Q&A ยท 12:39-14:10

The viable core of the First World War Baltic project

The practical Baltic option was cutting German trade with Sweden, not attempting a large landing in Pomerania.

Question

Could the First World War Baltic project have succeeded, and which version was most plausible?

Short answer

A blockade cutting Germany off from Swedish trade was plausible after naval superiority; invading Pomerania was not.

Notes

The discussion dismisses a British or Russian land invasion of Germany through the Baltic as an intentionally extreme proposal likely meant to be negotiated down. Any useful version of the scheme depended on first defeating the High Seas Fleet badly enough to permit Allied control of the Baltic. Once that condition existed, stopping Swedish trade would impose economic pressure without the enormous risk of a continental landing. The viable objective was blockade and isolation, not amphibious conquest of Pomerania.