Scheer took command on 18 January 1916 and wrote guiding principles for sea warfare in the North Sea. Submarine operations, Zeppelin raids, and aggressive fleet sorties were supposed to pressure the Grand Fleet into abandoning its distant blockade. The scheme tried to bring Germany's prewar close-blockade logic back to life through wartime coercion. It still aimed to compel Britain to behave as German theory had predicted rather than solving the blockade on British terms.
Chapter · 48:07-49:10
Scheer's 1916 plan tried to force Britain forward
On taking command in January 1916, Scheer combined fleet sorties, U-boats, and Zeppelin raids in an attempt to make Britain abandon its distant blockade.