Ruthless Warfare - German Military Planning Surveillance in Australia New Zealand

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 It has been argued that Australia was manipulated against its interests into action in WW1 by London - this unpublished collection of documents from the military division of the German Archives shows that this was not the case.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.

List of contents

Part 1. Introduction: Australia, Germany and the Great War  1.1. German Activities in the Pacific before 1914  1.2. The German Navy  1.3. The Australian Station  1.4. Old and New Trends in German History and Historiography  Part 2. Documents  2.1. The Importance of Australia and New Zealand for German Military Planning  2.2. The Organisation and its Tasks  2.3. Preparing for War

Product details

• Authors: Jurgen Tampke
• Assisted by: Jürgen Tampke (Editor)
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.06.2024
• EAN: 9781032403977
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3240397-7
• No. of pages: 216
• Series: Routledge Library Editions: Germans in Australia
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political administration; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, European History, Germany, First World War, Australia, HISTORY / General, Naval forces & warfare, Colonialism & imperialism, Peace studies and conflict resolution, Colonialism and imperialism, Warfare and defence, Peace studies & conflict resolution, History and Archaeology, Armed Conflict