As the Baron pulls his cripples and liners into Wilhelmshaven, he faces the prospect of going big or going home. It would be out of character for him to go home without a fight.
One thing he needs to do right away (info is a perishable commodity) to have his officers that were on the American end to brief not only the KM but the Foreign Ministry as well as to the mood of the Americans.
For the CP, the US is the key to victory. Keep them on the sidelines (even in a pro-Entente stance) long enough, and the CP wins the battle of exhaustion.
