Operations Upon the Sea

This hard-edged German military treatise turns sea transport into a weapon of state power, arguing that modern wars may be decided not only on land but by the speed and precision with which armies can be carried across water. Drawing on recent conflicts from Japan and China to the Spanish-American and Boer Wars, it insists that Germany's merchant marine, disciplined army, and expanding battle fleet give it unusual opportunities for overseas action—provided sea power is joined to land force, not mistaken for a substitute. The book offers a systematic doctrine of amphibious warfare: peacetime planning, intelligence, harbor selection, rail and port coordination, specialized training, and adapted merchant shipping must all be in place before war begins. It details embarkation, loading horses and artillery, supply arrangements, escort and battle-fleet protection, and the need for secrecy, speed, and unified command. Landings should strike a single decisive point, seize initiative at once, and push inland before the enemy can organize. Practical, severe, and expansive in scope, the study presents overseas expeditions as a demanding but potentially decisive instrument of German military strategy. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.