Admiral Raeder's sacred cause:

Scapa Flow, Scotland in 1919 seethed with drama. Rear Admiral von Reuter had scuttled the German High Seas Fleet. Grimly, Crown Prince Heinrich pledged to build another world class battle fleet. Despite adverse public opinion, Heinrich’s peers in the High Command almost achieved their sacred cause.

Admiral Erich Raeder became C–in–C of the German navy in 1928. Five years later Adolf Hitler came to power. In the interim Raeder had assumed dictatorial control of the navy. In 1935 the Anglo–German Naval Treaty eased the stifling effect of the Versailles Treaty. Soon Chancellor Hitler's abrasive posturing opened the door for German naval expansion.

In 1937, Hitler authorized the Z–PLAN, an ambitious heavy warship building program. This promised a top flight German battle fleet within ten years. Providentially, war with Great Britain and France began in 1939.

A gut-wrenching decision now faced Admiral Raeder. When the war began, only five German heavy warships were in service. two 34,000 ton battle cruisers and three 12,000 ton pocket battleships. In addition, two 54,000 ton battleships and one aircraft carrier were taking shape in the shipyards. Raeder must choose between preserving and advancing the surface fleet program or diverting all navy resources toward building submarines.

Admiral Raeder’s Navy follows the navy chief’s unenviable problems and calculated decisions. Packed with documented facts, the book refreshes naval history and brings a new insight into the German navy.

Joseph Gilbey
Hillsburgh, Ontario.
1 August 2008.