Unrestricted

Submarine Warfare
By: Jessie Carroll
Kevin Russell
 Maps indicating updated war
zones:
Shaded region represents
Germany ’ s warzone in 1917 .

Arrows indicate major

sinking before 1915
What does unrestricted submarine
warfare mean?

o Unrestricted submarine
warfare is a type of naval
warfare in which
submarines sink merchant
ships without warning.
This meant even neutral
ships, which caused an
uproar among uninvolved
nations. This tactic was
announced on February
1st , 1917.
 America Joins the
War
When Germany had announced unrestricted
submarine warfare they feared that it would
provoke the Americans. It had a large impact
on WWI as it was one of America’s main
reasons for joining. After sinking the
Lusitania, the Germans made a list of
conditions they would follow pertaining to the
sinking of neutral ships. Following the
announcement of Unrestricted Submarine
Warfare, the US broke relations with Germany.
The Zimmerman telegram finally pushed the
Americans over the line, and declared war on
 Significant People
o Erich Lundendorff was the Chief if
Staff of the German army and along
with Paul Von Hindenburg they
were both strong supporters of
unrestricted submarine warfare. Lundendorff
Lundendorff was convinced that war
could not be won on land only. He
was ultimately responsible for
bringing the USA into the war.
o Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg
on the other hand was strongly
against the idea of unrestricted
submarine warfare. He pointed out Bethman-Hollweg
that it would do unrepairable
damage to neutral shipping in enemy
Significant People
Continued
 Alfred von Tirpitz was the
State Secretary during the
war for Nazi Germany. He
was responsible for
developing the German
navy fleet to a position in
which it could challenge the
British Navy. He was a
strong advocate for
Unrestricted Submarine
Warfare.
 Prince Max von Baden was
an imperial chancellor from
Germany and was firmly
opposed to unrestricted
submarine warfare. He
“Instigated in any event the
policy ultimately proved
disastrous, eventually
Why Unrestricted Submarine
Warfare?
It was to achieve the purely military objective of
increasing of the security and efficiency of
submarines.
Before it was initiated, experts believed 600
000 tons of English shipping would be sunk
monthly. With this amount of supplies being
lost, the idea was that England’s economy
would be crippled within six months, English
government would be forced to surrender.
Submarines were the ultimate way to starve
your opposition economically. They cut off
their suppliers vastly.
Unrestricted Submarine
Warfare Facts
In the quarter of April to June 1917, over two
million tons of Allied Shipping were lost.
Germany believed that of the two naval
aspects of the war, underneath the water was
most important. They believed they could win
the war with submarines alone. This was a
delusion thought.
180 of 360 subs were sunk, which broke the
moral of the submarine crews.
Geographically, Britain had the advantage on
Germany, since the naval routes had to pass
by Britain.
1 in 4 boats from Britain were sunk due to
Combating Unrestricted Submarine
Warfare
 A way of defending allied ships from unrestricted
submarine warfare was the convoy system. The
convoy system was when they would send
merchant ships with war ships to protect
uninvolved parties in the battles. 80% of ships
in the war used the convoy system.
 Bibliography
 "unrestricted submarine warfare." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009.
 Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 17 Apr. 2009 <
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/618408/unrestricted-submarine-warfare
>.
 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/unrestricted_submarine_warfare.htm
 Dill, Marshall Jr. Germany. (USA: University of Michigan, 1961), 226.
 Vogt, Hannah. The Burden of Guilt; A Short History of Germany 1914-1945. (USA.
University of Oxford Press, 1976), 21.
 Passant, E.J. A Short History of Germany 1815-1945 (Great Britain: Cambridge University
Press, 1960), 141

 http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/ludendorff.htm