Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:37:19-1:37:51

Friendly fleet visits shortly before World War I

British dreadnoughts visited Kiel and their crews socialized warmly with the German fleet even as the political crisis leading to war approached.

Imperial German NavyKielNaval DiplomacyRoyal NavyWorld War I
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Question

Are there revealing pre-war stories about relations between the Royal Navy and Imperial German Navy?

Short answer

Yes; British dreadnoughts visited Kiel shortly before the war and the two fleets held friendly social events despite the worsening political situation.

Notes

The Royal Navy and Imperial German Navy were not personally hostile in every prewar encounter. Some of Britain's newest dreadnoughts visited Kiel shortly before the conflict and took part in large, friendly dinners. The fleets could still get along well at the professional and social level. The episode warns against reading the later war backward into every relationship sailors had before 1914.