1 - The Rivalry Takes Root: Anglo-German Naval Relations in the Aftermath of the Dreadnought

Summary

This chapter commences with an illustration of the tensions that were beginning to bedevil Anglo-German relations. The farewell audience of the out-going naval attaché, Captain Reginald Allenby, was used by the Kaiser as a platform for expounding his manifold complaints about British policy [1]. It was into this chill that Commander (later Captain) Philip Dumas arrived as the new representative of the Royal Navy. The chapter follows his experiences, drawing especially upon his growing perception of an intense German Anglophobia [4, 14, 15, 31]. It also heralds an issue that will be of some prominence later, namely the invasion question [22]. However, Dumas's main concern upon his arrival was to investigate Germany's ability to build major warships. To this end he conducted an extensive tour of the German coasts, visiting and reporting upon various ship yards and harbours in the process [8, 9, 12, 18]. He also went to see several armaments manufacturers, including Krupp's of Essen [17]. The result of all these inspections was an important despatch outlining in great detail Germany's ability to construct large numbers of naval vessels of all types with considerable rapidity [19]. Following this, in early 1907, came a long memorandum in which Dumas examined the question of the best strategy to adopt in the event of an Anglo-German war. The attaché proposed as the most effective course a rigorous assault on German commerce through a distant blockade that would prevent both German and neutral vessels reaching the Reich [24]. Such a course, it may be noted, would be adopted in the First World War.

1. Reginald Allenby, Germany N.A. Report 2/06

Berlin, 16 January 1906

Anglo-German Relations

I had the honour of being this day received in farewell audience by His Majesty the Emperor. I beg to submit the following account of the conversation which ensued.

His Majesty's manner was extremely cordial, although he was just recovering from a severe attack of influenza. He gave me the impression of being much in earnest when referring to the question of the relations between England and Germany, and appeared to keenly feel and resent the imputations in the press and elsewhere under which he suffered. His manner was very forcible when denying the right of England to interfere between Germany and France, and he inferred that his motives were of the most pacific nature.