The battle at sea was an important part of the war. After England had declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914 following the German army's violation of neutral Belgian territory, plans were afoot ‘(England) in die Knie zu zwingen’, to force England to its knees. Two powerful weapons would be deployed to this end, the Zeppelin and the U-boat. Not surprisingly, expectations were high. Even before the war, the navy had gained a special place in the German consciousness. This national pride continued after the war, in spite of the disappointing results that the navy had achieved during the conflict. It should hardly come as a surprise, therefore, that films about the navy have an important place in the overall repertoire of German (post-)war films.

During the Weimar period, there were at least seven navy films that dealt with the First World War.With the exception of 1928 and 1931, one film was released every year featuring the illustrious adventures of the German high seas fleet: DIE VERSUNKENE FLOTTE (1926), UNSERE EMDEN (1926), U9 WEDDIGEN (1927), DREI TAGE AUF LEBEN UND TOD (1929), SCAPA FLOW (1930), KREUZER EMDEN (1932) and MORGENROT (1933). In addition to German navy films, a number of foreign navy films were also released in Germany – the best known are U-BOOT IN GEFAHR (1926), MARE NOSTRUM (US 1926/27), DIE SEESCHLACHTEN BEI CORONEL UND DEN FALKLANDINSELN (GB 1928), SUBMARINE (US 1929) and BLOCKADE … UND U-BOOTKRIEG (GB 1930).

The programme for the construction of a high seas fleet had been Kaiser Wilhelm II's showpiece and, as such, it played an important role in Germany's foreign policy. It was Germany's ambition to expand into a ‘Weltmacht’, a world power. Its arch-rivals were the British, who dominated the seas with their powerful fleet. In the second half of the nineteenth century, Bismarck's policy had mainly been geared towards consolidation of Germany's trading position on the global market.With the exception of a short flirtation in the period 1882-1885, Bismarck had exercised restraint in colonial expansion. Following his dismissal in 1890,Wilhelm II changed his course and began to build a strong fleet to equal or even surpass the British. It was rear admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the head of the Kriegsmarine, who managed to persuade Wilhelm to acknowledge the importance of a strong fleet.