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Norway's Humiliation

Raemaekers, Louis, 1917, Chromolithograph
Norway's Humiliation
Norway's Humiliation
Norway's Humiliation
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Category
Library Item
Item no
32924
Title
Norway's Humiliation
Description
"Because we have sunk thirty or forty of your merchantmen you dare to refuse our 'U' boats access to our harbours? This is an unneutral and unfriendly act toward us."

"The foregoing sentence succinctly sums up the arrogance of Germany towards the countries which she believes to be powerless to take action against her. Norway undoubtedly has occupied a difficult position. To take up arms, as her armour propre would suggest, without the cooperation of her neighbours, Sweden and Denmark, would, in the event of Germany's success, be fatal to her, whilst her relationships with Sweden before the War were not such as to suggest mutual or cordial co-operation at any time, and as regards to her Baltic shores she could not look for, or expect, assistance from Great Britain. Her great maritime trade has consequently suffered from Germany's total disregard of International law, more than any other country. Statistics show a loss from the beginning of the War to February 1917, 338 ships, aggregating 464,900 tons. In the autumn of 1916, Norway was driven to ask why she should submit to these continuous attacks on her merchant fleet, whilst German military flotillas in increasing numbers took advantage of Great Britain's respect of the territorial waters Convention to creep up the coast within the prescribed limits, enjoy the hospitality of Norwegian harbours, carry their wares to Norway and take back goods that were vital to that nation's existence. Germany's answer was succinctly summed up in the subtitle of this cartoon."
Artist / maker
Date
1917
Size
32.5 x 26.7 cm
Location
Art and Design Library
Copyright
Louis Raemaekaers' drawings are reproduced by kind permission of the Louis Raemaekers Foundation.