The
Blockade of Germany, or the
Blockade of Europe, occurred from 1914 to 1919. It was a prolonged
naval operation conducted by the
Allied Powers during and after
World War I in an effort to restrict the maritime supply of goods to the
Central Powers, which included
Germany,
Austria-Hungary and
Turkey. It is considered one of the key elements in the eventual Allied victory in the war. The German Board of Public Health in December 1918 claimed that 763,000 German civilians died from
starvation and disease caused by the blockade up until the end of December 1918. An academic study done in 1928 put the death toll at 424,000.