The campaign plan is to flood the North Sea with forces, discourage German sorties, and apply economic pressure. Battlecruiser numbers comparable to the opponent's cruiser force provide the surface advantage, while submarines and mines widen the threat. Germany's decision to scrap battleships only seven years old during a war and under a four-to-one numerical disadvantage suggests that its older construction cannot sustain the contest. Local fleet superiority, undersea warfare, and replacement pressure combine to produce blockade-style strategic effects without a single decisive engagement.
Notable Point · 1:14:18-1:18:10
Using naval concentration to pressure an economy
Warships and submarines concentrate in the North Sea to make German operations dangerous and strain the enemy economy.