This on-line edition of Admiral Reinhard Scheer's World War One memoirs is based directly on the original, published in 1920. Admiral Scheer, who assumed command of the entire German High Seas Fleet in 1916, was in favor of both an aggressive surface fleet policy and unrestricted submarine warfare. On May 31, 1916, he led the German fleet into the battle of Jutland, one of the great naval battles of this century. In the battle, the German fleet performed admirably against the Royal Navy, but it was unable to change the strategic realities of the naval blockade which continued to strangle Germany. The Germans referred to Jutland as The Battle of the Skagerrak.
Includes 26 illustrations, battle maps and portraits of the Naval War 1914-1918 Known to his own sailors as the “Man with the Iron Mask”, Admiral Reinhard Scheer was a hardened dedicated sailor. It was his relentless drive that enabled him to overcome his limited social background and gain the highest rank in the Kaiserliche Marine. His memoirs are of great interest to historians of the First World War and the nascent German ‘Great Power’ status. Broadly divided into three sections, the first part of his memoirs concentrates on the German Fleet’s activities during the first years of the war, including the bombardment of the coast of Britain, which came as such a shock to the Allies. The second, which naturally dominates his memoirs, are his great exploits at the Battle of Jutland or Skaggerak in command of the cruiser squadron which caused such damage to the British Fleet. The third and final part recounts his time as chief of staff of the German Navy, as an advocate of unrestricted Naval Warfare he recounts his lobbying of the Emperor and the methods and experiences of the U-Boats under his command. A thoroughly gripping Naval read. Author — Admiral Reinhard Scheer (1863-1928) Translator — Anon. Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in New York [etc.] Cassell and company, ltd., 1920. Original Page Count – xiv and 375 pages.
Anglo-German naval rivalry before 1914 had been expected to culminate in a cataclysmic fleet action in the North Sea once war was declared, a battle upon which the outcome of the war would depend: yet the two fleets met only once, at Jutland in 1916, and the battle was far from conclusive. In his own account of the war in the North Sea, first published in 1920, Admiral Scheer, the German commander at Jutland, gives his own explanation for the failure of either fleet to achieve the decisive victory expected of it, particularly the failure of his own operational plans that resulted in the battle of Jutland. Admiral Scheer's account of the Great War is far more than the operations of the High Sea Fleet. For anyone unfamiliar with the war at sea as seen from the German side, it is an excellent introduction to much more - U-boat development and operations; mines and minesweeping; Zeppelin design and their role in fleet operations and raids on England. (Admiral Scheer only ever refers to England and the English Navy.)
When Prussia, with her German allies, went to war with the French Empire under Napoleon III, her navy sat with tons of barnacles on the hulls of her battleships. Her navy was small, ineffective, without doctrine and destitute of funding. As nascent Germany struggled to become a ‘Great Power’, the navy was to be thoroughly updated. The man who took on this challenge was Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, a seasoned sailor who was given huge power as the Secretary of State for the Imperial Navy Office to ring the changes and produce a force that would be a political weapon on the World Stage. Tirpitz and his officers set to work without any of the preconceptions that hamstrung their only obvious opponent, the Royal Navy, and advanced the idea of submarines and torpedoes as critical weapons of Naval importance. The fruits of his labours produced a potent navy which sought to antagonize the Royal Navy into conflict, and during the only major engagement of the First World War at Jutland, their superior gunnery caused much damage to the British Fleet. He was, however, hoisted by his own petard in 1916, brought down by his own restless advocacy of unrestricted submarine warfare. Author — Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, 1849-1930. Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in New York, Dodd, Mead, and company, 1919. Original Page Count – 428 pages
Anglo-German naval rivalry before 1914 had been expected to culminate in a cataclysmic fleet action in the North Sea once war was declared, a battle upon which the outcome of the war would depend: yet the two fleets met only once, at Jutland in 1916, and the battle was far from conclusive. ??In his own account of the war in the North Sea, first published in 1920, Admiral Scheer, the German commander at Jutland, gives his own explanation for the failure of either fleet to achieve the decisive victory expected of it, particularly the failure of his own operation plans that resulted in the battle of Jutland. ??This book is an invaluable account of one of the most important theatres of the First World War, written by one of its most senior commanders.
In 1933 the Admiralty banned 'Blinker' Hall from publishing his autobiography, but here, for the first time, those chapters that survived are presented in full. See what the renowned spymaster had to say about the British Naval Intelligence – the pinnacle of the world's secret intelligence services. He explores the function of secret intelligence in wartime, censorship, subterfuge, the significance of Churchill in the Dardanelles campaign, the Zimmermann Telegram, the USA's entry to the First World War and more. With supporting text and images by Philip Vickers and a foreword by expert author Nigel West, A Clear Case of Genius provides a unique insight into the thinking of one of Britain's pioneering intelligence leaders.
Rear Admiral Raja Menon contends that nations embroiled in Continental wars have historically had poor maritime strategies. He develops the argument that navies that have been involved in such wars have made poor contributions to politial objectives, and outlines future strategies.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.