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The Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) has a very limited history. Prussia was a countrywith a large army, but virtually no naval tradition. The German Navy was created at the time of the formation of the German Empire around the Kingsom of Prussia and the Hohezolern monarchy (1871). The Imperial Navy was formed from the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine which primarily was a kind of coast guard. Kaiser Wilhelm I was uniterested in the Navy. This changed with the accension of his son, Kaiser Wilhem II (1888). The new Kaiser was the son of British Princess Royal Victoria. Wilhelm was often taken to visit his Grandmother, Queen Victoria and on several occassions the dutifully imporessed little boy witnessed Royal Navy vessels and fleet reviews. As Kaiser he wanted a fleet if his own. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz (1849–1930) provided the rationel for building one. Tirpitz was inflluenced by the naval theories of American strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan. Tirpitz's own naval stateggy for Germany was based on risk theoiry. He argued that while Germany could not build a fleet as large as the Royal Navy, it could bulld a fleet that could create a suficient element of risk that Britain would hesitate to go to war with Germany rather than risk damage to the Fleet. Because of the imortance of the Royal Navy in maintaiing the Empire, Tirpitz argued that Britain would avoid confronting Germany on the Continent. The Kaiser bought Tripitz's argument, especially after dismissing the cautious Chancellor Bismarck. As a result, he devoted substantial resources in building a German High Seas Fleet. It was a mistake of mounumental proportions. The Kaiser's boorish behavior might have been excepted, but building a Highseas Fleet to challenge the Royal Navy shook the British establishment to the core. And Germany quickly shocked in the public mind from a histotric ally to Britain's principal foreign threat, laying the ground work for a raprochment with France. The result was a naval arms race of historic proportions. The battleship was the super weapon of the early-20th century. And they were enormously expensive. The Japanese victory at Tsushima demonstrated the importance of bigun battleships (1905). And the British launching of HMS Dreadnought rendered all existing battleships obsolete (1906). Rather then disuade Tripitz, he saw Dreadnought as Germany's great naval opportunity. It provided Germany the opportunity by rendering all existing battle ships obsolete, to build a fleet that could challenge the Royal Navy. The resulting Imperial Navy would be by the time of World War I one of the greatest maritime forces in the world, second only to the Royal Navy. The ships of the Imperial Navy were designated SMS, for 'Seiner Majestät Schiff' (His Majesty's Ship). The German built the second most important highseas fleet with ships every bit as good if not marginally better than the British ships. The German Navy included mostly modern ships because their construction prgram was reltively recent. The German crews despite the lack of a naval tradition were well trained and highly motivated. Their very existence, however, meant that Britain could not allow Germany to occupy the Low Countries. Thus when the Germans invaded neutral Belgium (August 1914), Britain immediately declared war and dispatched the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to assist the Belgian Army. The German surface navy proved ineffective during World War I. The geography of Germany with coasts located on the Baltic and North Sea meant that invariably the British and Germans would confront each other in the North Sea. The only major naval engagement, the Battle of Jutland (1916), was indecisive tatically although the Germanms did more damage to the British than the British did to the Germans. But as the Royal Navy blockade was left in tact, Jutland was a strategic victory for the Royal Navy. The German High Seas Fleet woukd never again sally out in force. The Germans after Jutland would greatly expand their small submarine (U-boat) fleet. It posed a major threat to the British supply system, but because of Tirpitz's focus on big-gun surface ships, the U-boat fleet was very small. And while the U-boats threatened British commerce, their major accomplishment was to bring the United states into the War. And the American infantry woulkd ptoive to be the principal factor in the Allied victory (1918). The Imperial Navy was largely destroyed at Scapa Flow in 1919 by its own officers, after Germany's defeat.
The Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) has a very limited history, essentially that of the Prussian Navy. Prussia was a country with a large army, but virtually no naval tradition. This was one reasin that Prrussia often had strong diplomatic relations with England.
The German Navy was created at the time of the formation of the German Empire around the Kingsom of Prussia and the Hohezolern monarchy (1871). The Imperial Navy was formed from the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine which primarily was a kind of coast guard. Kaiser Wilhelm I who had a strong focus on the Prussian Army, was uniterested in the Navy.
It is a little known fact that the boys' sailor suit had a role in preparing the ground work for the calamity of World War I. Fashion is generally viewed by HBC as a reflection of larger historical an societal trends. We remained convinced that this is essentially the case. It is interestng however, to reflect on the impact of the boys' sailor suit in the years leading up to World War I. It certainly reflected the temper of the times, but there is reason to believe that the sailor suit was a factor, of course among many others, in leading the great European powers to war. the German prince not only wore sailor suits as a boy and came to envy his British cousins and their magnificent Royal Navy.
The Imperial German attitude toward the navy changed with the accession of the first kaiser's son, Kaiser Wilhelm II
(1888). The new Kaiser was the son of British Princess Royal Victoria. His mother liked to dress him in sailor suits. He was often taken to visit his Grandmother, Queen Victoria and
on several occasions the dutifully impressed little boy witnessed Royal Navy vessels and fleet reviews. A seemingly
endless line of Royal Navy vessels passed in review. The young Crown Prince from a very early age decided that he wanted a powerful fleet of his own to reflect his imperial status. And as kaiser and father, the young princes and princesses wore sailor suits. The grandchildren were even more likely to wear sailor suits. It was a clear reflection of what the kaiser thought about naval power. And Admiral Tirpitz provided the rationale for Germany with only a small northern coast (mostly a virtually inland Baltic Sea coast) having a powerful and very expensive navy. Wilhelm had dreams of creating a modern navy in the same way his grandfather had created the German Army. And as part of that same impulse was a great overseas empire for Germany. Wilhelm appointed himself grand admiral of the navy. Wilhelm as kaiser of a parliamentary state was not an absolute monarch, like the Tsar, but more powerful than the British king. He could not build huge navy in a vacuum. Massive expenditures on the navy at the expense of the army would have met opposition and it should not be thought that he wanted to neglect the army. But he did want a powerful navy. He proceeded slowly, building a navy as part of a more generalized military build up. One of his first acts as kaiser was to appoint Vice-Admiral Alexander von Monts to head the Admiralty. Wilhelm's connection with the navy like his decision not to renew the treaty relationship would prove to be two of the greatest mistakes by a German leader.
Germaby was a rising power in a world where the British since the Naoleonic wars was seen as the only super power. The Kaiser wanted to end that dominance. And with the growth of Gernan industry, the country had the potential to do that. And a major way that countries were ranked at the time was the number of battleships. So the Kaiser began to promote the idea of a German High Sea Fleet. One imprtant German historian calls him the 'Fleet Kaiser'. [Meinecke] It was not thar the Kaiser waned a war with Britain, but he thought that the prestige and power of a Highsea Fleet would support Germnan aspiratioins. The Kaiser's choice of Alfred von Tirpitz was to pursue the idea of the creation of a High Seas Fleet (1897). The Naval Laws (German: Flottengesetze, "Fleet Laws") were five separate laws passed by the German Empire, in 1898, 1900, 1906, 1908, and 1912. These acts, championed by Kaiser Wilhelm II and his Secretary of State for the Navy, Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, committed Germany to building up a navy capable of competing with the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. [Tirpitz]
Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz (1849–1930) provided the rationel for building one. Tirpitz was inflluenced by the naval theories of American strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan. Tirpitz's own naval stateggy for Germany was based on Risk Theoiry. He argued that while Germany could not build a fleet as large as the Royal Navy, it could bulld a fleet that could create a suficient element of risk that Britain would hesitate to go to war with Germany rather than risk damage to the Fleet. [Tirpitz]
While not illogical, building a higseas fleet only sewed anti-German feeling in Bfritain and the growing feeling that Germany was a threat. Because of the imortance of the Royal Navy in maintaiing the Empire, Tirpitz argued that Britain would avoid confronting Germany on the Continent. The Kaiser bought Tripitz's argument, especially after dismissing the cautious Chancellor Bismarck.
Kaiser Wilhelm II after accepting Admiral's Tirpitz's strategic thinking, began devoting substantial resources to build a German High Seas Fleet. We see a series of German Naval Building Laws--Flottengesetze (Fleet Laws) included five separate laws passed by the German Empire (1898, 1900, 1906, 1908, and 1912. These acts werw championed by Kaiser Wilhelm II and Secretary of State for the Navy, Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz They committed Imperial Germany to building up a High Seas Fleet capable of competing with the British Royal Navy. Germany by meerly matching British naval construction could over time could reach parity with the Royal Navy. Britain had a huge fleet, but this included many old, increasing obselete ships that would eventually have to be withdrawn from service. Unfortunately for the German Navy, the War broke lut well before this occurred. Thus the Germans faced a much larger Royal Navy with no realistic hope of prevailing in a fleet engagement with the Home Fleet. The Germans avoided such an action and when an important fleet action occured at Jutland was nearly destroyed..
Sailor suits are among the most popular boys' outfits of all time. It i not enfrirely cker why this ws. Navies except for Britain were a small part of world navies. The Chinee even decided to do away with them. The Royal Navy played an important role in Britain's victory in the Napoleonic Wars and the Feveral Government's (North's) victory in the Americam Civil War. Still navies were amall part of military forces except in Britain and by the lte-19th century the United States. And silors had a rather disreputable reputtion, ven nore direputble than silor. Thus it is curious that after the mid-19th century, the sailor suit bgan to become a popular outfit for boys and subsequently for girls as wll. This is undertanable for Britain with the long history of the Royal Navy. It is less clear why the sailor suit became so popular for other countries as well, other than the British royal family influencdother royal and they influenced middle-class styles. At the same time that the sailor suit was becoming a standard boys' style, a navy ws becoming a prestige item for amy country aspiring for great power prestige. And it was a time of rising militry bydgets and evntually an amm's race. We believe that the silor suit was not just a fashion phenomnon, but reflection of growing nationalism amd military expansion. The battleship was the mostpowerful and ecpensive wepon of the day, the early-20th century super weapon. Great powers measured their strength by the number if battleships in their fleets.
We are not at all sure just why the sailor suit was such a popular style, but these develooments may have been an important factor.
The Kaiser's decesion to build a highseas fleet was a mistake of mounumental proportions. Unfortunately for German, only one of such mitakes made by the Kaiser. The Kaiser's boorish behavior might have been ignored by the British, but building a Highseas Fleet to challenge the Royal Navy shook the British establishment to its core. And Germany quickly shocked in the public mind from a histotric ally to Britain's principal foreign threat, laying the ground work for a raprochment with France. The result was a naval arms race of historic proportions.
The battleship was the super weapon of the early-20th century. And they were enormously expensive. The Japanese victory at Tsushima demonstrated the importance of bigun battleships (1905). And the British launching of HMS Dreadnought rendered all existing battleships obsolete (1906). Rather then disuade Tripitz, he saw Dreadnought as Germany's great naval opportunity. It provided Germany the opportunity by rendering all existing battleships obsolete, to build a fleet that could challenge the Royal Navy.
The resulting Imperial German Navy would be by the time of World War I one of the greatest maritime forces in the world, second only to the Royal Navy. The ships of the Imperial Navy were designated SMS, for 'Seiner Majestät Schiff' (His Majesty's Ship). The German built the second most important highseas fleet with ships every but as good if not marginally better than the British ships. The German Navy included mostly modern ships because their construction prgram was reltively recent. The German crews despite the lack of a naval tradition were well trained and highly motivated.
Submarines were a new and untried vesel type at the time World War I broke out. As with the destoyer, the development of the torpedo gave small vessels the capability of destroying powerful capital ships, large an expenive battleships. The Germny Navy had not intendd to fight a naval war with theor U-nots/ At the beginning of the War Germany had only about 20 operational U-boats in its High Seas Fleet. They were commanded by Korvettenkapitän Hermann Bauer as Commander of U-boats (Führer der Unterseeboote, FdU). Their forward base was the fortified island of Heligoland, and as soon as hostilities with Russia threatened, they were deployed in a defensive screen in the North Sea (August 1). The Germans believed that their powerfulnArmy would gain a quick victory and it would be a short war. When the French stoped the Germany Army on the Marne (September 1914), it soon becme evident hat it would not be a short war. And the llkied navl blockade as the War prigressed began to impair the German war economy. And the German High Seas Fleet was simplu not large enough to breal through the allied vlockase. Spo the Navy had to come up with other operations and the inly real alternative wa U-boats. Grmany began a commerce war in the North Atlantic. The U-boat was a small fragile ship and its only advatage was stealth. This mean dicarding traditional standards in commerce war--meaning unrestricted submrine warfare. It proved highly controversial. The sinking of Lusitanoa shocjed public opinion. and the threat of American ivolvement caused the Germans to back away (1915). They continued, however, building U-boats. And as the war of attrition began to undermine the German war effort, the Germanbs finally decided to resume unrestricted submarine warfare ( The Imperial Navy's primary impact on World War I was to draw Britain into the War. In contrast, the German surface navy proved ineffective during World War I. The geography of Germany with coasts located on the Baltic and North Sea meant that invariably the British and Germans would confront each other in the North Sea. Ironically, some of the first engagements occurred in the Pacific leading to the Battle of the Falkalns in the South Atlantic (1915). Thre were surface engagements in the North Sea. The only major naval engagement, the Battle of Jutland (1916), was indecisive tatically although the Germanms did more damage to the British than the British did to the Germans. But as the Royal Navy blockade was left in tact, Jutland was a strategic victory for the Royal Navy. The German High Seas Fleet would never again sally out in force. The Germans after Jutland would greatly expand their small submarine (U-boat) fleet. There were also surface raiders, but it was the U-boats that were the real threat. It posed a major threat to the British supply system, but because of Tirpitz's focus on big-gun surface ships, the U-boat fleet was very small.
In the overall sweep of the War with millions dieing, the German sinking of Luisitania may seem today as a minor incident. It was not. The German invasion of Belgium and the harhness of the occupation authorities, especially as depicted in the British propagandam, had cast the Germans as the villians. The German sinking of Luistania confirmed this image in the American mind. It was an image the Germans could never shake and eventually lead to American entering the War. It was an reputation the Germans would more than live up to in the next War. From the very beginning the Germans claimed that Luisitania was not an innocent liner, but rather carrying statehic materials. The issue launched a historical debate. What was significant, however, that the Germans were firmly cast as the villans in the War. As was to prove the case for the U-boat campaign, the Germans achieved very minor tactical victories at immense strategic cost,
The major naval battle of the War was fought the Jutland Peninsula by the German High Seas Fleet and the British Grand Fleet. The German Fleet performed well at Jutland, but narrowly escaped destruction. They did not challenge the Home feet again.
The German Navy began the War with a very smal submarine force. At the time the military useof the submarine had not yet been worked out. Only as the War dragged on did the German Navy and the Kaiser come under pressure to use the U-boats against the British. This involved enormous roblems. Over the course of centuriesof naval warfare and blockades, a huge body of treaties and international law had developed concerning how to wage a guerre de course. The problem for the German Navy was that the U-boat violated much of the well established body of interntiinal law. This became important because after the sinking of the Lusitania (1915), the United States made it clear that it would not tolerate unresricted sunmarine warfare. After 3 years of war, a blockaded and starved Germany rejected President Wilson's mediatioin efforts and decided to roll the dice in a final effort to win the War. The Germans had greatly excpanded the U-boar fleet and were achieving success at sea even with restrictions. Russia was reeling. German admirals assured the Reichstag that U-boats would prevent the Americans from transporting an Army to France. The Kaiser declared unconditional submarine warfare and as expedcted the United States declared war in Germany (April 1917). The British introfuction of the convoy system and other anti-submarine warfare steps defeated the U-boat threat. The American Expeditional Force (AEF) reached France with miniscule losses. Thus just as the High Seas Fleet brought Britain ito the war preventing a German vitory in the first weeks of the War, the U-boats brought America into the War, guaranteeing a Germasn defeat.
After Jutland, the German Highseas Fleet was essentually bottled up in port. The Kaiser was unwilling to risk another fleet engagemnt. Finally facing collapse on the Western Front, the German adnmirals planned a desperate final fleet engagemen against the much larger Royal Navy, even though the Allied navalnforces were now bolstered with the substantial American fleet. The Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire) were engaged in discusions with the Allies t end the War. Bulgaria had already conclud an armistice (late-September). The end of the War was clearly approaching, although the terms had not been finalized. The German admirals were despondent over what ghe Allies were demanding as well as their failure in the conflict. The Admirals had failed in the the commerce war wih U-boats and the fleet actions with the British. And while the rmy had suffered enormous casualties, after Jutland, however, the major ships had sat idely in port. This was in part the Kaiser's orders, but the Admirals had assured the Kaiser that their U-boats would preven American troop transports from reaching Drance. It was a factor in his decissiins that brought America into the War. To redeam the Navy's honor, the Admiralty’s chief of staff, Reinhardt Scheer, planned to launch a climatic fleet engagement against the British Grand Home Fleet in the North Sea. Scheer explained, “An honorable battle by the fleet—even if it should be a fight to the death — will sow the seed of a new German fleet of the future. There can be no future for a fleet fettered by a dishonorable peace.” He did not inform Chancellor, Max von Baden. The orders were issued to sally forth on October 28. The sailors were of a different mind. They jnew the War was about to end and they were more interested in surviving the war. Most saw it as sennceless suicide mission which it clearly was. Scheer gave the order five times. The sailors resisted and the powerful ships did not move. Scheer order the arrest of sailors and over 1,000 were arrested. The Imperial Fleet which the Kaiser has so counted on was immobilized. Scheer's orders had far reaching conseuences beyond the Navy. The resistance spread. The sailors and industrial workers seizd control of Kiel, Grmany's most importnt navl base (October 30). The revolt spread to Hamburg, Bremen and Lubeck (November 4 and 5). Munich rose up (November 7). This was a factor in Socialist members of the Reichstag to declare the a republic (November 9). Kaiser Wilhelm quickly abdication. And in short order, Germany accpted Allied term for an armidtice (November 11).
After Jutland, the Germany Navy never again seriously challenged the Grand Fleet. As the Allied began to crack the Hindenburg Line, the High Command prepared a sally in force, knowing that it was virtual suiside. The saolors on the vessels, realising that it was a futile gesture and that the War was about to end, refused to obey orders. At Versailles, Germany was required to surrender the fleet. The Germans did sail the fleet to Scappa Flow, but to the surprise of the British, the Germans sculted most of the battlships.
The German highseas fleet by its very existence meant that Britain could not allow Germany to occupy the Low Countries. Thus when the Germans invaded neutral Belgium (August 1914), Britain immediately declared war and dispatched the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to assist the embattled Belgian Army. While the BEF did not stop the German advance, they did help the Belgians slow the Germans down and this allowed the French stop the Germans at the Marne. This action can not be ovr emphasized. If the Germans were to win the War, it would most likely be in the first months of the War, before the British an Russians could mobilize their resources. The U-boats proved to be the most important arm of the German Navy and while they for a time threatned British commerce, their major accomplishment was to bring the United states into the War. Thus the principal impact of the Germany Navy was to draw both Britain and America into the War. And just as the British made it posible for the French to hold the western Front, the Americans made it posible for the Allies to win the War. The American infantry and And American financial support would proved to be the principal factor in the Allied victory (1918).
The Imperial Navy was largely destroyed at Scapa Flow in 1919 by its own officers, after Germany's defeat.
Friedrich, Meinecke. Meinecke had nationalist, but liberal view. He was also anti-semitic and supported the NAZI World War II invasion of Poland.
Tirpitz, Alfred von. Draft memo from the Budget Separtment of the Umoerial Naval Office," (February 1900).
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Lusitania (1915)
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Highseas Fleet Mutiny (October 28, 1918)
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Created: 5:32 PM 5/28/2012
Last updated: 4:00 AM 5/17/2018
