102440 | GERMANY. Großadmiral von Tirpitz zinc Medal.

102440 | GERMANY. Großadmiral Alfred Peter Friedrich von Tirpitz zinc Medal. Issued 1915. Naval warfare (33mm, 12.84 g, 12h). By E. Wrede & L. C. Lauer.

 

GROSSADMIRAL v. TIRPITZ, uniformed bust facing slightly left // WATERKANT! (naval warfare!), single-headed eagle of Germany, aflight, and double-headed eagle of Austria-Hungary perched upon rocky cliff above sea roiled by an oncoming tempest. Edge: Plain.

 

Zetzmann 2122. Choice Mint State. Deep charcoal gray surfaces, with a matte nature.

 

Tirpitz is known for his 'Tirpitz Plan,' which aimed to make the German Empire a world power on par with the British Empire through the growth of the navy and the domination of the seas. Various Fleet Acts during the early part of the 20th century increased the size of the German navy so that it was then the second largest in the world, behind only that of the Brits. His calculation was that Britain needed her navy so vitally that she could not risk engagement with Germany and possibly lose control over an empire so connected through the seas. In the end, the Tirpitz Plan created a naval arms race between the two, with Britain easily increasing her size faster than the Germans could keep up. By strategically relocating some of her fleet in home waters, it became clear that the Plan had only ensured that Britain would remain the most powerful navy rather than being supplanted by the Germans. In 1916, over the dismal failure of his efforts, Tirpitz fell out of favor with the Kaiser and resigned his post.

 

Upload: 1 June 2023.