Page 159 - Il Mediterraneo quale elemento del Potere Marittimo - Atti 16-18 settembre 1996

GERMAN NAVAL STRATEGY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN 1914-1918 145

While the German government was reluctant, and the Turkish politicians va-
cillitated, Souchon won over some of them, reorganized and trained the Turkish
fleet, asked for experts from Germany to strengthen the defenses of the Turkish
narrows, and finality forced Turkey by his attack against the Russian Black Sea
ports into the war on the German side.
When the Dardanelles were attacked by the Allies, he asked Berlin to send
some U-boats. The first of them by its successful attacks helped a great deal to the
bloody but successful defense of the Dardanelles. When the Allies had evacuated
the bridgeheads at Gallipoli, the U-boats started, as was then the rule in the nor-
then areas, a mercantile warfare according to the prize regulations and achieved
great successes. They continued with such operations even during the time when
in the north the U-boat war was interrupted because of the pressure from the Uni-
ted States after American citizens carne to harm in the sinking of some ships. This
was not so much a strategy but only continuation of a successful practice used be-
fore. And when the unrestricted U-boat war was declared, the Mediterranean U-
boats followed suit not because of a Mediterranean but a generai strategy.
lt must be said, that of the 277 operational German U-boats 56 carne into
the Mediterranean, but 20% of all. U-boats there achieved about 30% of ali sin-
kings. And looking at the most successful U-boats, we can see that of the 7 U-boats
which sank more than 200 000 gross tons, 6 achieved most of their sinkings in
the Mediterranean during the time of their operations according to the prize
regulations.

SOURCES

Der Krieg zur See 1914-1918. Ed by Marine-Archiv:
- Lorey, Hermann: D~r Krieg in den riirkischen Gewassern.
l. Band: Die Mittelmeer-Division. Berlin: Mittler & Sohn 1928.
2. Band: Der Kampf um die Meerengen. Berlin: Mitder & Sohn 1938.
Spindler, Arno: Der Hand~lskrieg mie U-Booten. Band 1-5. Berlin/Frankfurt-Main:
Mittler & Sohn 1932, 1933, 1934, 1941, 1966.
Sokol, Hans Hugo: Òsterreich-Ungarns Seekrieg 1914-1918.2 vols. Graz: Akademische Druck-
und Verlagsanscalt 1967.
Gabriele, Mariano: Le convenzioni navali della Triplice. Roma: Ufficio Storico della Marina
Militare 1969.
Lumby, E.W.R.: Policy and Operacions in the Mediterranean 1912-1914. London: Navy Re-
cords Society 1970.
Rohwer, Jiirgen: The Fighe for the Turkish Narrows: Problems of Co-ordination in Coalition
Warfare. In: çanakka1e Savaslari, Sebep ve Sonuçlari Uluslararasi Sempozyumu'ndan Ay·
ribasim. Ankara: Tiirk Tarih Kurumu Basimevi 1993, p. 137-164.