Blockades and Uboats

1
Blockades and U-boats
2
Blockading Britain

• The Germans knew that they would be hard pressed
  to defeat the British navy.
• They did, however, believe that they could cause
  huge problems for Britain by stopping supplies.

3
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

• The Germans declared a war zone around Britain
  into which they sent their U-boats or submarines.
• They declared that they would sink any supply
  ship in this area.

4
Countering the U-boats.

• Floodlights and mines were put on the Dover
  channel to stop U-boats using it.
• The British introduced a Convoy system to
  protect supply ships coming to the country.
• In 1917, Britain was in trouble, running out of
  food supplies, but by 1918, the convoy system
  began to work.

5
Angering America

• This policy of the Germans meant damage and
  casualties to other countries not involved in the
  war particularly America.
• Famously, a British ship, the Lusitania, was sunk
  with 128 American passengers on board. This was
  one reason America joined the war.

6
The British response

• Britain also saw the value of blockading supply
  ships from Germany.
• They forced any ship heading for Germany to be
  stopped and searched with key supplies being
  removed.
• This was a key factor in Germanys defeat.

7
Blockades and U-boats
True or False