Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Sailor's Revolt
I have to say that the thing that most caught my attention was the part played by the sailors' revolt. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand their plight. It was towards the end of the war and Germany had lost. Everyone knew that, except it seems the military leaders. The admirality had this, I would call it insane, notion that one big victory would turn the tide in the favor of Germany. They have the bright idea to send out their navy to battle the Royal Navy in the English channel. First off, it is suicide to think that the German navy could hold its own against the much better British Navy in their home territory. The revolt started in Wilhelmshaven. The German Fleet had anchored here awaiting its final orders for the coming battle. During October 29-30 the crews of three ships of the Third Navy refused to follow orders. They simply refused to lift anchor. Also, the crews of two battleships of the First Navy Squadron engaged in mutiny and sabotage of the ships systems. It was only when torpedo boats threatened to open fire did the crews step down and allowed themselves to be lead away without armed resistance. However, the sailors were somewhat successful. The Admiralty dropped plans of attack on account that the sailors actions were a hint that they could not be relied upon. From there it was straight down hill. The sailors met with representatives from the USPD and SPD. They formed a large mob and freed the arrested mutineers by force. From there, they went from town to town. It would seem that the sailors and their revolt played a major part in the general revolt by the German people in protest of the war and lead to the Weimar Republic and the abdication of the Kaiser.
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While I agree that it would have been suicide to engage the Royal Navy in its own backyard with a fleet of surface ships, but I think that your supposition that the High Seas Fleet could not hold its own against the Royal Navy may be incorrect. Looking at the Battle of Jutland, the High Seas Fleet actually sank more British tonnage than the British did German tonnage. Of course, the British still had numerical superiority and therefore probably would have killed the High Seas Fleet in the end. And morale also would have played a factor - The British probably would have the advantage here.
ReplyDeleteI think that the sailor's revolt would have made perfect sense for them. From the sailor's point of view, they knew that the war was lost for Germany and that they admirality's desire to charge out in one desperate struggle may have seemed very heroic and noble, but the admirality wouldn't have been doing the fighting. I do think it would have been a suicidal attempt and, if put in their shoes, I would have done the exact same thing.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of who might have won the particular battle, it remains highly unlikely that a naval victory by the Germans could have destroyed the British navy so no victory, regardless of how spectacular was likely to change the outcome of the war (especially given the rising american participation.) I think you are correct to point to the importance of the sailors (and later Army regiments) in triggering the outbreak of the November Revolution. The military had remained a caste apart in Imperial Germany nd the willingness of even a small portion of that group to work with (or even not be used to oppress) socialist groups signifies a huge shift in thinking.
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