1. How do you think neutral countries would react to the policy of unrestricted submarine
warfare?
2. Describe the main ways each side attempted to gain control of the sea during the period
1914-17.
Britain came up with several ways to defeat Germany. The convoy system where
battle ships and airplanes guide the merchant ships during the night since it was
dangerous for them to attack in daylight. Q-ships are battle ships disguised as
merchant ships. When the German submarine emerged onto the surface of the
ship, thinking that it’s just regular ships, the British attacked. Mines are where
they laid thousands of mines across the North Sea which are dangerous for the
German submarines.
Germany persuaded Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg to resume the policy of
unrestricted submarine warfare. German believed that losses of 600 000 per
month would be enough to bring a British collapse. During Spring, British lost
1,505 merchant sailors and 2,775,406 tons of shipping, forcing Britain to introduce
food rationing.
3. What do source 19 and figure 8.15 tell us about the impact of the British blockade of
Germany?
The Germans have no food that they have killed a horse for its meat. Germany
receives no goods from other countries. Because of this, the people there were
starving.
4. What were the main features of unrestricted submarine warfare?
They target military and merchant ships heading towards British to prevent them
from going there.
5. Why was the convoy system more effective than other methods of tackling the U-boat?
Because they managed to save 16 539 ships out of 168.