War at sea Flashcards
(6 cards)
1
Q
What was the war at sea?
A
- Control of the sea was vital - ensured supplies could reach people at home and soldiers abroad
- both sides were reluctant to actually engage their navies - risk of suffering damage - number of small battles in early part of the war - largely stalemate on land
2
Q
The blockade of Germany?
A
- In Nov. 1914 Britain declared that the North Sea was a war zone - German ships in this area could be boarded and have cargo seized
- Blockade meant vital german supplies could not get through
3
Q
German plan Battle of Jutland?
A
- german admiral reinhard scheer felt best way to defeat British navy was ato force it into open sea
- he planned for some german ships to act as bait in north sea - british would sail out to meet them - rest of German fleet would then sail up behind British, trapping them
4
Q
Battle of Jutland?
A
- plan was put into action but british decoded German messages and knew what to expect
- despite this - british ship was destroyed in first 20 minutes - 3 further ships sunk even before arrival of full german fleet
- when rest of british fleet arrived from scapa flow, germans sailed north - british ships planned to attack them on their way home
- 2 more firefighrs before germans returned to their base
5
Q
Results of battle of jutland?
A
- Germans claimed victory based on number of ships destroyed and casualties
- British claimed victory - germans fled site and required huge repairs - also remained in harbour rest of war
6
Q
U boat campaign?
A
- germans made use of u boats throughout war - particularly targeted british cargo ships
- british made land mines - disguised warships known as cargo ships (Q ships) - acted as trap for U boatsa
- U boats destroyed huge numbers of cargo ships - by Feb 1917 - said that B had 6 weeks of food left
- B supply ships began to sail in a convoy system surrounded by warships and aircraft - helped dramatically
- sinking of lusitania by a german U boat played important role in USA coming into war
