Spectre of Invasion

Explores Britain’s fear of a German coastal invasion during World War I, examining raids, defense efforts, and the political and strategic fallout. By 1900, the British government and public had become gripped by a new and growing fear of invasion, not from traditional enemies such as France, but from Germany. Such terror was driven by lurid books and fanned by newspapers. These anxieties sparked off a fight between those who wanted a defence based on a larger standing army, with conscription to