Chapter 9: The Unstable Youth (Three)

  The naval conference held at the Berlin Admiralty on November 18, 1914, also known as the "Turning Conference of 1914", had a profound impact on the High Seas Fleet and the maritime situation during World War I: A group of talented young people who dared to take responsibility took the stage, and for the first time, the strategic goals and armament development of the High Seas Fleet were clearly planned. The brilliant Heidegger-Sailer even proposed three more concise elements than Mahan's sea power theory at the meeting: geography, resources, and strategy and tactics.

  From the end of 1914 to early 1915, Heidegger-Sailer published three papers: "Breaking Distant Blockades", "Resource Wars" and "Fleet in the Age of Dreadnoughts". These three papers, together with Wolfgang Wegener's three articles written between June and August 1915 - "Thoughts on Our Maritime Situation", "Can We Improve Our Current Situation?" and "Naval Base Policy and Fleet" - were revised after the war into "Naval Strategy in World War I", becoming a required textbook for naval academies around the world.

  Although British intelligence reported to the Admiralty on vague intelligence about the "Turn of 1914", Winston Churchill and William R. Hall (Director of Naval Intelligence, nicknamed "Blinker") were also alerted, but neither Churchill nor "Blinker" could anticipate the impact of the "Turn of 1914" on naval warfare, which would manifest itself in the Battle of Jutland in 1915 and the Battle of the Otranto Barrage in 1917.

  Excerpt from "The Grand Fleet in World War I" by Reinhard Scheer.

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  After an hour of wrangling and compromise, the conservative and obstinate Navy Department finally reached a consensus on the issue of cipher leaks: change ciphers, try to find out as much as possible about British progress in deciphering German naval ciphers, and conduct strategic deception accordingly. Increase eavesdropping and deciphering work on the British telegraph system, and avoid using wireless telegrams as far as possible.

  At Wang Haitao's repeated request, the issue of wireless telecommunication technology and low-power radio stations for communication between warships was also put on the agenda.

  "In 1913, due to the army's massive expansion and mobilization plans, manpower and resources were extremely scarce, so the four Bayern-class battleships originally scheduled to start construction in 1913 had to be postponed until 1914. In 1914, the Navy received a budget of 470 million marks, which was only enough to lay down two capital ships after mobilizing the reserve fleet and preparing for war, as well as converting Derfflinger into an aircraft carrier."

  The newly appointed Chief of the Naval General Staff from Silesia Province Brauers swept his gaze across the room, his old face not revealing a single ripple.

  "Thanks to Admiral Scheer, the brilliant victories in the Battle of Heligoland Bight and the Dogger Bank have given the Navy Department a strong case for demanding more resources from the military high command. The Emperor has also privately assured me that next year's budget will include funding for five new battleships. It is worth considering whether the High Seas Fleet needs more battlecruisers like Derfflinger or super-dreadnoughts like Bayern."

  On November 17, the British across the North Sea announced that the iron duke and Orion-class battleship renovation work was completed ahead of schedule (the iron duke temporarily stopped the power transformation project), and the Ireland-class battleship, which was making corresponding changes to the Mediterranean climate, returned to the fleet with the Indomitable and Inflexible, which were executing the blockade mission in the Aegean Sea. The Grand Fleet had 21 battleships and 6 battlecruisers (the British also counted the Invincible), while at this time, the High Seas Fleet only had 15 main battleships and 4 battlecruisers, falling into a disadvantage.

  Facing the dual pressure of the Royal Navy and Emperor Wilhelm, General Hugo von Pohl, who carried enough sleeping pills, took office with a clear banner, canceling the ambitious combat cruise of the High Seas Fleet. However, as the holder of the Naval General Staff with the right to plan battles, Pohl was indeed a naval man and did not oppose adding ships to the existence fleet.

  In 1898, Congress passed the First Navy Expansion Act, which historians consider to be the starting point of the Anglo-German naval arms race and a decade-long competition that was romanticized as a chivalrous struggle between two nations.

  In fact, the German and British navies were not on an equal footing in the naval arms race between the two countries. The British had a small but insignificant army that could be ignored, while the Royal Navy was free to take 80% of military spending; In contrast, the traditional German Army made it difficult for the High Seas Fleet, which was mockingly called "the Emperor's toy", to develop, with the German Army budgeting $442 million in 1914, while the Navy had only a paltry $112 million.

  Although the young German Empire and its emperor waved their swords and naval flags, demanding territories under the sun from the ocean, the gap between the maritime nation and the continental nation was exposed in military expenditure.

  In the fiscal year 1899-1900, the German Navy's budget was $319 million, France's was $567 million, America's was $574 million, Russia's was $449 million, and Britain's was $1.19 billion, with the British Navy's budget being 3.74 times that of Germany.

  In the fiscal year 1905-1906, the German Navy's budget was $561 million, while Britain's was $1.63 billion, making the British Navy's budget 2.9 times that of Germany.

  In the fiscal year 1913-1914, the British Navy's budget was $2.37 billion, while Germany's was $1.12 billion, with the British Navy's budget being 2.11 times that of Germany.

  This was merely the difference in naval expenditure, specifically in terms of naval equipment costs. Between 1907 and 1914, Germany's appropriations for naval construction were only equivalent to 40% of those of the British Navy during the same period. The German Navy could only afford to build four capital ships per year or every two years, while the British could build a frightening seven!

  However, the meager military expenditure did not bring down this ignorant continental nation. Tirpitz and his High Seas Fleet did their best to establish a world-class second-ranked fleet with such limited funding, not to mention quality advantages, and the number of main fleets even exceeded 70% of Britain's.

  "Seven capital ships?" After the Imperial Diet granted all rights to the military, the Emperor and the Supreme Command became the masters of resources. The Supreme Command, which had always prioritized the army, occasionally bestowed favors that made everyone present feel honored, but it was rare for the Navy Ministry to be so generous this year, with a budget for seven capital ships.

  The problem of the Navy's budget shortage has been around for a long time. The flagship of the First Scouting Group, Seydlitz, was already a reduced version due to insufficient military funds! In November 1909, Parliament reluctantly agreed to add one Kaiser-class battleship - Friedrich der Grosse, with an allocation of 45.4 million marks. The Navy intended to use Friedrich der Grosse as the flagship of the High Seas Fleet, but after increasing the equipment, a funding gap of 1.1 million marks emerged. No matter how much the Navy complained, Parliament was unmoved, and the Navy could only reduce the third Moltke-class battlecruiser, barely squeezing out one complete High Seas Fleet flagship, which shows the Navy's predicament.

  "The battlecruiser squadron already has three Derfflinger-class battlecruisers, perhaps we should build an even more powerful ultimate battleship than the Bayern class!" declared Vice Admiral Franz Mauve, commander of the Second Battleship Squadron.

  According to sporadic intelligence from the Naval Intelligence Division, stimulated by the launch of the King George V-class battleships and the start of construction on the Bayern-class battleships, the British formulated a massive shipbuilding plan. Five Queen Elizabeth-class battleships and more than seven Revenge-class battleships appeared in dry docks one after another. These new battleships were equipped with "14-inch main guns", waterline belts and turret armor exceeding 12 inches. In particular, the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships had design speeds that could rival those of general battlecruisers.

  Of course, the German Navy's intelligence was not accurate, and only five of the Revenge-class (R class) battleships were built. The remaining three ships had their construction plans changed to design a 30-knot speed, standard displacement of 33,725 tons, waterline belt and turret main armor of 10 inches, equipped with 15-inch main guns of the Renown-class battlecruiser, while the "14-inch" main gun was just a smokescreen thrown out by the British to maintain their caliber advantage. These new warships were all equipped with the fearsome 15-inch (381mm) main guns.

  Even smoke bombs would be enough to put pressure on the Germans, not only because of the British shipbuilding speed, but also due to the design concept of the Queen Elizabeth-class fast battleships. As a German naval officer, Admiral Mauve eagerly looked forward to the High Seas Fleet having more Bayern-class super dreadnoughts, of course, Admiral Mauve also had his own motives, as his second squadron consisted of pre-dreadnoughts, and if those seven super dreadnoughts were completed, it would be clear that the second squadron could not escape reorganization.

  "The value of the battlecruiser has already been proven at Dogger Bank, and what's more, the later Seydlitz-class battlecruisers have a 350mm waterline belt and turret main armor that surpasses the British Iron Duke-class battleships' 12-inch main armor. The 350-caliber main guns are also not inferior to the British Queen Elizabeth-class battleships' 14-inch (356mm) main guns, which are about to be launched!" Franz von Hipper, the vice commander of the High Seas Fleet, known for his calm and rational demeanor, spoke up coldly: "Even if it's a fast battleship, what's the point? The later Seydlitz-class battlecruisers' defensive capabilities and firepower may not be inferior to those of the Queen Elizabeth class. And even if battleships are faster, can they outrun battlecruisers?"

  Starting from SMS Seydlitz, German battlecruisers began to wear armor on the hull equivalent to that of battleships. These battlecruisers are also collectively referred to as post-Seydlitz type battlecruisers. In naval history, Queen Elizabeth-class battleships are usually considered the world's first fast battleship class, but there are also many opposing views, because apart from the number, caliber and endurance of the main guns, the technical indicators of the German Seydlitz-class battlecruiser were not inferior to those of the so-called fast battleships in Britain and the United States.

  "General, what is your advice?" Hugo von Bohr asked, looking at the matter-of-fact Hipper with a hint of surprise.

  "Accelerate the Mackensen-class battlecruiser design progress, the Navy needs Mackensens, the more the better!" Hipper said calmly and quietly.

  "The Derfflinger-class battlecruiser costs 56 million marks, and the Bayern-class with its 380mm main guns only 50 million! Franz von Hipper was on the verge of jumping up and overturning the table in indignation: 'As for the Mackensen class, does it cost 60 or 65 million? If we equip them with the Mackensen, I'm afraid we can only afford six, whereas with the Bayern-class, which is a bargain, we could have seven, plus an additional light cruiser! Hipper, this is the greatest waste of Germany's scarce resources!"

  The conference room became noisy, with the vast majority of people believing that a sufficient number of powerful dreadnoughts were the symbol of sea power, while battlecruisers deviated from orthodoxy. However, there were not a few who supported the construction of the Mackensen class, because competing with the British in terms of main fleet numbers was undoubtedly a pipe dream.

  At this time, Admiral Reinhard Scheer, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

  "In 1897, the strategic genius of the German Navy first proposed the concept of all-heavy artillery and perfect cruisers in his paper "On Asymmetric Warfare in the Era of Battleships". Thus, we were always able to come out on top in the unfair competition between the German and British navies. In 1914, the strategic genius revised "On Asymmetric Warfare in the Era of Battleships" and proposed building a fast battleship that combined the characteristics of dreadnoughts and battlecruisers. It is gratifying to note that the Seydlitz-class battlecruiser already had the shadow of a fast battleship. Since all this cannot escape the mold of Admiral von Cramon, why not refer to his opinion?"