British maritime strategy and amphibious capability, 1900-1940

Thesis

The thesis deals with the period between the British reorganisation of their defence structure at the turn of the century and the beginning of World War Two. It divides into three parts. The first deals with British theories of maritime strategy and their practical application; the second section examines the practical requirements of these maritime strategies; and the third section comprises a case study, the Norwegian Campaign of 1940, examined and explained in the light of the preceding material.

The thesis contends that the British Services never adopted an amphibious strategy in this period. Despite interest in amphibious strategies following the RussoJapanese War it proved impossible to apply such strategies to the scenario of a war with Germany. Consequently, on the outbreak of the First World War there were no plans or structures for combined planning, and the result was the politically-initiated Gallipoli Campaign. Although in structural and practical terms the results of Gallipoli were positive, the difficulty with actually applying amphibious strategies persisted in the inter-war years. Throughout the period under consideration there was no amphibious strategy on the British planners' agenda.

The thesis therefore considers the British practical preparations for amphibious operations in this light, and concludes that the British opted for a policy providing the basis for rapid expansion in the unlikely event of an amphibious operation becoming necessary. This was a pragmatic solution flawed by the failure to make provision for training and the possibility of an operation at short notice.

Finally the thesis re-examines the Norwegian Campaign, contending that the difficulties the British encountered there were not the result of an underestimation of the requirements of amphibious operations, but of the failure in the pre-war period to consider the strategic possibility that an amphibious operation could be forced on the British services at short notice.

Authors: Massam, DR

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-o09mvd2z4
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English