The Rise of the Empire

"According to this idea, the British must adopt a near-shore blockade to deal with the French, because France's ports in the Atlantic Ocean allow the fleet to enter and leave the Atlantic easily, so the British must spend time and effort deploying the fleet at the door of the French. But For Germany, they don’t need it, because the North Sea is a semi-enclosed sea area, and they only need to block the Denmark Strait to ensure the safety of shipping routes.”

"This is also the reason why I think the strategic significance of the High Seas Fleet is currently limited. Our position is too bad. If we can't defeat the British fleet, then we can't enter the Atlantic Ocean. The former is a bit difficult for us. I don't think everyone here can Ignore this, right? Therefore, the British do not need to approach the blockade at all, they only need to deploy the Grand Fleet at the northern tip of the British Isles to look after the prison of the North Sea like a prison guard." The prince said.

"But what if we attack the British coastal cities? The British will not sit idly by." Tirpitz thought for a while and said. This is also the main action of the so-called limited attack of the German Navy after the war in history.

"Okay, let me make my thoughts clear. If I were a high-ranking British officer, I would divide the fleet into three parts. First, I would gather the most powerful battleships and deploy them in Scapa Flow and Cromerty, implement a far-reaching blockade on the German navy. As long as the German navy cannot leave the North Sea, it will not be able to threaten the safety of British shipping. If you want to come, well, the British main fleet, which is waiting for work, welcomes you very much. "

"Secondly, most of the fast warships and old battleships will be deployed in southern ports such as Portsmouth, Portland, etc. The old warships will perform the task of laying mines and covering the British Expeditionary Force in the English Channel. The fast fleet will be responsible for protecting The safety of the British coast. Of course, this alone does not guarantee the effectiveness of the blockade. While deploying their own fleet, the British also need to understand our dynamics!"

"So, I will use light cruisers and a small number of fast capital ships to form a fleet to approach the coast of Germany, and monitor the actions of the High Seas Fleet at all times. They move quickly and their whereabouts are erratic, like a pack of wolves. When they find a small fleet , They may come up to take a bite. And when a large-scale fleet is dispatched, they will immediately rule the British mainland, so that they will form a phased network."

"By the way, there is another point. In addition to defending the fleet, they will also deploy another fleet of old-fashioned cruisers to inspect merchant ships. There are two main waterways entering and leaving the North Sea. One is the Orkney Islands. The 65-kilometer waterway between the Shetland Islands and the Shetland Islands, and the 165-kilometer waterway between the Shetland Islands and the Norwegian coast.The northern part of the North Sea has always been known for bad weather and low visibility. If Let’s not talk about attrition in the case of capital ships, the number is not enough, of course, more importantly, it is not needed! Therefore, I will divide it into several areas and use old-fashioned cruisers to block and inspect them.” The prince said.

"Wait, here is a problem. If we ship through neutral countries, what will the British do? In addition, in addition to warring countries, there are also neutral countries that need to import materials. If we buy materials through neutral countries, how will the British cut off? ?” Tirpitz asked.

"It's very simple! Neutral countries import a certain amount of materials every year. The British can limit the imports of neutral countries to the pre-war level. These materials are only enough for the neutral countries to use. If you are a neutral country, you will sell them again. Give it to Germany? Or decide to stand with Germany and go to war against Britain because of this issue?" **** sneered.

"Think about it, the British Grand Fleet is so powerful, do you choose to be neutral and get enough quota for yourself, or stand on the side of Germany and get nothing?" The prince's answer made the Tirpitz was speechless.

"As for the materials from neutral countries? The British have too many ways to deal with them. For example, the contraband shipped to Germany can be confiscated, or the British can force them to buy them. In order to ensure that they are not deceived, the British can also establish one or two An officer, a signal soldier, and a boarding team composed of several armed sailors to monitor the movement of the civilian ship, rest assured, under the strong suppression of the British royal family, no one dares to resist!"

In fact, historically, the British have adopted the method of the prince in enforcing the material blockade, and the effect can be very significant. Each auxiliary cruiser carries more than a dozen boarding groups. From the beginning of the war to the end of 1917, they intercepted and recovered 12,979 ships were inspected, 1,816 ships were protected by armed forces, another 2,039 ships took the initiative to accept inspections, and only 642 ships slipped through the net, only about 4.1% of the total! The cost of the British assistance is only 9 auxiliary cruisers and 1165 lives! Just block the material channels in Germany!

This blockade can definitely be regarded as a classic use of sea power by the British Royal Navy. These auxiliary cruisers converted from dozens of merchant ships used a very economical but efficient method with the support of the large fleet. Germany's blockade can be described as victorious and invisible!

Generally speaking, His Royal Highness has informed the German high-level of all the methods and strategies adopted by the British in history, and this strategy is very efficient under historical conditions! Even in this plane, at least none of you here can figure out a way to break this strategy! Whether it is Tirpitz or Bohr, this is an economical, feasible and efficient method!

Of course, if you want to ask whether the British have thought about continuing the near-shore blockade? Then **** can tell him, really thought about it, even in history to 1911, Causal Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson still insisted on this view. But then it was discovered that the cost of such a blockade was too high for the British to bear, so this plan came about after Churchill came to power. Of course, it needs to be explained that the British Grand Fleet is not an otaku. Cruises are usually about 2 weeks apart.

"What the British did was a barbaric war that killed women and children. They trampled on international conventions and actually attacked neutral ships. It's unbelievable!" Admiral Liao Le said, wiping his handkerchief.

"What's so unbelievable about this? Your Excellency the old Mao Qi said a long time ago that there is only strength between countries, and what is public international law?" the prince said helplessly. In fact, what the British did in history did violate the public international law at that time. When the British accused the Germans of shelling undefended ports, the British also violated the law they signed!

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