The seaborne alternative is difficult, but it is the only route that still gives Germany a chance at a quick decision without violating Belgium. Germany's transatlantic liner capacity, the Kiel Canal, and the High Seas Fleet make a rapid landing in northern or even southern France imaginable. The liners would have to shuttle repeatedly because even a huge merchant fleet could not move the desired share of the German Army in one lift. The proposal turns an abstract diplomatic counterfactual into a concrete naval-logistics problem involving troops, port defenses, repeat lift, fleet cover, and British reaction time.
Notable Point · 28:02-33:58
The liner fleet as a Channel landing option
The main naval counterfactual has Germany using liners, the Kiel Canal, and the High Seas Fleet to move troops around Belgium by sea.