The men who led this mutiny were motivated by the desire to save themselves rather than risk their lives in a battle that they believed would have no impact on the war’s final outcome. Nevertheless, panicked by their subordinates’ disobedience, the naval command abandoned the operation during the night of 29-30 October. The mutiny’s greatest impact was limited to a handful of ships as they lined up off the coast in Wilhelmshaven. Some of them simply refused to follow orders and took absence of their ships, while others sabotaged their ships’ readiness to sail. Although they were unaware of the operational plan, a significant number of sailors and stokers grew worried by the preparations and they began a small-scale mutiny during the final days of October 1918.
Some of the leading voices calling for the operation also considered it possible that the navy’s sacrifice could reignite the German population’s “will” to continue the war.
Kiel mutiny full#
They also feared that the officer corps would lose honour if the war came to an end without the full deployment of the surface fleet, something that had been considered too great a risk up to this point in the war. The men behind the operation were especially worried by the prospect that their ships, built at tremendous cost since the turn of the century, would be surrendered to Britain as part of an Armistice deal. Over the course of the remainder of the month, as the diplomatic exchange of notes began to discuss terms of an Armistice, led by Admiral Reinhard Scheer (1863-1928), the German Navy’s highest command set in place secret plans for a major naval assault upon the Royal Navy. The leadership of the German Navy was shocked by this prospect and refused to believe that Germany was defeated. In his first note, Prince Max requested that Wilson bring an end to the war upon the basis of his fourteen points. Massie, Castles of Steel Alexander Watson, Ring of Steel.On 3 October 1918 the new German government led by Prince Max von Baden (1867-1929) initiated an exchange of diplomatic notes with US President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924). Today in 1914: German Naval Raid on Yarmouth. Today in 1915: First Wheeled Plane Launched from British Carrier Today in 1916: Austrians Narrowly Hold Karst Plateau Today in 1917: First American Infantry Killed in Action After a few days of negotiations, he was largely successful, but by that point the revolution had spread far beyond Kiel. A socialist member of the Reichstag, Gustav Noske, was sent to bring the mutineers back under control of the central government.
By November 5, the sailors were firmly in control of the port. The next morning, however, the sailors and soldiers freed the prisoners and soon formed soldiers’ councils, on the Russian model, and issued increasingly strident demands for political freedoms, peace, and social equality. The port’s commander, Wilhelm Souchon ( who had spent most of the war as effective head of the Turkish fleet), had just been appointed to the position, mistakenly believed the situation was under control, and cancelled a call for reinforcements. After a brief confrontation, the patrol fired into the crowd, killing seven and wounding twenty-nine. They encountered an armed patrol, comprised of loyal NCOs and officers. They were joined by local dockyard workers and even some elements of the local garrison, and marched toward where the prisoners were being held. On November 3 in Kiel, many sailors took to the streets to demand the release of their comrades who had been imprisoned during the initial mutinies at sea. In fact, the reverse was true–it in fact spread the mutiny to a large number of ports, each of which now had to deal with thousands of mutinous sailors.
He hoped, by breaking up a large single congregation of sailors into smaller units, that the chances of a general revolt would be minimized and that the sailors could be more easily kept under control. November 3 1918, Kiel–In response to the mutinies in the High Seas Fleet, Hipper cancelled the planned final attack on the British, and dispersed his fleet to various ports.
Members of a sailors’ council on board the Prinzregent Luitpold ( center of a mutiny in 1917) in Wilhelmshaven, where the mutineers took control on November 6.
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