ABSTRACT
As the naval operations plan in Danish waters was scuttled, work on the new plans against Britain and France had to start from the very beginning at a time that war against these powers was a distinct possibility. The Morocco policy entailed a risk of war; the Kaiser on several occasions expressed fear of a British attack and emphasized the need for increasing the war preparedness of the fleet. Alfred von Tirpitz had noted on 22 February 1905 that the next five years would constitute the greatest danger zone for Germany. German naval planning against Britain came to be seriously affected by intelligence about probable British strategy as revealed in the fleet maneuvers held in October 1907. From 1906 to 1909 the operational planning of the Admiralty Staff involved France only as an ally of Britain and disregarded a war against France alone, against France allied with Russia, or against Russia alone.
