Blockade of Germany (1939–1945)
In 1937, Sir Frederick Leith-Ross began urging senior British government figures to revive the World War I blockade strategy. He had represented British interests abroad for years, including missions to Italy, Germany, China and Russia. His plan aimed to make better use of technology and Britain's vast overseas business network. Contacts in key trading locations such as New York, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Rome or Buenos Aires would act as an information gathering system. Tip-offs from bankers, merchant buyers, waterfront stevedores and ship operators provided advance knowledge of ships carrying contraband. The Royal Navy could stop shipments to Germany immediately once war was declared. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain initially hoped to avoid war but realized the need for urgent preparations after his appeasement of Hitler at Munich in September 1938. During the last 12 months of peace, Britain and France carried out a vigorous buildup of their armed forces. The long-awaited Spitfire fighter began to enter service, and new naval vessels ordered under the 1936 emergency programme joined the fleet. A joint British, French staff paper issued in April 1939 recognized that economic warfare was likely to be the Allies' only effective offensive weapon in any war with Germany.
Germany faced great concern about potential effects of a new blockade following warnings from Adolf Hitler as early as 1934. By 1900 Germany had the biggest economy in Europe but entered World War I with plentiful reserves of gold and foreign currency. After the war, Germany experienced severe financial problems including hyperinflation caused by reparations requirements and the Great Depression following the Wall Street crash of 1929. Hjalmar Schacht and later Walther Funk used clever financial devices like Mefo bills to manipulate currency and gear the German economy toward Wehrwirtschaft (War Economy). Hermann Göring established the Four Year Plan in September 1936 to make Germany self-sufficient and impervious to blockade by 1940. His vast industrial empire, the Hermann Göring Works, produced steel from low-grade German iron ore. Heavy investment went into ersatz synthetic industries producing goods from natural resources Germany possessed, such as textiles made from cellulose, rubber and oil made from coal. Even before the war began, shortages existed. On the 24th of August 1939, a week before the invasion of Poland which started the war, Germany announced rationing of food, coal, textiles and soap.
Hitler invaded Poland on the 1st of September 1939, and Britain and France declared war two days later. Within hours, the British liner Athenia was torpedoed off the Hebrides with loss of 112 lives, leading the Royal Navy to assume unrestricted U-boat warfare had begun. Scapa Flow was selected as main British naval base because of its great distance from German airfields, but defenses built up during World War I had fallen into disrepair. During an early visit, Churchill saw the flagship putting to sea with no destroyer escort because there were none to spare. A U Boat crept into the Flow during night of the 14th of October and sank veteran battleship HMS Royal Oak with over 800 fatalities. Germany possessed 60 U-boats at beginning of war but would have over 140 by summer of 1940. Orders were immediately placed for 58 new corvettes which could be built in 12 months or less. To bridge gap while auxiliary anti-submarine craft prepared, aircraft carriers escorted numerous unprotected craft approaching British shores. In first week of war, Britain lost 65,000 tons of shipping; second week, 46,000 tons lost; third week, 21,000 tons lost. By end of September 1939, regular ocean convoys operated outward from Thames and Liverpool, inward from Gibraltar, Freetown and Halifax.
The neutral commerce that perplexed Winston Churchill most was Swedish iron ore trade. Sweden provided Germany with 9 million tons of high grade ore per year via Baltic ports without which German armaments manufacture would be paralyzed. These ports froze in winter, but alternative route available from Norwegian port of Narvik ran through partially hidden sea lane between shoreline and Skjaergaard chain of some 50,000 glacially formed skerries running entire 1,600 km length west coast. As in World War I, Germans used Norwegian Corridor to travel inside 3-mile wide neutral waters where Royal Navy and RAF unable to attack them. Churchill considered this greatest impediment to blockade and pressed for mining Skjaergaard to force German ships into open seas. Even so, by early October Allies grew increasingly confident at effectiveness of their blockade. In first 15 weeks war, Allies claimed to have taken 870,000 tons goods equal to 10% of Germany's normal imports for entire year. This included petrol and enough animal hides for 5 million pairs of boots. Norway had already lost 23 ships, many more attacked and dozens sailors killed while Sweden lost 19 ships and Denmark 9.
Hitler's secret weapon was magnetic mine which did not need contact with ship to destroy it. Germans began laying new type off English coast using seaplanes to drop them in harbors channels and estuaries too narrow or shallow for submarines to navigate. Mines ranged from small versions dropped dozens at time to large one-ton versions dropped by parachute on shoal bottoms equipped with magnetic triggers activated by steel hull passing above. Over next few days many ships blew up in waters close to shore mostly by explosions under or near keels although waters had been swept. Six went down mouth of Thames and new cruiser badly damaged at mouth of Firth of Forth. Eventually method developed known as degaussing involved girding ships in electric cable quickly applied to all ships. From early December 1939 British began preventing German exports as reprisal for damage caused by magnetic mines. Chamberlain said policy in strict adherence to rules of law though realization this would be detrimental to neutrals as Norway got nearly all coal from Germany. Before war 70% Germany export trade with European countries mostly Netherlands France and England but Ministry estimated remaining annual exports worth £44m to South America, £19m to Far East, £15m to US.
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Common questions
When did Sir Frederick Leith-Ross begin urging the British government to revive World War I blockade strategy?
Sir Frederick Leith-Ross began urging senior British government figures to revive the World War I blockade strategy in 1937. He had represented British interests abroad for years, including missions to Italy, Germany, China and Russia.
What date did Germany announce rationing of food coal textiles and soap before the invasion of Poland?
On the 24th of August 1939 a week before the invasion of Poland which started the war Germany announced rationing of food coal textiles and soap. This announcement came even though shortages existed before the war began.
How many tons of contraband did the Royal Navy confiscate during the first four weeks of the war?
In the first four weeks of the war official figures stated that the Royal Navy confiscated 289,000 tons of contraband. The French Marine Nationale confiscated 100,000 tons during the same period.
Which German naval base was selected as main British naval base because of its great distance from German airfields?
Scapa Flow was selected as main British naval base because of its great distance from German airfields. A U Boat crept into the Flow during night of the 14th of October and sank veteran battleship HMS Royal Oak with over 800 fatalities.
How much high grade iron ore per year did Sweden provide to Germany via Baltic ports without which German armaments manufacture would be paralyzed?
Sweden provided Germany with 9 million tons of high grade ore per year via Baltic ports without which German armaments manufacture would be paralyzed. These ports froze in winter but an alternative route ran through Norwegian port of Narvik.