The Second World War U-boat campaign attracts more attention and produced imposing destruction totals. In this assessment, German submarines came closer to forcing Britain out of the First World War. The comparison separates visible tonnage sunk from strategic effect: a campaign can look more dramatic without approaching its political objective as closely. The later campaign's safer memory may be easier to celebrate because Britain was never pushed quite as near the edge. Raw destruction totals alone cannot establish naval effectiveness.
Notable Point · 39:28-40:17
The First World War U-boat threat came closer
German submarines are judged to have come closer to forcing Britain out of the First World War, despite the greater attention paid to their Second World War campaign.