This is the story of Germany's commerce raiders of World War I, the
surface ships that were supposed to starve the British Isles of the vast
cargoes of vital resources being shipped from the furthest reaches of
the Empire. To that end pre-war German naval strategists allocated a
number of cruisers and armed, fast ocean liners, as well as a complex
and globe-spanning supply network to support them - known as the Etappe
network. This book, drawing on technical illustrations and the author's
exhaustive research, explains the often overlooked role that the
commerce raiders played in World War I. Whilst exploring the design and
development of the ships, it also describes their operational history,
how they tied up a disproportionate amount of the British fleet on
lengthy pursuits, and how certain raiders such as the SMS Emden were
able to wreak havoc across the oceans.