Germany Resumes Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
By late 1916, Germany's military and civilian leadership had concluded that the war could only be won by strangling Britain's supply lines before the United States could intervene effectively. On 1 February 1917, Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare: all ships in designated war zones would be sunk on sight, without the "cruiser rules" that required warning and provision for survivors. The German High Command calculated that even if the US declared war, Britain and France would be starved into submission within five months — before American troops could arrive in strength. In the first months, German U-boats were devastatingly effective, sinking over 600,000 tons of Allied shipping in February and March 1917 alone. The Admiralty introduced the convoy system in May 1917, which dramatically reduced losses. Meanwhile, the resumption of unrestricted warfare, combined with the Zimmermann Telegram, proved the decisive factor in bringing the United States into the war in April 1917.
- Year: 1917 CE
- Category: Political
