Interview 15: The U-boat War off North America with Dominic Etzold
Summary
In this episode of History of the Great War, host Wesley interviews Dominic Etsold, author of *Reaping the Whirlwind*, to discuss the Imperial German Navy’s U-boat operations off the North American coast during World War I. They explore why the German surface fleet failed to break the British blockade, leading to the strategic shift toward submarine warfare, and examine the specific missions of vessels like the U-Deutschland and U-53. The conversation analyzes the differing perspectives of German and American naval leadership regarding the effectiveness of these raids, which aimed to disrup…
Topics discussed
Sponsors: Uber Eats and Gatorade
Introduction: Dominic Etsold and 'Reaping the Whirlwind'
Pre-war German naval strategy and the neglect of submarines
The Kaiser's fear and the rise of U-boats as the main arm
Strategic goals: Disrupting US supply lines to the Allies
The U-Deutschland: A cargo submarine for trade and espionage
Sponsors: Uber Eats and Gatorade
U-53's transatlantic journey and its diplomatic impact
Prize rules and the sinking of International Motors
Post-1917 operations: U-cruisers and mine-layers
Differing assessments of success: German vs. American views
Counterfactuals: What if Germany attacked earlier?
Resupplying at sea and the human cost of sinking fishing boats
The author's research process and correcting historical myths
The accessibility of primary sources for modern historians
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