German Submarine Warfare 1914-1918 in the Eyes - British Naval ...

On a typical day like 7 May 1915, the following ocean-going submarines were
in the Atlantic on merchant war cruises:
• U-9 off the East coast of England
• U-20 off the Irish south coast
• U-27 third day out somewhere in the northern North Sea
• U-30 returning from a cruise in the Atlantic, two days before reaching base
• U-36 between Scotland and Norway
• U-39 off the Scottish coast
U-26 was on patrol against the Russians in the Baltic.
Merchant ships sunk:
• Lusitania, 30,396 BRT, passenger steamer, torpedoed without warning by
U-20; 1,198 dead.
• Bennington, fishing vessel of 131 BRT, sunk by gunfire by U-39 according to
prize rules, no losses.
Such was a typical day during the first unrestricted war phase in 1915, when
four submarines cruised the British Isles. U-boats were not yet viewed as a deadly
menace. Their presence was virtually dismissed as a German propaganda bogyman
to distraction attention away from the failure of the battleship fleet.
German Submarine Warfare 1916
Almost two years into the war, the army had become around to supporting
unrestrictive warfare. “[Chief of Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, said in Mid April, 1916] that
the recent results would let it be presumed, that unrestricted submarine warfare causes eight to ten
times more sinkings, and that he feels absolutely sure England would finally be ready for peace
within three months.” 48
The army actually did not depend on navy numbers. 49 In fact, the navy used
published sinking numbers to gain public support for unrestricted submarine
warfare by presenting the submarine as a Wunderwaffe. Pressure on the government
grew immensely. Reasonable statesmen like Bethmann-Hollweg, opposed to
unrestricted submarine war, were publicly vilified as “English allies.” In fact,
exaggeration had obscured the truth. Out where the war was being prosecuted in
1916 there were no sinkings in October followed by a modest 226 BRT score in
November and a heftier 15,000 BRT by U-24 and UB-10 in December. By January
of the following year eight small fishing vessels by UB-6, UB-16, and UB-17 in the
North Sea; one lone steamer of 1,058 BRT by UB-18 in the Channel chalked up a
combined total of 1,447 BRT for the month. In February, 1916 three fishing
48 Afflerbach, Falkenhayn, p. 392: Treutler to Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg regarding a discussion
with Falkenhayn on or before 14 April 1916. Translation by the editor.
49 It has been argued that Falkenhayn hoped to use the suspension of unrestricted warfare to
exonerate the army in the event the battle of Verdun did not end in his favour. Failure in the field
would be attributed to the unhindered resupply of British ammunition transports for the French
Army. It is an interesting rumour, only.
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