12-05-2002 06:52									#121
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quote: Originally posted by Saint Marcus Sorry to burst your bubble, but US presence didn't really make a dramatic impact in the war. France and Britain could have defeated Germany all by themselves, though it would probably have taken some extra months. Please don't go saying that the Americans won WW1, that's really a joke. And I believe the American (and all allied forces in France) were under French command, were they not? (not sure about this, can someone confirm/deny this).

The Americans coming into the war was a huge benefit to the allies. Of course, the French had way more soldiers involved against the Germans than we did. Just wanted to say "scoreboard, baby!!" We were on the winning side. You were the losers.

	12-05-2002 07:00									#122
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The German fleet in 1914 was not nearly as strong as the British fleet.

Merely since the German fleet was almost entirely concentrated for action in the North Sea it in that theatre could threaten Britain.


The German Navy had been able to play catch-up with Britain quickly with the advent of Dreadnoughts which made obsolete so much of the British fleet. Were it not due to the capacity of the British ship-building industry and Jellicoe exaggerating the size of the German capability for building dreadnoughts the British wouldn't have built so many.

In 1900 the Dreadnought was not in existence...furthermore even in 1914 the German High Seas fleet was extremely limited in range due to lack of coaling stations. Without coaling stations the Germans in 1900 could not operate off the American Seaboard...Britain could because she had bases in Canada, Bermuda etc. At best the Germans would have to base their operations from Mexico, but it would mean shipping the coal over there!


The naval arms race started between Britain and Germany about 1907 A.D. It started partly due to "start again" aspect that Dreadnoughts brought to the world navies but also as the German navy could effectively only operate against the British, French (Channel) and Russian (Baltic) navies in Europe, it was a declaration of war effectively.