Ruthless Warfare (1998) demonstrates how close the First World War came to Australia. It has been argued that Australia was manipulated against its interests into action in WW1 by London – this unpublished collection of documents from the military division of the German Archives shows that this was not the case. The German Navy expected a major confrontation with the British Empire, both in the North Sea and further afield. German cruisers were expected to make a significant contribution in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific, pinning down British naval forces and thus undermining the British fleet’s supremacy in the Atlantic. The damage and disruption to imperial trade would have had serious consequences for Australia, and these German plans also meant that a significant military intelligence system was active in the Antipodes.
| ISBN: | 9781032403960 |
| Publication date: | 19th December 2022 |
| Author: | Jürgen Tampke |
| Publisher: | Routledge an imprint of Taylor & Francis Ltd |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 216 pages |
| Series: | Routledge Library Editions: Germans in Australia |
| Genres: |
European history First World War Peace studies and conflict resolution Armed conflict Warfare and defence Colonialism and imperialism History and Archaeology |