tonnage war

(noun)

A military strategy aimed at merchant shipping. The premise is that the enemy has only a finite number of ships, and a finite capacity to build replacements for them. The concept was made famous by U-boat commander Karl Dönitz.

Related Terms

Examples of tonnage war in the following topics:

  • The Battle of the Atlantic

    • The campaign began immediately after the European war began and lasted six years.
    • In essence, the Battle of the Atlantic was a tonnage war: the Allies struggled to supply Britain, while the Axis attempted to stem the flow of merchant shipping which enabled Britain to keep fighting.
    • The Battle of the Atlantic was the dominating factor all through the war.
    • Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, the Polish Cipher Bureau initiated the French and British into its Enigma-breaking techniques and technology but Germans continued to successfully cipher and use Enigma during World War II.
    • Discuss the tonnage war in the Atlantic between Allied merchant ships and the German Navy and Airforce.

  • Article I

    • To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;
    • No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops, or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay.

  • Cromwell and the Roundheads

    • The Petition did not grant him the right of tonnage and poundage, which Charles had been collecting without Parliamentary authorization since 1625.
    • First and foremost, to avoid Parliament, the King needed to avoid war.
    • Charles made peace with France and Spain, effectively ending England's involvement in the Thirty Years' War.
    • The war ended with the Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651.
    • His forces defeated the Confederate and Royalist coalition in Ireland and occupied the country, bringing to an end the Irish Confederate Wars.

  • Charles I and the Power to Tax

    • He demanded over £700,000 to assist in prosecuting the war.
    • In addition, rather than renewing the customs due from Tonnage and Poundage for the entire life of the monarch, which was traditional, the Commons only voted them in for one year.
    • Because of this, the House of Lords rejected the bill, leaving Charles without any money to provide for the war effort.
    • By 1627, with England still at war, Charles decided to raise "forced loans" or taxes not authorized by Parliament.
    • It also restricted the use of martial law except in war or direct rebellion and prohibiting the formation of commissions.

  • The Strategic Bombing of Europe

    • During World War II, the Allies used strategic bombing in Europe and Asia in order to impede the Axis infrastructure and war production capacities as well as terrorize civilians on enemy territories.
    • As the war continued to expand, bombing by both the Axis and the Allies increased significantly.
    • The sheer tonnage of explosive delivered by day and by night was eventually sufficient to cause widespread damage, and, more importantly from a military point of view, forced Germany to divert resources to counter it.
    • Much of the doubt about the effectiveness of the bomber war comes from the oft-stated fact German industrial production increased throughout the war.
    • German insiders also credit the Allied bombing offensive with crippling the German war industry.

  • The Opium Wars

  • Total War

  • The Russian Civil War

  • The Propaganda War

  • The Korean War