#51
The German strategy is finalized.
The Germans took their leave to freshen up before the conference resumed. Alfred
Tirpitz asked Chancellor Bethmann if he thought that the Kaiser was well enough to
continue with the meeting.
“The reason I ask you this, is that my remarks about the German navy and its ability to
involve itself with the British navy might upset His Majesty and cause him permanent
mental damage. After all, if we go to war, Germany needs Wilhelm as a strong,
unflagging and unfailing leader. In my mind, there is no one currently available to replace
him.”
Theobald looked about himself and seeing no one else nearby, whispered in Alfred’s
ear, “Willy is a lot stronger than you give him credit for. Yes, he goes off the deep end on
occasion, but I find that for him, it is sort of a psychological catharsis. What sets him off
is when he meets people in the know and who do not level with him about important
issues. As long as the General Staff keeps him fully abreast of military activities for good
or ill, he will maintain a sane behavior and keep the ship on an even keel.”
From out in the hallway, they heard the Kaiser jovially shouting, “Gentlemen, what
say you that we get our asses to the table and finish this business before the second
coming of Christ!”
Without waiting for an introduction, Albert Tirpitz took the floor and remained
standing throughout the meeting. “When I was asked for a sea war plan, I had first to ask
myself three questions. What is the political object of the war? What are the political
conditions, and how much does the question at issue mean respectively to us and to our
adversary? These conditions determine the nature of a sea war. Thus, my staff and I have
carefully designed such a plan."
“The political objective of the proposed war will be to defend our territory from
enemy incursions and invasion. However, this does not mean that our navy plays a purely
defensive role. On the contrary, it is axiomatic that counter-attack is the soul of defense.
An admiral, who sees positive results ahead, must employ offensive action."
“At this time, the German navy has inferior strength compared to that of the British
navy. Add the Royal Navy to that of France, we find ourselves at a major disadvantage.
“We plan to follow a strategy of a judicious defensive attitude, until, at a propitious
moment, a successful counterattack will be made and an offensive movement begun. We
do not want to experience the same fate as the Spanish Armada!"
Willy looked from side to side. “What about morale? Is the navy willing to sit in port
while a war goes on?”
“Morale,” replied Albert, stroking his long, forked beard, “will be kept up by an alert
readiness to fight, and by frequent minor incursions which will result in clashes with an
unsuspecting enemy. Of course, many of our craft will be on active duty and as they
succeed in their hit-and-run tactics in the seven seas, the pride of the Navy will increase.”
“Hit and run tactics?” said Wilhelm. “We Germans never run!”
“Thank you, Sire,” laughed the Admiral. “I think I’ll use that for my naval motto! In
the Mediterranean Sea, we are prepared to work closely with Austria and Italy to rid the
Adriatic Sea of enemy shipping. I have ordered the cruisers Goeben and Breslau to the
Adriatic. On short notice, they will move toward the Strait of Gibraltar and ready to dash
about the Mediterranean. Happily, the Austrian navy has agreed to cooperate with us.
Now we are awaiting a response from the Italians.”
“At the outset of a conflict, we have developed important plans for a number of sea
raids that will harass shipping lanes in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. For example,
the light cruiser Emden is a unit of our German China squadron based at Tsingtao under
Admiral Maximilian von Spee. The Emden goes to the Indian Ocean to cruise at will and
destroy as much Allied shipping as possible. Along the coast of India, we will place
several cruisers, the newly finished Wolf being one of them.”
“In German East Africa, the Konigsberg stationed at Dar-es-Salaam, will proceed to
cover the western Indian Ocean and the east coast of Africa and do as much mischief as
possible."
“In the Atlantic, we have the Karlsruhe, a modern fast cruiser, available for raiding.
Currently she is “innocently” visiting American east coast ports.”
“In the south Atlantic, the Seeadler, under the command of Count Felix von Luckner,
will sink enemy shipping seeking the safety of South American harbors. He has orders to
pass around Cape Horn and attack shipping in the Pacific if good conditions prevail.”
“Strategically placed colliers, hidden from enemy eyes, will supply our cruisers with
coal and supplies. If worse comes to worse, the colliers carry owner’s papers from
Argentina and Uruguay. If stopped by a British ship, our captains will quickly raise a flag
of one of those nations. Who is to know the difference? Verdad amigos?"
“I have already alerted the Kaiser at our annual armed forces review that it was
admitted in naval matters, Germany was not even close to the British sea power. We
admirals all agree that Britain can only be defeated by a power that seizes permanent
command of the seas. It has to be with a fleet the same size as the Royal Navy plus
superior in big battleships."
“Now, gentlemen, it is obviously beyond the capacity of the current German economy
to support both a great army and a huge naval fleet that would outgrow the British.
Therefore, it seems to us that the only thing we can do is to bluff Triple Entente into
believing that we might catch up to them.” Tirpitz pointed to a large wall map. “There
have been conversations between British and French naval and army experts for the past
two years. They have spent a lot of time producing plans of naval and military operations
that France and Britain are to take jointly. The French navy is to be concentrated in the
Mediterranean and the British fleet is to cover the French northern coast.”
“So, Albert,” asked Wilhelm, “what is our navy up against in case of war?”
The admiral pulled a small notebook from his vest pocket from which he proceeded to
read the data listed therein.
“Currently, the British have twenty dreadnoughts with five more in the process of
construction. France has seven dreadnoughts. Add to these a total of seventy older
battleships and thirty battle cruisers in both nations. We know that the French and British
are pushing hard to increase their submarine fleet."
“Our Triple Alliance has a fair sized navy. Germany has sixteen dreadnoughts. Italy
and Austria can supply eight dreadnoughts. The three powers have a total of fifty-five
battleships and fifty battle cruisers. Currently, our submarine fleet is small with twenty
ships. Our ship builders are working three shifts a day building the undersea crafts.”
Wilhelm seemed to look more relaxed at the naval comparisons."
“Let me say at first,” continued Tirpitz, “that our Navy is not an end in itself, but
always functions in the interests of our maritime fleet. Remember, gentlemen, the flag
has to follow trade. When our victorious war is over, we will see an increase in the
import-export economy as never before.”
The Kaiser sat up and raised an empty glass. “Our fleet of passenger ships will
become the finest in the world! So far our steamers hold most of the world speed
records!” Then, he added jovially, “We will continue along that path, unless one of ours
hits an iceberg or two!”
“Don’t even suggest it!” shouted Theobald.
Tirpitz ignored the interruption. He folded his arms and continued in his serious
mode. “I have developed a risk theory whereby if our navy became strong enough, the
British will try to avoid a conflict with our fleet. If the two navies fight, the German navy
will lose. However, since Britain relies on her navy to maintain control over the British
Empire, I believe that they would rather keep control of their Empire, and let Germany
become a world power, than lose the empire as the cost of keeping Germany weak.
Today, Great Britain can easily deny us entrance to the North Sea and the English
Channel. If they succeed in that, Germany is in trouble!”
“It has been suggested that our navy might have to rely on two things: mining and
submarines. We can lay thousands of explosive mines but they are not always effective.
Submarines are new to us and I had strong reservations about their use in wartime. My
staff has been busy giving the new undersea boats stringent tests. The results exceeded
my wildest hopes. We may have a solution to meeting the threat of the smug-thinking
British. I can foresee a situation whereby German undersea boats sail to every corner of
the earth ready to sink enemy ships. If so, we might be able to starve the English in just a
few months. Now, I see submarines as our ace-in-the-hole!”
“Wunderbar!” shouted Wilhelm.
“My admirals suggest that if a major naval battle occurs, we should entice the British
toward the Skagerrak off the Danish Jutland Peninsula. In case of an emergency, it is
close to our German ports to which we can rapidly flee to safety.”
Moltke spoke up. “Yes, Alfred, but I expect to defeat the British army in about a
fortnight. So, if we beat the British army, why chance a sea battle? The war will be over.”
“I am glad that you are so confident, General Moltke, my old pal, but the English
army will simply slip across the Channel to the safety of their Isles. If Napoleon couldn’t
invade them, I doubt if Germany will be able to do so, either!”
The Kaiser looked up and announced that it was time to consider another matter. “We
have to insure that Austria-Hungary is with us one-hundred percent. Therefore, I suggest
that I visit Emperor Franz Josef and, so to speak, test the waters in Vienna. What do you
men think about that?”
Moltke leaned forward, his hands grasping the table’s edge. “That’s a damn fine idea,
Willy. I also believe that you should visit Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir
apparent.”
“Do you think that it is necessary to do that?” asked Wilhelm.
“Yes, indeed,” replied Helmuth. “Remember that the Emperor is a doddering eighty-four
or more years old! Christ, he could fall over dead at any moment! So, let’s get him to
agree with our strategy and very soon, richtig?”
During the late evening, when the conference was over, Wilhelm and Herbie walked
barefooted along the beach. The sand was cool to the soles. The topic of great German
generals arose. Although it was after nine o’clock at night, the sun was low on the
horizon and gave a golden hue to the nearby Hohenzollern. They could see crew
members busy with their chores.
Schornstein, unaffectedly, asked the Kaiser who was his favorite German general.
The Kaiser puffed on his meerschaum pipe a few times. “Let me think about that
Herbie.” He then tapped his pipe on a clamshell and the ashes disappeared in the brisk
sea wind.
Helmuth von Moltke naturally takes first place. After all, his great military skill and
judgment gave us victory in three major wars in a half-dozen years. Under his guidance,
we defeated Denmark in 1864, Austria-Hungary in 1866, and France in 1871. In my
judgment, he equaled or surpassed Napoleon Bonaparte. Without von Moltke, Germany
would not exist today. Like George Washington, he united his country. Fortunately, for
us monarchs, he had no interest in becoming king. He has honored me on many occasions
by discussing his war stories and his theories of strategy and tactics. At his death, I was
inconsolable for days.”
Herbie sighed and said that he wished that he had known the Count.
Willy nodded his agreement. “You would have met a shy, retiring man who looked
more like a bürgermeister than a field marshal.”
“Of course, I place General Karl von Clausewitz near the top of my list. Before he
died in 1831, he wrote a three-volume masterpiece on the science of war. His books are
my bible. Any commanding officer who has not read this genius will most likely face an
early death or retirement. Have you read his work, Herbie?”
“Well Chief, I’ve planned to do so for sometime now. However, a certain monarch
keeps me so busy that I cannot find time to read more than the Berlin newspapers.”
The Kaiser chuckled so loudly that a passerby stared at him."
“I’ll be honest with you Herbie, if you won’t tell anyone, that there is a lot that von
Clausewitz writes that I have difficulty in comprehending. Verstehst du?”
“Yes, Sire,” snickered Herbie. “I understand.”
The Kaiser stopped and stared out across the softly rolling surf. “I will add a third
general, little known nowadays and that is Gebhard von Blucher.”
“Is he the one whose name you christened your latest heavy cruiser with?”
Willy nodded. “Yes, He is the very one.”
“At any rate, his timely army maneuver in 1815 caught Napoleon by surprise. But for
Blucher, Bonaparte would have avoided defeat at Waterloo. He might even have whipped
Wellington.”
The two men continued their walk in silence.
“Chief, what are your thoughts about our younger Helmuth von Moltke? I know, of
course, that he was your personal selection to lead the General Staff.”
“Moltke was highly recommended to me for Chief of the General Staff by many
general officers even before our great General Heinrich von Schlieffen retired from the
post.”
“Moltke told me that he basically supported the old general’s “swinging door” plan for
a war against France by which the German seven armies are to swing around a central
“hinge” and crush French resistance. In a way, the younger Moltke could become
Germany’s main warrior, as his uncle before him. I saw a certain anxiety in his face as he
stood before me when I announced his promotion. He knew that I had decided to retire
von Schlieffen, who was seventy-three years of age. It is a post that demands not only
great industry, but also undiminished physical energy. A younger man was needed to face
the dangers in modern Europe.”
The two men had reached the pathway that led to the mansion.
“By the way Herbie, sweetheart, we leave for Vienna in three days. Are you ready to
pack and go with me?”
“Chief, I never unpack. With you running around like a rooster with his head cut off, I
keep my luggage locked and ready!”
Willy kissed Herbie several times. “I don’t know what I would do without you, young
fellow!”
The next morning, the group prepared to leave the estate. Johann and Johanna looked
as though they would genuinely miss the rascally group of men. After handshakes and
kisses all around, the entourage walked down the pathway leading to the pier. Within a
few moments, the Hohenzollern gave a blast of its horn and sailed for home.
In Baron Dichtener's library great hearth, the last of the wood embers gave a final burst of
light and then all was dark.
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