Military Model Scene

Title: German High Seas Fleet 1914-1918
Author: Angus Konstam
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4728-5647-0

'The Kaiser's challenge to the Royal Navy', number 2 in the new Fleet series from Osprey. An 80-page soft-cover book, with illustrations by Edouard A. Groult.
This opens with a useful introduction that gives some background to the development of the German High Seas Fleet and its' expansion in the years leading up to WW1. It talks us through the Kaiser's Luxury Fleet, and his ideas of a Risk Theory and Force Balancing. It sets the scene for the arms race between Britain and Germany that found them at war from 1914. Then it moves on to consider the Fleet Fighting Power, looking at the new Dreadnought battleships, the pre-Dreadnoughts, along with their ideas of using their scouting forces, with battlecruisers and torpedo boats (these being the size of destroyers, not the light, fast torpedo boats we think of from WW2). It considers details such as technology, armour, gunnery and fire control plus propulsion. It also covers how the German Navy used their light forces differently to the Royal Navy. How the Fleet Operated comes next, with high level organisation into Divisions, Command & Control arrangements before getting to Communications & Intelligence, Bases & Logistics. It all comes together in the final major section of the book, Combat and Analysis. The two main clashes that feature are those at Dogger Bank, and later the major fleet engagement at Jutland. The tactics and results are all included, while the book also is well illustrated throughout, with archive images and some marvellous artwork featuring both double page spread plus maps and 3D plans illustrating battle events.
As someone who is no great expert on the naval side of the WW1 story, I found this an interesting read. Not only the fleet equipment and tactics but how, after Jutland, the Kaiser wouldn't risk his expensive fleet in combat with the Royal Navy again. As many will know, it was surrendered at the end of the war, and most of their fine ships ended their service being scuttled at Scapa Flow. Another good value book in this new Fleet series.
Thanks to Osprey for our review copy.

Robin