3. War Begins
Admiral Lord West’s history of the Royal Navy in the 20th century: early problems during the First World War. From 2014.
Lord West looks at the Royal Navy's strategy for winning the First World War.
How in the early years of the war did it fail to bring its might to bear?
The First World War represented a major change in British strategy towards wars on the European continent. Historically Britain had stood off from continental conflicts, funding armies there but otherwise letting the Royal Navy exert its power at sea.
But now with British and imperial armies fighting across Europe, the Royal Navy was reduced to transporting troops, escorting convoys and, with the exception of some small victories mopping up German commerce raiders around the world, an inglorious policy of distant blockade.
While the Grand Fleet was kept in Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, the only real attempt to fundamentally alter the balance of power was opposed by many in the Navy, went down in history as a catastrophic failure, and remains to this day one of the war's great 'what ifs'.
Producer: Giles Edwards
First broadcast on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 in June 2014.
Last on
Selected reading
Books which have been helpful in making this programme are:
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The second of Robert K. Massie's brilliant books on the naval war is "Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea".
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On Britain's blockade strategy Eric Osborne's book "Britain's economic blockade of Germany, 1914-1919" is very helpful.
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Ian Speller's edited volume, "The Royal Navy and Maritime Power in the Twentieth Century" contains an excellent essay by Andrew Gordon on the importance of the Goeben and Breslau going to Turkey. There are dozens of good books on the Dardanelles, although Arthur Marder's book "From the Dardanelles to Oran" proved particularly useful.
Broadcasts
Wed 4 Jun 2014 13:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4- Wed 1 May 2024 09:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 Extra
Podcast
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Britain at Sea
Admiral Lord West tells the story of the Royal Navy during the 20th century.
