The ‘father of the modern spy novel’, Erskine Childers unintentionally defeated the plans of Kaiser Wilhelm II when he penned his fictional novel ‘The Riddle of the Sands’. In the novel, two everyday Joes stumble upon a German flotilla up to no good in the seas off Britain. Later it turns out they are quietly amassing in order to launch an invasion of on British soil.
It seems that at the time the book was released—and rapidly grew famous both in fact and legend—Kaiser Wilhelm II was preparing to launch a secret maritime attack on England via the sea.
Thanks in part to the groundswell of English concern that such a thing might very well happen, Britain strengthened her maritime defenses under Winston Churchill and any further invasions were deterred.
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