It seemed appropriate to review these two books together. Both are excellent, and the Konstam book seems almost an extension of the latter part of Nottelmann. Coming in at a whopping three pounds, From Ironclads to Dreadnoughts: The Development of the German Battleship, 1864-1918 feels like a flashback to the days before publication and illustration costs and e-book popularity made such remarkable books a rarity.
That said, the content of From Ironclads is encyclopedic in its amount and quality of information. As the title suggests, it describes the evolution of German warship development—from the early stages of purchasing ships built in other countries, to German design and construction, all with political and economic considerations in the great competition primarily with the mighty Royal Navy.
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| German Ironclad SMS Kaiser Max |
The development of the German battleship is parallel to the development of the nation itself, from unification to the great power of the Germany that fought the Great War. While symbolically this is clear, it then becomes ironic that the Imperial Navy played such a minor role in the actual war it was all leading toward. One point the authors make clear is that the goal of the German navy was not to surpass the British but to be able to build enough to be close (a 2:3 ratio was the more realistic goal).
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| This Title Can Be Ordered HERE |
As noted at the beginning of this review, Angus Konstam’s book German High Seas Fleet, 1914-1918 is a good continuing step in the story by Nottlemann and Sullivan. German High Seas Fleet begins in 1914, when most of the political and indeed cultural goals and dreams of a world-class German navy were on the brink of attainment. One of the reasons the two books are combined in this review is that Konstam explains some of those developing goals in a more concise, understandable manner.
The best example of this is Tirpitz’s Risk Theory (Risikogedanke). Tirpitz recognized Germany could not catch up to or surpass the size of the Royal Navy; his compromise goal was the Risk Theory. Stated plainly (thanks to Konstam) the principle of Risk Theory is that Germany would produce the biggest, most modern and powerful navy possible. This navy, while not as big as the Royal Navy, would be powerful enough, especially if allied with other nations’ navies, to make a direct confrontation with it too dangerous for the British to risk. Yes, the Royal Navy would most likely prevail in such a battle, but losses would be so catastrophic that the victory would be Pyrrhic at best. This risk would keep the British from directly challenging Germany’s navy in combat. It can certainly be argued that the Battle of Jutland ultimately disproved both Britain’s unwillingness to engage and their inability to risk potential losses.
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| Elements of the High Seas Fleet in Kiel Harbor |
Ideally, the Nottlemann/Sullivan and Konstam books should be read together. Ironclads to Dreadnoughts provides the background and a remarkable collection of images, facts and figures, while German High Seas Fleet explains things in such a way that it all makes sense.
James B. Thomas, PhD
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