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During the course of the First World War, the United Kingdom and her allies attempted to deprive Germany of food, and other essential supplies, by imposing a naval blockade. As luck would have it, every ship proceeding to Germany from any of the oceans had to pass Britain. The blockade strategy had two objectives: first, and comparatively easy, to seal off the narrow straits between Britain and France, secondly, and much less straightforward, to police the 270 miles of water separating Scotland from Norway. These turned out to be dangerous courses of action since they prompted the Germans to use their U-boats as a counter-blockade and, because the British nation relied on foreign trade to feed itself, if it failed in its naval supremacy for more than the briefest period the spectre of starvation would arise. In the event, the blockade was to last nearly five years. Nigel Hawkins served in the Royal Navy Reserve for 30 years and now uses his vast knowledge of nautical history to put together this assessment of one aspect of naval warfare. The Starvation Blockades charts the severe effects of the German and British campaigns and tells the story of the battles, both naval and political, that helped to determine the outcome of the war. The book also examines the often inventive, and always desperate, measures taken to alleviate the blockades. Finally, it looks in detail at the controversy that raged around the introduction of the blockades and assesses whether they were a significant factor in President Wilson's decision to bring the United States into the war. This is a stimulating interpretation of one aspect of the Great War, well-researched and very readable. (Kirkus UK)

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Nigel Hawkins was educated at Sherboure School, Dorset and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. After national service in the Royal Navy he became a solicitor. He is a published author and a fluent Russian speaker. Now retired to concentrate on his writing he lives in London WC1.

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