The British Naval Blockade of Germany I THE GREAT WAR Special

The big and decisive naval battle that the Royal Navy had hoped for did not happen during World War 1. But another naval strategy slowly but surely ground the German economy down.
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» WHAT ARE YOUR SOURCES?
Videos: British Pathé
Pictures: Mostly Picture Alliance
Background Map: d-maps.com/cart...
Literature (excerpt):
Gilbert, Martin. The First World War. A Complete History, Holt Paperbacks, 2004.
Hart, Peter. The Great War. A Combat History of the First World War, Oxford University Press, 2013.
Hart, Peter. The Great War. 1914-1918, Profile Books, 2013.
Stone, Norman. World War One. A Short History, Penguin, 2008.
Keegan, John. The First World War, Vintage, 2000.
Hastings, Max. Catastrophe 1914. Europe Goes To War, Knopf, 2013.
Hirschfeld, Gerhard. Enzyklopädie Erster Weltkrieg, Schöningh Paderborn, 2004
Michalka, Wolfgang. Der Erste Weltkrieg. Wirkung, Wahrnehmung, Analyse, Seehamer Verlag GmbH, 2000
Leonhard, Jörn. Die Büchse der Pandora: Geschichte des Ersten Weltkrieges, C.H. Beck, 2014
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» WHAT IS “THE GREAT WAR” PROJECT?
THE GREAT WAR covers the events exactly 100 years ago: The story of World War I in realtime. Featuring: The unique archive material of British Pathé. Indy Neidell takes you on a journey into the past to show you what really happened and how it all could spiral into more than four years of dire war. Subscribe to our channel and don’t miss our new episodes every Thursday.
» WHO IS REPLYING TO MY COMMENTS? AND WHO IS BEHIND THIS PROJECT?
Most of the comments are written by our social media manager Florian. He is posting links, facts and backstage material on our social media channels. But from time to time, Indy reads and answers comments with his personal account, too.
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CREDITS -
Presented by : Indiana Neidell
Written by: Indiana Neidell
Director: Toni Steller & Florian Wittig
Director of Photography: Toni Steller
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[@adaw2d3222]

Napoleon actually tried Economic warfare with the Continental System against Britain.

[@RGA1944]

It failed miserably and ultimately did Napoleon more harm than it did Britain.

[@ThePalaeontologist]

In a nutshell, Russia and Austria were pissed off because their economies nose dived without British imperial trade, Napoleon simply threatening his own ''allies'' and holding them under duress. Until 1812...

[@davidwright7193]

Britain was rather more successful with its blockade of France and its allies during the napoleonic wars but a national war effort in 1814 was much less dependent on industrial imports than it was in 1914

[@gehtdianschasau8372]

Yes, it wasn't a new concept, people have been laying sieges since ancient times. Maybe even before. It probably didn't take humans long to figure out, that if they need to breathe, other humans have to breathe too, so it probably didn't take them long to figure out that others need to eat too. It takes more organization and time than choking someone, but economic warfare is propably a couple of millenias old too.

[@elfrad1714]

The saddest part about the blockade was that it did not end in November 1918 but only in June 1919 after Germany had signed the Versailles Treaty. Many of the victims died after the end of the fighting.

[@alecblunden8615]

Perhaps the Germans should have thought about that before invading Belgium. An armistice does not end hostilities - it merely marks a cease fire, and what sane government would allow a combatant to replenish supplies under guise of a ceasefire?

[@illusiveman1613]

Alec Blunden the blockade killed a lot lot more civillians than the invasion of germany you hypocrite

[@habadabadaaa]

@@illusiveman1613 at the beginning of every malady done to Germany stands an unreasonable, anticivilisational act of the "hun", don't you know?

[@alecblunden8615]

@@drejade7119 Yes, I am totally biased against against aggressive tyrants whoinvade neutral countries and then try to avoid the nsequences of their acts by trying to shift the blame. The blockade won the war. Live with it.

[@drejade7119]

@@alecblunden8615 I'm so sorry. I actually meant the other guy the guy that commented below you.

[@TheStapleGunKid]

I'm surprised this episode didn't mention the most controversial aspect of the blockade: Treating food as "contraband" to be confiscated when found. To use of the blockade to interdict food shipments was highly disputed, even during that time by nations that supported Britain. It played a factor in American secretary of state William Jennings Bryan's decision to resign from his post in 1915. After the sinking of Lousitania, he asked "why be so shocked by the drowning of a few people, if there is to be no objection to starving a nation. Also not mentioned here is that Britain continued the blockade even after the war was over, well into 1919.

[@countkilroygraf8816]

Nydel's mother is a Tommy, that's why.

[@danieljackson2103]

It was my pleasure to help you guys! You've used the research to great effect and combined it with some fantastic visuals to get the points across. You've truly done a great job and I couldn't be happier. I'm grateful that you provided the opportunity to get the research I used for my history dissertation out to a wider audience and let people know about an almost forgotten, yet crucial aspect, of the war.

[@jirikubinec2719]

I thought you are more into stuff like pyramids as alien starships ramps, Goa'ulds etc (Stargate reference) :D

[@marsnz1002]

My hat goes off to the guy who finds the footage for these videos. I've been watching history doco's for decades and there's a bunch of reels in here I've never seen before.

[@themaninthesuit5729]

BIG like on that one!

[@TheGreatWar]

+marsnz Will pass that one to Markus.

[@Julio_vks]

Are you a man or a woman?

[@opaque-aurem9416]

@@Julio_vks we will never know

[@BeakerDubs]

nice to see SG-1 is helping with the research

[@MindlessWanderings]

He has to do something in retirement to keep busy.

[@jimzawacki3041]

Since we are on the topic of naval warfare can you do a special on U-boat tactics and how they changed over the course of the war? Sincerely, James Northrup Zawacki.

[@jimzawacki3041]

Also could you shed more light on how other nations used submarines?

[@TheGreatWar]

+Trey Lower We will have an episode about the development of the submarine soon. tactics will be for another special later on.

[@jimzawacki3041]

I'm looking forward to both of them.

[@jsma9999]

Thank You Daniel, this was great support to Indy and the Team. Keep up the great work everyone

[@ricojes]

Drawing from the resources of the SGC ought to have had an effect.

[@crypticgaming9618]

I’m currently writing my history course work for my GCSE , this and all of your videos have been so helpful, thank you so much 😊

[@mizhard]

Last year I did a library research about blockade and starvation and desease, because of my research about Italian POWs in the camps of the Empires. It is a brilliant video, that states exactly the matter.

[@VxnquishShorts]

“Fertilizers could be used to manufacture explosives” *me looks nervously at my garden fertilizer*

[@opaque-aurem9416]

Lol

[@oliversedgwick1523]

Love this channel!!

[@TheGreatWar]

+Oliver Sedgwick Thanks

[@RGA1944]

The Naval blockade of Germany was actually a rather sensitive topic in USA, especially among old people who had exprienced what a effective naval blockade could do during the US civil war. It caused a lot of sympathy for Germany. But Germans are never revered for being good in diplomacy.

[@Exodon2020]

Bismarck was an outstanding diplomat - yet idiocy in person (Wilhelm II) took over, fired him and installed puppets

[@ebergarcia1793]

this pretty much answers a question i had about the blockade... Excelent wotk TGW team!

[@Washburne21]

Thank you Daniel Jackson.

[@danieljackson2103]

You're welcome :)

[@bbdawise]

You wouldn't happen to know my friend, Jack Daniels, would ya? :D

[@VigoDoria]

Mak tal Oz… kree ! Thank you Daniel Jackson !

[@danieljackson2103]

+bbdawise Of course! A good friend of mine, we drink together on occasions

[@bezahltersystemtroll5055]

@@bbdawise 😂

[@ericcarlson3746]

just watching this post armistice, from a Nov. 2018 link great work as always

[@VladTevez]

Another happy Monday, another excellent episode!

[@horatiovanaca1571]

I've been waiting for this episode for months!

[@quentinturner5825]

Thanks for making this!

[@TheOwlofAthens]

Hey Great War, would it be possible for you do a special episode on diseases in the war? And the effect that such a large war had on the diseases at the Time? I know that this is a lot to ask but haven't done something about the diseases in the war yet.

[@panzerabwerkanone]

Wait till the great flu pandemic of 1918.

[@motorheadnwbm1992]

We just started going over this in class today! Good to get extra information on the blockade.

[@Thevas11]

You didn't mention that the British kept the blockade in place after the 1918 armistice in order to crush the Germans into submitting to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Many Germans starved to death even though the fighting had stopped. That was a terrible war crime, and I've not yet heard of Britain having to answer for it. If they have, please let me know. Thank you.

[@soulscanner66]

Nasty business which everyone regretted in the end.

[@JD-Media]

They won? Therefore any questionable behaviour is null and void.

[@VineFynn]

An armistice is not peace. They kept the blockade going because they were still enemies and fighting could break out again.

[@ralphraffles1394]

America wanted to invade Germany to crush it, fearing that many Germans would not accept their army was defeated. Britain continued blockade until Germany signed Versailles treaty. America was right, as Germany did not accept its army was defeated, only paid 1/5 of reparations and soon started planning for ww2.

[@Zadren]

Central Powers propaganda blamed food shortages on the British 'Hunger Blockade', but a combination of bad harvests and incompetent regulation of food distribution made the situation far worse. The blockade was legal, and you may recall German efforts to starve the UK into submission with the U-boat. No, it was not a war crime, and only an armistice held peace together until the Treaty of Versaille was signed.

[@ghost122gun]

Love watching these episodes makes my day thank you

[@chriskeith5514]

Hi Indy, Really enjoy the show, I have a question hopefully you could answer. What were Battle cruisers role and were they any good at "said" role? And as a follow up question. Could we get a special on just the German navy , or the Royal navy in world war I? Sincerely, Chris Keith

[@joshrowlinson4371]

oh brilliant, thank you very much! I'll get spending. And as ever thanks for the great show and all the hard work!!!

[@JHorsti]

So, an easy question. Why is the Siege of Leningrad considered a warcrime, and the sea blockade in WW1 is not? Both were aiming for the same effect, the systematic starvation of the people.

[@rechardusdeazprabowo9768]

Jonas Horsti from what i learn, Britain tried to weakened the economic and war production of German, so they have limited supply to continued the war. Although the side effect is, any goods that does not have direct use for warfare also having effect. The siege of Leningrad was conduct to avoid the urban warfare that Hitler does not want to happen. Because there is no way in and out, supply to citizen and red army have been halt and starvation became the consequence. Well, as we have learned from a lot of history book, history always written by the winner.

[@TheNorthie]

In the Siege of Leningrad’s case Hitler wanted the populace to all die and be exterminated. He didn’t care what happened to the populace of Leningrad. For the blockade of Germany in WW1 it never got as bad as Leningrad. It was terrible sure, but never got to the point of the 100,000 people dying each month. Also Germany had been rationing at this point but much of its food distribution and food output was mismanaged. By the time they fixed it, the damage was done. England also didn’t wanna exterminate all of Germany, just force it into peace talks. Yeah it extended past the war, but Germany didn’t wanna Sign the treaty of Versailles. Even though it was unfair and harsh, it was a peace the Allies wanted. Also what German did to Belgium, Northern France, and Poland during WW1 was just as deplorable.

[@kazaddum2448]

Britain was among the winners. Those never get punished. Or why do you think the USA is still there?

[@useodyseeorbitchute9450]

@JHorsti Presumably because Soviets were among winners and were able to write history? Otherwise, it would be just considered as Soviet choice to leave this stronghold fighting in their usual dissregard of civilian population. Actually, concerning fate of inhabitants of Stalingrand, Hitler and Stalin had the same view - both of them preferred the inhabitants dead instead of their surrender.

[@alecblunden8615]

Since when was the blockade of Stalingrad regarded as a "war crime"?

[@sillyman2]

I was told to use my own knowledge for a question on my homework about an entirely new topic so here I am.

[@nox5555]

Daniel jackson? hm im pretty sure i heared tis name before... did he tell you something about aliens?

[@TheGreatWar]

+nox5555 you have uncovered our secret!

[@shotguncleric]

If his eyes start glowing, run!

[@mithikx]

Just some crackpot archeologist who claimed the Egyptian Pyramids were landing platforms for alien spaceships, he was active in the late 90's but dropped off the map.

[@p0xus]

I KNEW the pyramids were landing sites!

[@jamiepeter3567]

beware the wrath of the Tau'ri

[@buchholzstephen7562]

Hi Indie, huge fan. I was reading a story on "the Kaiser's Pirates" and thought it would be an awesome addition to the show. Always sombrely enjoy the show, well done sir!

[@TheGreatWar]

Did you see our episode about the SMS Möve already? There will be more.

[@terrencemills2113]

Indy and the Crew, The show remains the Gold Standard of You Tube programing. Keep up the good work. Destroyers, Cruisers, and Dreadnoughts are all very impressive however I've been reading lately about Royal Navy efforts to blockade the Bolshevik fleet in the Baltic after the end of the war. They made extensive use of a vessel called a CMB or Coastal Motor Boat. This was a wooden hulled motor torpedo boat that would fire a torpedo off the rear of the boat and then take immediate evasive action to keep the "fish" from giving the CMB an explosive enema. Were these used during the Great War? I don't recall ever hearing about them. If they saw action then what campaigns were they used in and what type of record did they have?

[@polstierna4251]

It would be really cool if you guys teamed up with a cook and tried to recreate the food rations for soldiers. OR make a special episode about the food and how it (I assume) changed during the war.

[@TheGreatWar]

That would be pretty sweet, yes.

[@MrSegrist]

Oh, that photo of the children with the numbers at 7:02 is heartbreaking...

[@TonksMoriarty]

Wow, Jackson has a broader scope than I thought... I thought he was only really interested in Ancient Aliens. . . . . . . (if you're confused, then I'll tell you that this is a Stargate joke)

[@JaesWasTaken]

Some of these yougins probably don't even know what Stargate is! God I miss that show.

[@TonksMoriarty]

ghost211323 Same here. It was my first sci-fi love.

[@ChrisMathers3501]

Stargate SG-1 was one of my favorite shows of all time.

[@ricojes]

Indeed.

[@89tonstar]

Haha I thought the same thing

[@valdezraptor970]

Hello Indy and crew. Love the show, just spent the past two and a half weeks to watch episode one till this most recent one. Best binge watching I've done all year. Question for you. Are you guys going to talk about the odd and strange events that happened during World War 1? One such example is the SMS Cormoran, which was built by Germany in 1909 as a merchant ship for Russia, then captured by the Emden, converted into a merchant raider and eventually met its fate when the German crew scuttled her in April 1917 when the US entered the war. On an unusual note, the Tokai Maru a Japanese freighter was sunk during the Second World War and the two ships are actually touching each under 120 feet of water. Making it the only known place where a World War 1 and World War 2 ships are sunk and touching each other. (that I know of). P.S. If used on out of the trenches you may use my real name of Michael Thomas. :)

[@TheGreatWar]

We will and already did talk about such stories. We have episodes about the SMS Emden and the SMS Möve for example.

[@patrickholt2270]

The blockade caused suffering among German soldiers, not just German civilians. It was a real contributory factor to the collapse of morale among German soldiers during 1918, that their rations were also increasingly meagre and monotonous, which weakened them physically as well as made them liable to depressive thoughts, and the news from home was so depressing. It created the sense of impending defeat that sapped their willingness to attack or to hold their positions for very long when attacked. The flip side of the blockade effects was Britain's ability to take advantage of a near monopoly of trans-oceanic trade, meaning that the British war economy was thriving on vast, relatively cheap imports of every raw material, since all the exporters to Germany and Austria-Hungary still needed to sell their goods, and had to sell for whatever the British (and French) chose to pay, rather than being able to sell competitively to the highest European bidder; a buyers market.

[@Utopija89]

Great episode!

[@Judge-wi1on]

found your episode on ships. Liked that a lot! I'm a truck driver and have limited time searching your videos. Again, I'm looking through your videos for something. I know that the US had trucks for logistical support in WWI, among the standard horses, ect. Did you guys touch on logistical/supply in some video?

[@TheGreatWar]

+Judge 1981 we did not so far, but we should. very important topic.

[@Judge-wi1on]

Should you require any assistance in research, drop me a line sometime. Thank you

[@DasSmach]

Is there an episode about naval warfare itself? Because I think a lot of viewers (including myself) dont really know much about the differences between dreadnoughts, cruisers and battleships. There were episodes in which you talked about some naval battles and what kind of ships and how many were sunk but without knowing much about these ships this info is pretty much useless to me.

[@rainthegenericname_7131]

Question for Out of the Trenches. Was the belief of "larger is better" a reliable belief for the advancement of naval technology? By larger is better I mean larger ship = better ship.

[@joehoe222]

Every time I see that C hurchill coach shot I always think he takes his coach locker out of his pocket like an electronic car locker.

[@greenlaw6503]

Your work is inspiring

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Hey Indy! Got a quick question if you've got a second. I've been told tanks made a decent impact on the eventual conclusion of the war by a couple pepple, but the number of tanks produced by the allies vs their number of troops makes it seem like most soldiers would never see a tank, much less see one decisively influencing a battle. Can you elaborate on the role of tanks in the war this early, or will it have to wait for a handful more months?

[@TheGreatWar]

+Warcrimes incarnate there will be a tank special in September

[@swepc9464]

Do one on Persia :)

[@zainmudassir2964]

:) ;) XD

[@hlynnkeith9334]

Great episode! Thank you, Indy, for pronouncing 'quays' correctly.

[@TheGreatWar]

+h lynn keith Sometimes, we know our naval vocabulary

[@scottferguson3260]

Who where the men (or women) that took care of the souls who would have died in no man's land? Thank you for all your wonderful information keep it up sir.

[@zpargeon]

Thanks Indy and Flo.

[@Moredread25]

I have a couple question for out of the trenches: What did Britain do with any ships that they seized during the course of war, and did they sink any ships in order to maintain the blockade? One more which may be out of the scope of your show but. was the desire to stop a British blockade during WW2 the reason Germany invade Denmark and Norway?

[@greatalexander3820]

The answer to your second question is a yes, however they were less worried about food and more worried about Swedish Steel.

[@Johndrocketfella]

What tactics did the navy use to help their man on the ground love your show

[@maimcgowan1905]

Thanks for another great episode! is it fair to surmise that the blockade prevented Germany amassing enough steel to produce their own tanks?

[@TheGreatWar]

It definitely contributed to that.

[@austing5951]

Also one of the major reasons we have artificial fertiliser.

[@thekidhistorian1147]

Please make an episode about the Scottish soldiers who served in the British army ... Their uniforms... Their background... The pipers ... And maybe their presence in the battles of Loos, the Somme, Arras, and Cambrai

[@TheGreatWar]

We are planning something further down the line, yes.

[@svennemet4510]

I would like to hear from you about movies, novels, comics, video and board games about or conected with Great War!? Recomanndations of movies like Lawrence of arabia, was there a pearson cool as Corto Maltese, do any one from team play video or board games and what is the game you would suggest? I really love this channel!

[@BcroG11]

This video leaves me with a lot of questions. The descriptive definition of contraband you gave leads me to think food is not contraband since it isn't strictly used for military purposes and the fact you didn't use it as an example of conditional contraband implies it isn't that either. That means shipments of food should have been allowed to get to Germany, but they obviously weren't since so many people starved. Was this in contravention to international rules then? And shouldn't Germany have been able to produce enough food for its entire population and not rely on imports in wartime?

[@RGA1944]

Well, things were always more complicated than the black-white picture people (want to) believe. Yes, the Blockade was responsible for a great number of civilian deaths, but so was the ruthless food policy of the German Army which made sure the German soldiers were properly fed and clad up to the very end of the war, leaving the poor people to fend for themselves. The British used this point (and many other, such great lawyers they were) to argue for the food embargo. Answering the second question: yes, pre-war German agriculture was very advanced but they had to rely on fertilizers imported from South America, since German soil was pretty barren. Of course fertilizers were embargoed as well when the war broke out, this time for good reason since they also could be used to produce explosives.

[@jamesharmer9293]

The Germans conscripted most of their agricultural labour force into the army, so there weren't that many people left to grow the food that they needed. They planned on a short war and when it dragged on and on with massive casualties, there was no-one to get the harvest in, or to sow next years crops.

[@thurin84]

technically yes but the definition of contraband was certainly "creatively" interpreted (as evidenced by the lusitania carrying gun cotton, artillery fuses and millions of rounds of .303 ammunition). ideally a country should be able to feed all its citizens within its borders with its resources on hand. but geographically, this is often not the case (china is a good modern day example).

[@joluoto]

Germany was actually only barely able to produce food for their entire population in peace time and depended alot on food imports from the US and Latin America. In war, the army needed much of the food, the farmers meant to produce food was out fighting, and you can see how things might spiral out of control.

[@emperorofholyrome5403]

Hey The Great War, could you do an episode on the USS Texas (BB-35). It may had a bigger role in the Second World War, but it is know to be the last remaining dreadnought from this War and it would be interesting to see what it did in this war.

[@joshn2564]

Last War when you could not engage Navy ships without spotting them first usually with Binoculars.

[@mza131313]

+AtTheGates for spotting and recon, sure. for aiming? impossible.

[@dubsy1026]

Balloons were often used

[@theewatchfuleyeseesyou]

I heard that ships like the japanese Yamato in WW2(actually the only one I heard about) used air support to spot and aim their guns since their range was higher than the distance of the horizon

[@theewatchfuleyeseesyou]

***** Ok, thanks for the information

[@K_Kara]

+Waifu San Not impossible. Imperial Japanese Navy in WW2 utilized recon planes to great extent, they fired their guns according to information given by recon planes ahead of the formation. Japanese owe their success in many battles around the Ironbottom sound including the notorious Savo Island to spotter aircraft.

[@matthewhase150]

Anyone know where I can find information about the extended effects of the blockade in occupied Belgium and Northern France?

[@SteveL4]

yes! new videos!

[@БорисГопник-у3с]

I searched the great war on KZbin and scrolled down only to find the all the videos listed I've already watched.

[@thomasfeck188]

1 hour online and i am the 679th "thumps up". I think that says a lot. Thanks for all your effort and work with this Show.

[@emilalvarsson6637]

Will you guys ever do a special episode about snipers and what roll they had during the war? ^^

[@Aodhans]

Was winter combat as bad in the First World War as in the second I've never herd anything about it, but you always here about ww2 freezing weather. Thanks

[@TheGreatWar]

It was not pleasant if you remember the cardboard shoes of the AH army on the Eastern Front but the Germans were better prepared for example.

[@robertd.bailey5930]

I heard that the leaders of the nations fighting in ww1 were related, if this is true maybe a future episode idea perhabs?

[@Warspite1]

You heard correctly. Kaiser Wilhelm II's mother was the sister of English king Edward VII, whose son was king George V and led England during the Great War. George's aunt was Maria Feodorovna (who was sister to Alexandra of Denmark, wife of Edward VII), who married Tsar Alexander III, whose son was Nicholas II, Tsar of Russia during the Great War. At least, I think that's how it goes.

[@Revan817]

Its mostly true. Since Russia, Germany, Austira-Hungary and Britain where some forms of monarchy they shared often ancestors or even direct blood ties. Kaiser Wilhelm for exsample was the nephew of Queen Victoria and visited Britain very often especial in his childhood. Nikolai the 2nd Tsar of Russia was a cousin of King George the V and Kaiser Wilhelm the 2nd. House Romanow hast tied blood ties to Germany and Denmark. The full name was House Romanow-Holstein-Gottrop. There were also ties to the Greek King if I recall correctly.

[@VladTevez]

Greek king's mother was a Romanov

[@joshrowlinson4371]

hi, just a quick question. how do I find The Great War merchandise on amazon?

[@TheGreatWar]

You are mixing two things up: Our Merchstore: shop.spreadshirt.net/thegreatwar Our Amazon Store (for books): astore.amazon.com/thegreatwarchannel-20

[@friederichhuepfenstolz4011]

Quick chemistry note: Cotton can also be used for manufacturing explosives, e.g. propellants. This has probably been pointed out somewhere else already, lol.

[@anihtgenga4096]

Yeah, I immediately thought of "gun cotton".

[@owenjones7517]

Just like in the Napoleonic wars, and the War of 1812...British seaborne power was a key factor in laying the foundations for the eventual defeat and overthrow of Britain's enemies.

[@wierdalien1]

+Owen Jones why is wellington wearing shades? is it because heis shady?

[@vaclav_fejt]

I'm currently watching Waterloo by Sergei Bondarchuk, so Wellington looks like Christopher Plummer and says "Deal with it, Napoleon, your plans are blown apart."

[@owenjones7517]

Alistair Shaw Cus he's a friggin legend

[@jamiengo4987]

+Owen Jones yes well said Wellington let's give the Germans a thrashing shall we

[@jamiengo4987]

+Neil Korchinski i don't get it

[@panzerabwerkanone]

Can you do a feature on what was happening in Neidelland during the Great War?

[@TheGreatWar]

Where is Neidellland? Where we want it to be!

[@panzerabwerkanone]

All Hail King Indy!

[@kronkwithagun6695]

Do you plan on doing and episode of Denmark in WWI?

[@TheGreatWar]

yes

[@KhoaTran-uw5ry]

+The Great War Battle of tannenberg?

[@alexgshirreff]

Have you considered doing a special on the principalities and other minor nations of WW1 such as Andorra and San Marino?

[@keithjohnston4488]

excellent episode which comes down on the side of the historical consensus: yes the blockade damaged Germany and its allies, but its on the field on battle that the Germans will lose.

[@evilemuempire9550]

Daniel Jackson, like stargate 😀

[@giacomogatti6719]

To the GWTeam: Indy talked about the role of neutral Denmark. Is there a special about it? TY!

[@jamesvignali6074]

The slow but sure way to win a war. The Turtle always wins the race.

[@KleverGuyy]

Hope the move to the new studio is going smoothly!

[@TheGreatWar]

+Daniel Klevmoen a lot of waiting for contractors and all but it's progressing

[@marcston]

I wonder if a short range blockade would have been feasible had the British not traded Helgoland to Germany in exchange for African trade rights. It had been British since 1807 but was traded in better times. Wilhelm added huge naval facilities to the Island and it became an "unsinkable fleet" making a port blockade even more difficult. Are you planning to do a special on it? (I can do some work as a simple historian who has written a bit on naval tactics at school).

[@nicolasdefribourg5666]

interesting Indy ty

[@52down]

2:33 HMS Victor passing by.

[@mrrolandlawrence]

Indiana, what do you think would have happened to the british grand fleet had beatty won at Scapa Flow? & would it have made much difference to the British war effort?

[@chrisforsyth8323]

Daniel Jackson? Not THE Doctor Daniel Jackson? When did he get back?

[@DoeJam13]

I have to ask, are the people who help research these episodes for you guys monetarily compensated for their work in any way? I'm sure its not a small amount, going by your behind the scenes video.

[@TheGreatWar]

They are all volunteers actually. In this case for example Daniel already wrote a scientific paper on the subject and got in contact with us.

[@mikhailv67tv]

The blockade of Germany is a similar strategy of the American Civil War. That was when the Federal Government blockaded the ports of the Southern States. I wonder whether the Germans had Blockade runners like the South had?

[@monophthalmos9633]

The Germans didn't try to build a fleet as big as the British, they wanted to build a fleet that was roughly two thirds of the British fleet, to make a victory against the German fleet so costly, that the British would abstain from going to war with Germany. The British wanted to build a fleet that was bigger than the second and the third largest fleet in the world combined. The German goal seems more moderate, doesn't it?

[@chrisnorton4382]

The Germans had the second biggest army in Europe (after Russia) and the best (quality wise). Britain had a few hundred thousand spread around the Empire. How was Britain going to go to war with Germany? The British army was never a threat to Germany. The German army WAS a threat to Britain, if they gained close naval parity. If Germany had not entered on a Naval race with Britain, the Entente with France (and Russia) would probably not have taken place and WW1 would have been a re-run of the Franco-Prussian war - with no need to invade neutral Belgium.

[@usuilucifer8922]

I have a question. If the blockade was to block Germany from her resources why don't Kaiser Wilhelm just add a term in the treaty with Russia who full of resources (as we know in ww2 and till now) to buy oil, food and so on what Germany need?

[@timkrueger4145]

This is a great show and I'm find it awesome that you awnser our questions. I've been binge watching your shows for the last week. I want to ask some questions but I don't know if they've been answered already. My dad told be that during WWII the Americans would test new recruits or government officials by asking them if the could recite the second verse of the national anthem, if they could then they were put under suspicion. In WWI he said it was similar but they asked young men, who won the baseball world series the last five years, because all boys watched baseball then. Do you know if this is true or what tactics the countries use to find spy's? Also my great Aunt told me that during WWII her family, that lived in America but we're native German's, actually buried German Bibles and hymnals they were so scared of being attacked or terrorised. What where did each great power do about their civilians from enemy countries? I Imagine probably being discriminated but where their events like riots or the murdering of a neighbor? I'm going to catch-up on your videos and good luck for the series! Tim

[@TheGreatWar]

Discrimination? They put them in camps: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKjEnX6Zr6abh6c

[@timkrueger4145]

Thanks! I hadn't seen that episode.

[@jalilebenaissa739]

the allies starved 772.736 german civilian to death we never hear about that

[@AMS97PS3]

Civilian deaths are part of war, starving Germany was crucial to ending the war, the whole war was shitty for both civilians and soldiers.

[@SodaPrezsing]

Two World Wars and One World Cup!!! Ey up get sum lad or u a kraut m9?

[@MarekDohojda]

in the grand scheme of things, 772K was not even worth mentioning. It was such a small number of deaths, compared to 20 Million deaths (at least) in WW1 overall. Besides it is rather inconvenient to mention so best not to, if you are the winning powers :)

[@PMMagro]

The blockade is well known and no secret.Peopel only hear about military direct losses (big battles) but many die outside the battlefield.Shortly after WW1 the big epedemic hit hard, many already living oin rations or starving had little resistance as grim example...

[@Paciat]

Lol. Your saying that Germans couldnt produce food instead of guns? Germans didnt have oil and rare metals like Cr, V (needed to make even a screwdriver) but somehow they prolonged the war starving themselves in the proces. 6:32 I understand that Russia was starving because the front moved thru Ukraine, but WWI didnt happen on German soil. And thats also why WWII happened. German civilians maybe knew hunger but they didnt know what war and occupation means. Their pride didnt suffer enough.

[@ColTravis]

The main reason the blockade worked against the Central Powers is that Women were not allowed to work in the factories or the fields and the millions of POW's didn't do anything except consume resources. My grandfather who imigrated to the US after WWI had a farm in Western Washington near Ft Lewis and was given German POW's to help harvest fruit, berries and dairy durring WWII.

[@good0ldave]

Hey Indy! Great work as always on the episode about the British Naval blockade of German ports. Question for you, to tickle your "what if" fancy: what could Germany have done to overcome the food shortages caused by the British blockades? Could the German government have appropriated land to increase agricultural output? Could they have encouraged women's organizations to tend fields the same way women in the US were encouraged to work in factories during World War Two? Could they have coordinated solutions with their ally Austria-Hungary? Thanks!

[@paulbobenhausen8031]

Special on Raiders

[@mimizonmimizon799]

By the way: Germany also installed a barefisted blockade against Russia in the Baltic Sea. In combination with Turkish blockade of the Dardanelles, this became a disaster for Russia and was a main reason for its defeat. This important historical fact is rarely mentioned. Perhaps, because the Russians - unlike the Germans - did not list their civilian victims...?

[@Dracomarine]

I guess SG1 is on world for the moment.

[@pontan8084]

So, I heard about the Ottomans down in British South Arabian, where they were cut off from their Empire and fought against the Rebels and the Brits, Ottomans even held this land after the war such as 1919, is this true?

[@pontan8084]

Britain occupied it.

[@geoffreymowbray6789]

Food production throughout European combatant powers that had large conscript military suffered from the very beginning of the war in 1914. The general belief of a short war resulted in a massive mobilization of manpower in August and the following months. Across Europe there was thus a shortage of agricultural labour to bring the 1914 main harvest. If the war was short imports in 1915 would cover any 1914 shortfalls thus there were no plans to have substitute labour available. For Britain's allies, Britain maritime power in the form of her merchant fleet and the Royal Navy to defend Britain's trade meant that food imports from across the seas filled that gap.

[@jamesvignali6074]

Sinking of the Bismarck.

[@Notrobinh]

Hey guys, i was wondering if you saw the series ''fall of eagles'' and what you guys think of it?

[@samsmith2635]

I have a question.... Daniel Jackson? If Germany had a Stargate would they have survived the blockade?

[@jamiengo4987]

Yes giving them a good old thrashing and played a major role in winning the war excellent job chaps I say time for a cheeky tea party in London

[@thurin84]

excellent show. im glad you didnt gloss over the deaths and suffering caused civilians population wrought by the blockaid. i really wish youd come of and said specifically that the blockaid (any blockaid really) is war on civilians because i think it needs to be addressed. historical accounts have been pretty one sided castigating germany for city bombing but ignoring that the entente blockaid is just as much a war on civilians. im not trying to justify either action, just acknowledge that BOTH sides warred on civilians. war is hell.

[@torestgard1681]

772.736. that is a very exact number. Did you check your uncertainty on that figure? :) 773.000 or 770.000 or 800.000 seem more correct.

[@Lashb1ade]

That death toll at the end- 772'736 DIRECTLY caused by the blockade: How did you get to that number?

[@tbones8733]

That American ship the German sunk ( I forgot its name) but because the German sunk the ship American was now in the war but that ship was carrying Civilians AND Weapons as well as Ammunition even artillery. The American to destroy evidence that there were troops ammo and weapons they bombed the area for 6 months or something. Maybe you can correct some of this or idk maybe do a special episode on this thanks.

[@bluehatguru164]

Quote from Admiral Beatty, while negotiating the internment of the HochSeeFlotte with Admiral Meurer: "I read him my prepared instruction and refused to discuss them, but said they must be thought over and answered on the morrow. They were greatly depressed, overwhelmingly so...Meurer, in a voice like lead with an ashen face, said 'I must think the Commander-in-Chief is aware of the conditions in Germany,' and then, in dull, low weary tones began to retail the effect of the Blockade. It had brought revolution in the north, which had spread to the south, then the east and finally to the west, that Anarchy was rampant, the seed was sown...Men, women and children were dying of starvation and dropping down in the streets and died where they lay. Children under six were non-existent, that Germany was destroyed utterly... It had no effect. I only said to myself, Thank God for the British Navy. This is your work. Without it no victory on land would have availed or ever been possible." Padfield, Peter; The Battleship Era, 1972, p. 247

[@jankoso3958]

Thank you for showing this. So many, especially in Britain and the USA, want the world to believe that it was only the British suffered under the effects of blockade. Almost half a million died due to the British blockade.