German writers, believes that submarines, like Shakespeare, are a German invention.  He is also, notwithstanding the experience of two and a half months, confident that the German “submarine blockade” will both be successful and become popular with neutrals.  Building upon the German myth that Captain Weddigen’s submarine, U-29, was destroyed while saving life, Professor Flamm “expects” that the neutrals will stop all traffic with England, “in view of the cowardly and cunning method of fighting of the English.”

Professor Flamm then discusses Germany’s prospects, as follows: 

Anybody who wants to fight England must not attempt it by striving to bring against England larger and more numerous battleships and cruisers.  That would be not only unwise but also very costly.  He must try another method, which makes England’s great sea power completely illusory, and gives it practically no opportunity for activity.  This method is the cutting-off of imports by submarine fleets.  Let it not be said that the attainment of this end requires a very great deal of material.  England, as can easily be seen from the map, possesses a fairly limited number of river mouths and ports for rapid development of her great oversea trade.  Beginning in the northeast, those on the east coast are mainly the Firth of Forth, the mouths of the Tyne and Humber, and then the Thames; in the south, Portsmouth, Southampton, and Plymouth, with some neighboring harbors; in the west, the Bristol Channel, the Mersey, the Solway, and the Clyde.  These are the entries that have to be blocked in order to cut off imports in a way that will produce the full impression.  For this purpose 150 of the submarines of today fully suffice, so that the goal is within reach.  Moreover, the development of this arm will enormously increase its value, and so, come what may, England must reckon with the fact that her world supremacy cannot much longer exist, and that the strongest navy can make no difference.  When once the invisible necktie is round John Bull’s neck, his breathing will soon cease, and the task of successfully putting this necktie on him is solely a question of technical progress and of time, which now moves so fast.

Professor Flamm ends with a passage about German submarine bases.  It would be more intelligible if he had made up his mind whether Germany is going to take Calais or whether, according to another popular German theory, England is going to annex the north coast of France.  He writes: 

“The eyes of France also will one day be opened when, having been sufficiently weakened, she is compelled to leave the north coast of France, including Calais, to her friend of today.  Precisely this coast which England has seized may be expected now to remain in English possession for the purpose of better and surer control of the Channel, for there can be no doubt that this control renders, and will render, difficult for the German submarines effective activity in the Irish Sea—­an activity which will become all the easier as soon as Calais has been freed of the enemy, or is even in German possession.