines of historical size and capacity in commission and ready for their first (war time) voyages. Here is a previous thread that gave me the ideas for this thread’s questions.
Some wiki pages here and here give a bit of background, and I have a few other links to post later showing German U-boat production from 1914-1918.
My specific question for this situation would be:
1. Can Germany avoid or lessen the effects of the blockade on strategic materials with such a fleet of commercial submarines?
2. If the Germans can achieve limited trade with the USA during this time frame, and gain (or keep) access to strategic materials, what do the British and French do about this?
3. Historically, both protested, but the USA dismissed their objections, so do the Entente powers resort to unrestricted anti-submarine warfare?
4. Do the Germans, who now still have their most needed materials coming in, risk unrestricted submarine warfare, and possibly cut themselves off from their last large trading partner?
5. If the Entente does go with UASW, and the Germans refrain from USW, what effect, short of bringing about a US Declaration of War on themselves, might this have on their own trade with the USA, and what effects could such lessened trade have upon their own war efforts?
6. What new technologies might spring up earlier than OTL
I’m tired, so that’s all I’ll ask for the moment.
Any thoughts?
Let us say that Germany starts off 1914 with 6 trade submarines of historical size and capacity in commission and ready for their first (war time) voyages. Here is a previous thread that gave me the ideas for this thread’s questions.
Some wiki pages here and here give a bit of background, and I have a few other links to post later showing German U-boat production from 1914-1918.
My specific question for this situation would be:
1. Can Germany avoid or lessen the effects of the blockade on strategic materials with such a fleet of commercial submarines?
2. If the Germans can achieve limited trade with the USA during this time frame, and gain (or keep) access to strategic materials, what do the British and French do about this?
3. Historically, both protested, but the USA dismissed their objections, so do the Entente powers resort to unrestricted anti-submarine warfare?
4. Do the Germans, who now still have their most needed materials coming in, risk unrestricted submarine warfare, and possibly cut themselves off from their last large trading partner?
5. If the Entente does go with UASW, and the Germans refrain from USW, what effect, short of bringing about a US Declaration of War on themselves, might this have on their own trade with the USA, and what effects could such lessened trade have upon their own war efforts?
6. What new technologies might spring up earlier than OTL
I’m tired, so that’s all I’ll ask for the moment.
Any thoughts?
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