Fighting on the maritime theaters in 1914: the North and Mediterranean Seas

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Fighting on the maritime theaters in 1914: the North and Mediterranean Seas

Given the power of the naval forces of Britain and the German Empire, the North Sea was considered the main of the naval theaters of war. Military operations in the North Sea began in accordance with plans that had been developed before the First World War. The main efforts of the British fleet were sent to the far blockade of Germany. Military operations spanned a vast area of ​​the North Sea - up to 120 thousand square miles and the English Channel.

Initially, the British were going to carry out the blockade with the help of the search cruiser squadrons supported by linear forces, without exposing permanent posts. But already 8 August 1914, the German submarines appeared near the Orkney Islands, where there was one of the main bases of the British fleet - Scapa Flow and one of the submarines tried to attack the Monarch battleship. The next day, the English cruiser Birmingham tracked down and sank the German submarine. The British command was forced to withdraw the Grand Fleet (English Grand Fleet - "Big Fleet") to the west of the Orkney archipelago and decides to strengthen the defense of Scapa Flow and go to the system of permanent blockade patrols. In the future, the British command was repeatedly forced to withdraw the fleet from Scapa Flow, the base did not have good anti-submarine defense.

August 11 cruiser squadron was deployed on the Peterhead line (British port) - Kristiansand (a harbor and city in Southern Norway, on the Skagerrak), but its density was negligible - 8-10 cruisers on 240 miles. Though periodically other cruiser squadrons also sailed into the sea. The Germans almost immediately took advantage of this - the auxiliary cruiser “Emperor Wilhelm the Great” broke through (it was converted from a transatlantic liner, armed with six 4-inch guns and two 37 millimeter cannons). The German cruiser missed two passenger ships, since there were many women and children on board, then sank two cargo ships. It should be noted that in the First World War such manifestations of nobility in the war occurred more than once, many officers were brought up on chivalrous ideals. 26 August 1914 cruiser was caught off guard during coal bunkering off the coast of the then Spanish colony of Rio de Oro (now Western Sahara) in West Africa, the old British cruiser Highflyer. According to the British, they sank the German ship, the Germans believe that after the cruiser ran out of ammunition, they themselves flooded it in shallow water and left the Wilhelm. This would be the first raider, drowned during the First World War.


Battle of Rio de Oro

After that, the British command broke the northern and middle parts of the North Sea into the 7 sectors, where cruiser patrols were deployed. From time to time, the main fleet linear forces also went out to sea - in August they made 5 exits.
At the same time, two or three British submarines were constantly on duty at Helgoland (an archipelago in the North Sea, where there was a large naval base of the German Navy).

The English Channel (English Channel), the strait between England and France, was blocked more powerfully. There were created seven blockade lines of permanent patrols involving old battleships, armored and light cruisers, destroyers and submarines.

In mid-August, the main forces of the British fleet covered the transportation of the British expeditionary force to France. The decision to deploy the 4 infantry divisions and the 1 cavalry division was made on August 6. The main landing port was Southampton, for those parts that were in Scotland and Ireland - Glasgow, Dublin and Belfast. In France, the expeditionary forces landed in Le Havre (main landing point), Rouen, Boulogne. The main forces were deployed in three days - August 15-17. To protect this operation, the British command pulled almost all the main forces of the fleet.

Battle of the Helgoland Bay (August 28 1914). The British command decided to conduct a diversion operation in the Helgoland Bay to cover the landing in Ostend (it began on the morning of August 27). Intelligence revealed weak points of the German defense, for example, there were no remote reconnaissance patrols, the Germans were careless, they did not organize a good anti-submarine defense. For the operation, the British assigned Vice Admiral Beatty's 1 Squadron of the battle cruisers (three ships), Rear Admiral Moore's “K” battle cruiser squadron (two ships), Rear Admiral Christian's X Cruiser Squadron (7 armored cruisers and one combat crews and one of them. cruiser), 5 submarine chassis, commissary of the submarines of Commodore Kiyza (1 submarine); (light cruiser and 6 destroyers). The Germans were taken by surprise: there were several light cruisers and destroyers in the sea (moreover, the cruisers were at different points, not a single fist), all the battleships and battlecruisers were locked in the harbor and could not go to sea because of low tide.

In general, there was no single battle - a series of battles by superior British forces with German ships took place. Neither the British nor the Germans could not organize the coordinated actions of their diverse forces - cruisers, destroyers, submarines. The situation was aggravated by foggy weather, so part of the British forces did not know about the presence of their other units - 1-I squadron of light cruisers Gudenaf was accepted by the Commodore Kiiz for Germans, he called for help from the 3-I flotilla of Teruit. The situation almost ended in tragedy, with the death of several British ships.

The Germans lost light cruisers in the battle (Mainz, Cologne, Ariadne), one destroyer, and light cruisers 3 were damaged. More than 2 thousand people died, were injured, taken prisoner. The commander of the German light forces in the region of Helgoland was killed by Rear Admiral Leberecht Maass (or Meuse), he held his flag on the light cruiser “Cologne”. The British had two light cruisers and three destroyers badly damaged (1 killed and 32 injured). It should be noted that the German crews fought heroically, not dropping the flag to the last.


Sinking "Mainz".

Actions of the German Navy

The Germans also did not dare to withdraw the fleet for the general battle, and the main hopes were pinned on the actions of the submarine fleet. Not attempted by the German command, and to disrupt the landing of the British expeditionary forces. In many ways, this position was based on the opinion that the war with France will be short-lived and the British corps will not be able to prevent the defeat of the French army. In September-October, the German submarine forces achieved quite good success - they sank the 4 cruisers, the hydro-cruiser (the ship providing group-based seaplanes), the 1 submarine, several merchant ships, dozens of fishing vessels.

The greatest success was achieved by the German submarine U-9 (it was launched in the 1910 year) under the command Otto Edward Weddigen. The 22 submarine of September 1914 of the year for three hours sank three British cruisers: "Hog", "Abukir" and "Cressy".


The crew of the U-9. Otto Weddigen stands in the center.

On September 22, on patrol, Weddigen discovered three heavy British Navy cruisers from the 7 th cruiser squadron. The weddigen with half-discharged batteries went on the attack on the British armored cruisers 3. During the first approach from the 500 distance, the U-9 with one torpedo hit Abukir, which began to slowly sink. The British from other cruisers considered that Abukir had run into a mine, stopped to begin rescue work. After the maneuver and reloading of the apparatus, the Veddigen submarine gave a two-hops salvo from a distance of one mile along the Hog. The cruiser struck only one torpedo, Weddigen got close, charging the nose torpedo tube with the last torpedo, and from 300 meters struck a second blow, while the Germans barely avoided a collision with a British ship while maneuvering. At this time, it was reported that the battery is almost completely discharged, only enough to move a minimum distance from the British. But, the German commander made a risky decision to hit the third cruiser from the stern, although there was a possibility that the submarine would lose speed under the very nose of the British. After a long maneuvering, the Weddigen was able to send the feeding gear to the third cruiser and attacked a mile away. The risk was justified - both torpedoes hit the target, the cruiser went to the bottom.


U-9 22.09.1914 submarine attack scheme

German submarine U-9.

England lost 1 459 people died, only 300 were able to escape. For the first in the world stories The sinking of the submarine of the three weddigen warships was awarded the 2-X and 1-class Iron Crosses, and the 2-class Iron Crosses awarded the entire crew. This battle was a shock for all of Britain, killing more English sailors than for the entire bloody Battle of Trafalgar (1805 of the year). After this incident, the British ships began to move only anti-submarine zigzag and the captains were forbidden to stop and pick up sinking comrades from the water. This attack showed a dramatically increased role of the submarine fleet in the war at sea. October 15 X-NUMX submarine U-1914, commanded by Weddigen, sank another British cruiser, the commander awarded the highest military award of Prussia with the Order of Merit (Pour le Mérite) and a number of other honorary insignia. The British were able to take revenge on 9 March 18, U-1915, commanded by Weddigen, in poor visibility rammed the British battleship, the ancestor of the new class of these ships - the Dreadnoughts. German submarine died with the entire crew.

In November-December, the German cruisers conducted two raid operations against the English coast. November 3 was fired on the port of Yarmouth, December 16 Hartlepool, Scarborough, Whitby. At the same time, the Germans put up minefields. The operation was covered by two squadrons of battleships, submarine forces and destroyers. The German command wanted to lure some of the main forces of the British fleet into the sea and destroy them. But the battle did not take place, only during the second raid there was a short-term firefight of the mine-carrying and cruising forces.


German sailors in Wilgelshaven meet the U-9 boat returning from victory.

British. The actions of the German submarine forces, raids on the coast of cruisers caused great damage to the prestige of the British fleet. London, trying to preserve the authority of the fleet, said that the actions of the Germans in the shelling of peaceful, supposedly unprotected cities are illegal, because they violate the Hague Convention 1907 of the year.

The British command, reacting to the actions of the Germans, changed the disposition of the main forces of the fleet, the blockade system of the German coast. So in early December, the line of blockade patrols was transferred to the line Bergen (Norway) - Shetland Islands. In patrols, old armored cruisers are changed for auxiliary cruisers (these were, as a rule, passenger ships — liners that made regular voyages in the ocean), they were distinguished by greater autonomy, reserve and speed. From 25 auxiliary cruisers, 5 mobile patrols were formed, each of them carrying duty in a particular area.

In addition, the British took other measures to undermine the German economy. 5 November London declared the entire North Sea combat zone. All merchant ships of neutral countries should now go to the Atlantic Ocean and back only through the English Channel, with the obligatory calling at British ports for inspection. At the same time, the British government demanded that neutral countries stop trading their goods with Germany. A number of countries were forced to agree with these requirements. It was a heavy blow to the German economy, Berlin was able to maintain trade relations only with Denmark, Sweden and Turkey (and through it with some regions of Asia).

Results of the 1914 campaign of the North Sea

“The war showed that the British and German plans for war in this theater of operations turned out to be mostly erroneous. The blockade from the sea of ​​Germany, militarily, failed altogether - German raiders broke through into the Atlantic, enemy ships and entire formations went out to sea and reached the English shores. The “small war” of the German Navy also did not reach its main goal - the equation of forces with the “Great Fleet” of Britain.

- The 1914 campaign of the year showed the increased role of submarine forces. Submarines could conduct successful operational reconnaissance (so the success of the British in the battle at Helgoland Bay was based on reports of submarines that were on duty at the German base), successfully attacking large warships, merchant ships, striking even ships that were at naval bases . The British were forced to revise the system of long-distance blockade, change the composition of the forces used for it. The British and Germans had to strengthen the anti-submarine defense of their main naval bases.

- Both fleets were not ready for a mine war, having small stocks of mines. The British in 1914 put 2264 mines and only for defensive purposes. Germans from 2273 min. just over half exhibited off the coast of England.

- The British and German command practically could not organize the interaction of the Navy and the ground forces. The German fleet was not involved at all to support the army, the British allocated small forces to support the troops in Flanders.

- The British and German fleets are faced with the problem of command. The British Admiralty limited the competence of the Canal Fleet Command (the forces that defended the English Channel) and the Big Fleet with the right to control only individual operations, mainly of a tactical nature. The Germans constantly intervened in the actions of the fleet command the emperor and the naval general headquarters, which virtually completely deprived the Navy of the initiative.

- In the 1914 campaign of the year, the British lost, not only combat losses, but also non-combat (for example, from collisions): 2 battleship, 6 cruisers, 1 hydrocruiser, several ships of other classes. German casualties: 6 cruisers, 9 destroyers and destroyers, 2 minesweeper, 5 submarines.

Mediterranean

The main task of the British-French forces in the Mediterranean was the destruction of the German cruisers "Geben" and "Breslau" (they were part of the Mediterranean squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Wilhelm Souchon) to ensure the unimpeded transfer of French forces from Africa to France. In addition, it was necessary to ensure the blockade or destruction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

28 July 1914, Vienna declared war on Belgrade, the “Goeben” at that time was in the Adriatic Sea, in the Croatian city of Paula, where the cruiser was undergoing repair of steam boilers. The German admiral Souchon, in order not to be blocked in the Adriatic, went to the Mediterranean Sea and on August 1 the “Geben” arrived in Brindisi, Italy. The Italian authorities, reporting neutrality, refused to give coal. The Goeben departed for Taranto, Italy, where the light cruiser Breslau joined him. Both ships went to Messina (Sicily), where the Germans managed to get coal from German merchant ships.

30 July First Admiralty Lord Winston Churchill ordered the commander of the Mediterranean fleet, Admiral Archibald Milne, to defend the transfer of French forces from North Africa across the Mediterranean to France. In addition, he was to observe the Adriatic Sea, from which the Austrian battleships could go. At the same time Milne had to send part of the forces to Gibraltar, there was a danger that the Germans would break into the Atlantic. The Mediterranean British fleet at this time was based in Malta and the Chalk in its composition: three modern high-speed battle cruisers, four old armored cruisers, four light cruisers and 14 destroyers.

Souchon, having no specific instructions, decided to go to the African coast, so that, after the announcement of the start of hostilities, to attack the French ports in Algeria. In the evening of August 3, the German admiral received news that the war had begun, and in the morning of August 4, Admiral Alfred Tirpitz ordered to immediately go to Constantinople. Souchon, being at his intended targets — the ports of Bon and Philippville, fired at them and moved east. The bombardment took very little time, the 103 projectile was fired, which caused minimal damage. The French had three squadrons in the Mediterranean, but could not prevent these actions, focusing on the protection of transports. In the morning of August 4 the British battlecruisers Indomitable and Indefatigeable met with the German squadron, but since the wars between England and Germany had not yet been announced, they limited themselves to observation.

Souchon went back to Messina, where he replenished coal supplies. On August 6, the squadron took off from the anchor and went to Istanbul. 10 August Germanic cruisers entered the Dardanelles. Neither the French nor the British did not take serious measures to intercept the German ships. The British were occupied by the blockade of Gibraltar and the entrance to the Adriatic Sea; moreover, Milne considered for a long time that the Germans would go to the west, not to the east. Given the fact that the Ottoman Empire remained a neutral country and was bound by international treaties that did not allow it to pass warships through the straits, it was announced that the German cruisers would be part of the Turkish Navy. On August 16, arriving in the Turkish capital, “Goeben” and “Breslau” were officially transferred to the Ports Naval Forces, receiving the names, respectively, “Yavuz Sultan Selim” and “Midilli”. But, despite the transfer, the crews on the ships remained completely German, and Admiral Souchon continued to be the commander of the squadron. 23 September 1914, Wilhelm Souchon became commander-in-chief of the Turkish naval forces.

In general, London was satisfied that the German cruisers went into the straits. First, they did not unite with the Austrian fleet, which would increase its strength and activity. Secondly, they did not go to the Atlantic, where they could have caused some damage to the sea communications of Britain. Thirdly, the British, as always, were playing a double game - they were satisfied with the qualitative reinforcement of the Turkish Naval Forces. Now the Russian Black Sea Fleet lost its advantage and was forced to solve the task of not landing operations and capture of the Bosphorus with Istanbul, but the defense of its coast, the hunt for German cruisers. The capture of the Bosphorus and Istanbul was for London one of the worst nightmares - the Russians were leaving the Mediterranean. It was one of the strategic objectives of the British - not to allow Russia to go to the Mediterranean and stand firm there.

However, later the Anglo-French fleet had to begin the blockade of the Dardanelles, in order to prevent the release of German ships in the Mediterranean Sea and their actions on communications.

At the same time, the Anglo-French fleet in 1914 was holding its forces in the Otrantian Strait (connecting the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian). In addition, he made ten exits to the Adriatic Sea in order to curb the actions of the Austrian fleet against Montenegro, while simultaneously trying to summon him to a general battle. The Austrian command was not going to start the battle with the superior forces of the enemy and avoided the battle. There were only minor skirmishes. So 20 December Austrian submarine attacked and damaged the French battleship "Jean Bar" (such as "Courbet").


British ships pursuing the Göben and Breslau.
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  1. Rodver
    +1
    27 February 2012 13: 08
    The German fleet during the First World War fought well and although inferior to the English, fought with it on an equal footing. And captain Veddigen and his crew showed themselves to be worthy divers.
  2. SenyaYa
    0
    27 February 2012 14: 36
    Well said a plus to you
  3. Kibb
    0
    27 February 2012 15: 15
    In principle, a normal review article. As usual, heaped too much about Goeben's flight, but this is already a tradition
  4. 755962
    +1
    27 February 2012 15: 18
    The German fleet as a whole performed well in the First World War, although it could not have a significant impact on the development of events. Nevertheless, for some time he managed to confront the largest fleet in the world - the British Royal Navy
  5. 0
    27 February 2012 16: 53
    For those interested in this topic I recommend "Memories" by A. von Tirpitz.
    There is a tyrnet.
  6. Kibb
    0
    27 February 2012 17: 08
    I liked A. Sick in due time. "Clash of the Giants", easy to read, I recommend

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