Recaps

After the Russian 1st Army Corps surrendered, Nicholas II raged at General Leiningen-Kempf and considered how to defend the Kingdom of Poland. He ordered the Imperial Guard and another army corps to reinforce Poland, leaving General Gylinski with one last chance to hold it.

• Nicholas II destroyed his office after learning that the 1st Army Corps had surrendered to the Germans.
• Nicholas II accused Leiningen-Kempf of betraying him and agreed with Grand Duke Karl's proposal to send assassins after the captured general.
• Nicholas II asked how Russia could defend the Kingdom of Poland after losing half a million troops.
• Grand Duke Nicholas proposed sending the 2nd Imperial Guard Corps and the 9th Army Corps to Poland while Russia completed mobilization.
• Nicholas II approved the deployments and told General Gylinski that he had one last chance to hold the Kingdom of Poland.

Prime Minister Asquith convened the Cabinet to discuss Britain’s worsening position against Germany on land and at sea. The ministers argued that the Allies could still recover, while Asquith ordered more troops sent to France and pressed the Royal Navy to protect British shipping.

• King George V summoned Asquith and asked how Britain could reverse the war’s unfavorable course.
• Asquith told the Cabinet that Germany had devastated Allied forces on both fronts and was sinking British merchant ships in the Atlantic.
• Churchill argued that Germany’s early advantage came from Britain, France, and Russia being unprepared for war.
• Richard Haldane said Russia could replace its losses and claimed the Anglo-French forces could hold the Marne Defense Line; Grey added that France would keep fighting even if Paris fell.
• Asquith ordered more Expeditionary Force troops sent to assist France and asked Churchill how the Royal Navy would secure Britain’s sea routes.
• Churchill said the Navy was escorting merchant ships with Capital Ships but was still seeking a way to destroy Germany’s Commerce Raiding Fleet and submarines.

Churchill questioned Jellicoe and Beatty about protecting British shipping while countering the German fleet, and Beatty proposed luring German commerce raiders into an ambush with a large convoy from Canada. Churchill authorized the operation, which would use nearly all of the Royal Navy’s strongest capital ships, and the chapter ended before the convoy departed.

• Jellicoe told Churchill that escorted convoys had reduced shipping losses but required capital ships that might otherwise face the German High Seas Fleet.
• Churchill rejected relying on vigilance and assembling the main fleet only after German movements were detected.
• Beatty proposed using a Canadian supply convoy as bait while an elite fleet waited nearby to ambush German commerce raiders.
• Churchill approved the plan after Beatty explained that the convoy would deliver supplies even if the Germans did not attack.
• Beatty listed four George V-class battleships for the escort and a large force of battlecruisers and Iron Duke-class battleships for the ambush.

Oscar joined a German Navy meeting to discuss a Canadian convoy carrying urgently needed British supplies, which the Navy suspected was bait for its Commerce Raiding Fleet. He argued that Germany should stop the convoy without falling into the British trap and hinted at a plan to turn it against them.

• A convoy of more than twenty merchant ships departed Canada's East Coast on August 31, 1914, carrying metals and food for Britain.
• German intelligence reported the convoy, and the Navy judged that Britain had deliberately exposed it to lure the Commerce Raiding Fleet into an ambush.
• Scheer argued that the German raiders should attack because they could destroy the convoy and withdraw using their speed.
• Tirpitz asked Oscar whether the Navy should avoid the suspected trap, and Oscar said Britain must not be allowed to deliver the supplies or repeat the tactic.
• Oscar proposed playing along with the British scheme and making them lose the resources they used as bait.

Oscar proposed using the British plan to ambush Germany’s Commerce Raiding Fleet as an opportunity to destroy British capital ships, with the secret Derfflinger class Battlecruisers joining as reinforcements. Tirpitz and the other admirals approved the risky plan, and the German Navy prepared to act.

• Oscar explained that sinking the four King George V-class Battleships escorting the British convoy could deal the Royal Navy a devastating blow.
• Admiral von Pohl warned that the British might have an ambush force waiting for the Commerce Raiding Fleet.
• Oscar argued that British Battlecruisers would be vulnerable to Germany’s superior ships and proposed sending the secret Derfflinger class Battlecruisers as reinforcements.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz worried that deploying the Derfflinger class would reveal Germany’s 380mm guns, but Oscar said Britain’s accelerated shipbuilding made secrecy less valuable.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer supported Oscar’s plan, and Tirpitz approved it after the senior officers agreed.

Admiral Reinhard Scheer sent the German High Seas Fleet and its hidden Derfflinger-class battlecruisers to attack the British convoy, while Hipper and Spee prepared to join the operation. British forces continued toward the same battlefield, unaware that Germany had accepted their trap.

• On September 1, 1914, Reinhard Scheer led three Derfflinger-class battlecruisers out of Wilhelmshaven under blackout, intending to break through the British blockade.
• Reinhard Scheer ordered Hipper and Spee to follow their predetermined plan and prepare to attack the British battlecruisers once the German ambush was revealed.
• After receiving Scheer's telegram, Hipper turned his fleet toward a rendezvous with Spee's squadron.
• Spee also turned his fleet and prepared to attack the British convoy, eager to add more enemy capital ships to his record.
• David Beatty led British battlecruisers toward the battlefield while four Iron Duke-class battleships secretly sailed from Scapa Flow to join them.

Vice Admiral David Beatty prepared a large British force to ambush the German Commerce Raiding Fleet, while Rear Admiral Carroll’s convoy crossed the Atlantic as bait. After U-48 spotted the convoy, Admiral Reinhard Scheer ordered the German battlecruiser squadrons to attack its four King George V-class battleships quickly.

• Vice Admiral David Beatty ordered British battlecruisers to stay concealed and the Iron Duke-class battleship formation to increase speed.
• Rear Admiral Carroll’s four King George V-class battleships escorted a convoy of merchant ships from Canada toward Britain and reported that they had not spotted the Germans.
• U-48 surfaced after the convoy passed and reported its course and speed to the German Naval Ministry.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer ordered the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron and the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron to attack the four British battleships at once.

On September 3, 1914, the British Navy used a merchant convoy to lure the German Navy’s Commerce Raiding Fleet into a trap, while both sides prepared to turn the encounter into a battle of annihilation. The chapter left the fleets closing for battle, with Vice Admiral Spee focusing on destroying Carroll’s four King George V-class Battleships before British reinforcements arrived.

• Rear Admiral Carroll learned that the German fleet was approaching and ordered his warships to prepare for battle while the merchant ships fled south.
• Rear Admiral Carroll sent a Telegram requesting reinforcements from Vice Admiral David Beatty.
• Vice Admiral David Beatty ordered his battlecruisers and battleships to encircle the German fleet.
• Vice Admiral Spee rejected a proposal to pursue the fleeing merchant ships and ordered his main force to attack Carroll’s four King George V-class Battleships first.

Vice Admiral Spee led the German Navy Commerce Raiding Fleet into battle against Rear Admiral Carroll’s four British King George V-class Battleships, hoping to destroy them before British reinforcements arrived. After failed attempts to gain a better firing position, both fleets closed to 15,000 meters and opened fire.

• Rear Admiral Carroll ordered his four King George V-class Battleships to attack the German fleet.
• Vice Admiral Spee assigned six German Battlecruisers to engage the British ships, with two ships targeting each of the four Battleships.
• Rear Admiral Carroll repeatedly maneuvered to deny the faster German Battlecruisers favorable firing positions.
• Vice Admiral Spee ordered his fleet to hold course and prepare to fire, while seaplanes corrected the guns’ aim.
• The fleets closed to within 15,000 meters, and Vice Admiral Spee ordered the German ships to open fire.

The German and British fleets exchanged ranging fire at long distance, with German aircraft helping the German guns improve their accuracy. The Battlecruiser Blücher scored the first hit on Audacious, and its captain ordered concentrated fire.

• The German Navy's Commerce Raiding Fleet used seaplane observations to adjust its salvos, bringing its shells closer to the British ships.
• Rear Admiral Carroll spotted two German aircraft directing fire and ordered the British ships to open fire before they could close the distance.
• The Battleship King George V and the other British Battleships joined the exchange, with their shells landing closer to the German fleet.
• At 10:24 a.m., the Battlecruiser Blücher hit Audacious above the waterline, piercing its armor and destroying a secondary gun.
• The captain of Blücher ordered his ship to concentrate fire on Audacious and fire its main guns at maximum rate.

The British and German fleets exchanged fire, with Audacious suffering repeated hits and the German ships largely suppressing the British. King George V scored two hits on Moltke, but neither caused serious damage, leaving Rear Admiral Carroll’s hopes disappointed.

• Blücher and Seydlitz hit Audacious, damaging its deck, starting a fire, and worsening its crew’s morale despite Rear Admiral Carroll’s order to keep fighting.
• Lothringen bracketed Ajax, while Centurion and Goeben bracketed each other and began exchanging concentrated fire.
• King George V scored two hits on Moltke, damaging its side and striking its stern turret without penetrating the armor.
• Vice Admiral Spee ordered damage control and the replacement of Moltke’s turret crew, while British sailors cheered before seeing that the ship remained nearly unscathed.

The German Navy’s battlecruisers overwhelmed the British ships with superior protection and inflicted devastating damage on the British fleet. The Battleships Audacious and Centurion sank, leaving only two British Battleships facing six nearly unscathed German Battlecruisers.

• Rear Admiral Carroll saw British shells hit Moltke but cause only minimal damage because the shells’ sensitive fuzes detonated before penetrating its armor.
• A German shell pierced Audacious’s conning tower, killing its officers and captain, and Blücher and Seydlitz intensified their bombardment.
• After further shell hits opened its hull and destroyed its steering gear, Audacious requested permission to abandon ship, and Rear Admiral Carroll nodded.
• Goeben’s salvo damaged Centurion’s funnel and penetrated its No. 4 turret, triggering an explosion in the magazine.
• Centurion sank stern-first after the magazine explosion, leaving the British Navy with only two Battleships against six German Battlecruisers.

After two British battleships sank, Rear Admiral Carroll warned David Beatty that the remaining ships could not hold out much longer. German battlecruisers pressed their attack while British reinforcements raced toward the battlefield, and German scouts spotted at least nine approaching British battlecruisers.

• Rear Admiral Carroll ordered a telegram sent to David Beatty warning that his force might not last another half hour.
• Vice Admiral Hipper and Vice Admiral Spee redistributed the German battlecruisers to encircle King George V and Ajax.
• David Beatty received Carroll's telegram and ordered his battlecruiser squadrons and the 1st Battleship Squadron to hurry toward the battlefield.
• The German battlecruisers continued bombarding King George V and Ajax as the British reinforcements accelerated toward them.
• A report informed the German commanders that British warships were approaching from the south, east, and west, including at least nine battlecruisers.

German forces detected British reinforcements approaching, but continued attacking the trapped British battleships. Ajax lost power after a hit from Von der Tann, was overwhelmed and sank before Vice Admiral David Beatty's reinforcements could arrive, leaving him furious.

• Vice Admiral Hipper and Vice Admiral Spee learned that nine British Battlecruisers were approaching and ordered their ships to keep firing while Spee reported the reinforcements to Admiral Scheer.
• Rear Admiral Carroll received Vice Admiral David Beatty's promise that reinforcements would arrive within half an hour and urged his men aboard King George V and Ajax to hold on.
• Von der Tann struck Ajax's boiler room with a 305mm Shell, crippling its propulsion and allowing the three Blücher-class Battlecruisers to intensify their attack.
• Ajax caught fire, took more than ten hits, broke apart, and sank within five minutes.
• A staff officer told Vice Admiral David Beatty that Ajax had sunk, and Beatty swore that the Germans would pay for the loss of four British capital ships.

The British reinforcements forced Vice Admiral Spee and Vice Admiral Hipper to abandon their attack on the battered King George V and regroup for a new confrontation. After seaplanes spotted four approaching Iron Duke-class battleships, the German commanders withdrew to join Admiral Scheer before fighting a decisive battle.

• Vice Admiral David Beatty ordered the British fleet to advance at full speed and destroy the German battlecruisers.
• Vice Admiral Spee and Vice Admiral Hipper continued attacking King George V, damaging her hull and flooding her compartments.
• The British reinforcements arrived and opened fire, disrupting the German attack and forcing Vice Admiral Spee and Vice Admiral Hipper to turn away.
• Rear Admiral Carroll ordered King George V and the damaged fleet to withdraw to Portsmouth Naval Base.
• Seaplanes spotted four Iron Duke-class battleships heading toward the battlefield, and Vice Admiral Hipper ordered the German fleet to retreat and join Admiral Scheer.

Vice Admiral David Beatty pursued Vice Admiral Spee and Vice Admiral Hipper after the German Commerce Raiding Fleet retreated, while Admiral Reinhard Scheer brought the German Navy’s Derfflinger-class Battlecruisers toward the battle. Scheer ordered Spee and Hipper to hold off the British Battlecruisers as his force moved to engage the British Battleships.

• Vice Admiral David Beatty learned that the German fleet was retreating and realized German seaplanes had exposed the British ambush.
• Beatty ordered his nine Battlecruisers to pursue the German Commerce Raiding Fleet, while four Iron Duke-class Battleships tried to intercept it.
• Vice Admiral Spee and Vice Admiral Hipper directed their fleet to keep retreating and reported that the Derfflinger-class Battlecruisers were joining the fight.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer led three Derfflinger-class Battlecruisers south and learned that the British had committed nine Battlecruisers and four Iron Duke-class Battleships.
• Scheer ordered Spee and Hipper to hold the British Battlecruisers while his own force engaged the British Battleships.

Admiral Reinhard Scheer split the German fleet to pit three powerful Derfflinger-class battlecruisers against four slower British battleships while Vice Admiral Spee and Vice Admiral Hipper drew the British battlecruisers away. The plan left Rear Admiral Robertson’s squadron facing three newly sighted German warships, and he warned Admiral Beatty that the British had fallen into a trap.

• Admiral Reinhard Scheer ordered three Derfflinger-class battlecruisers south to engage the British Iron Duke-class battleships while the German raiding fleet handled the British battlecruisers.
• Vice Admiral Spee and Vice Admiral Hipper accelerated to widen the gap between the British battlecruisers and battleships before turning to fight.
• Rear Admiral Robertson ordered his battleships to increase speed, but his Chief Engineer warned that pushing the boilers further could damage them or cause explosions.
• Rear Admiral Robertson spotted three German warships to the north, recognized the fleet was trapped, and ordered a warning telegram sent to Admiral Beatty.

Vice Admiral David Beatty pursued the German fleet, then learned that it had turned to fight and that three German warships carried guns of about 380mm. Faced with superior German ships and pressure from the British Cabinet, Beatty refused to retreat and ordered his fleet to engage, leaving the battle about to begin.

• Vice Admiral David Beatty ordered the British fleet to keep pursuing the German High Seas Fleet despite warnings that the boilers might not hold out.
• After reports that the German fleet had slowed and turned to fight, Beatty ordered his ships to turn and prepare for battle.
• A staff officer reported that General Robertson's force had encountered three German warships armed with guns of about 380mm.
• Beatty weighed retreat against the losses already suffered and the Cabinet's demand for victory, then rejected retreat.
• Beatty ordered General Robertson to hold off the three powerful German ships while the Battlecruiser Squadron closed in, and urged the British crews to fight to the death.

Rear Admiral Robertson and Vice Admiral David Beatty prepared their British squadrons to face the German Navy’s Battlecruisers, despite serious concerns about their ships’ weaknesses. The fleets closed for battle, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Rear Admiral Robertson ordered his four Iron Duke-class Battleships to fight the three German Derfflinger-class Battlecruisers because they could not outrun them.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer ordered his Battlecruisers to open fire at fifteen thousand meters and use seaplanes for fire spotting.
• Rear Admiral Robertson assigned two British Battleships to target Derfflinger and one each to target Lützow and Hindenburg.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer ordered SMS Lützow and Hindenburg to exploit the attack on Derfflinger and sink their opponents.
• Vice Admiral David Beatty assigned his nine Battlecruisers to engage the six German ships, pairing two British ships against several German opponents.
• The chapter described the weak armor of the British Indefatigable-class and Invincible-class Battlecruisers, which faced German ships with far stronger guns.

The British and German fleets began a fierce naval battle, with Germany’s better-armored ships holding the advantage as both sides fought to secure a decisive victory. The battle left Vice Admiral David Beatty and the British fleet committed to pressing on, while the German Navy sought to establish the foundation for winning the war at sea.

• The German battlecruisers opened fire at fifteen thousand meters, targeting British battlecruisers, and the British ships returned fire while trying to close the range.
• The German fleet kept the range between twelve and thirteen thousand meters, where its stronger armor and guns gave it the advantage over the British ships.
• At 11:45 a.m., Von der Tann bracketed Australia and concentrated its fire on the British battlecruiser.
• Three German Derfflinger-class battlecruisers began fighting four British Iron Duke-class battleships, whose crews knew their armor could not withstand many 380mm hits.
• Vice Admiral David Beatty continued the fight because retreat would waste Britain’s losses, while the German Navy also committed itself to winning the battle.

British and German battlecruisers exchanged heavy fire, and German hits forced Indomitable to withdraw before Blücher destroyed HMS Indefatigable. The battle continued with the British fleet down two ships.

• HMS Invincible hit Von der Tann, while Lothringen struck Indomitable twice and caused severe flooding and fires.
• Vice Admiral David Beatty approved Indomitable's withdrawal under destroyer escort after her captain reported that she was taking on water and listing.
• Vice Admiral Hipper ordered Lothringen to attack HMS Indefatigable as the German fleet sought to reduce the British numerical advantage.
• At 12:14, Blücher hit HMS Indefatigable with two shells, one of which penetrated the No. 2 turret and magazine.
• The magazine exploded, leaving HMS Indefatigable a shattered wreck.

The German Derfflinger-class battlecruisers and British Iron Duke-class battleships began exchanging fire, with German gunnery quickly putting the British ships under pressure. A British shell damaged the Derfflinger’s conning tower without penetrating it, while the Hindenburg later destroyed two of the Emperor of India’s turrets.

• Rear Admiral Robertson ordered the unengaged HMS Marlborough to fire on the Derfflinger, but the British battleship failed to straddle its target.
• The SMS Lützow straddled the HMS Benbow and shifted to concentrated fire, while the Hindenburg straddled the HMS Emperor of India and also began concentrated fire.
• A British shell struck the Derfflinger’s conning tower but failed to penetrate its armor, though the blast killed sailors and knocked officers unconscious, including Admiral Reinhard Scheer falling over.
• The Derfflinger resumed firing after a brief interruption, and the Hindenburg struck the HMS Emperor of India’s Number Two Turret with a 380mm shell.
• The blast destroyed the Number Two Turret and smashed the Number One Turret, costing the HMS Emperor of India forty percent of its firepower.

Rear Admiral Robertson’s Iron Duke-class squadron was overwhelmed by the German battlecruisers, and HMS Emperor of India sank with all hands. Vice Admiral Beatty learned of the loss as the British fleet’s position worsened, leaving him to search for a way to keep Robertson’s remaining ships afloat.

• Rear Admiral Robertson received reports of damage to HMS Emperor of India and feared its squadron could not withstand the German ships’ 380mm guns.
• Hindenburg crippled HMS Emperor of India with repeated hits, destroying its propeller shaft and leaving it nearly motionless.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer ordered Hindenburg to sink the British battleship, and HMS Emperor of India broke apart and sank with its crew.
• Scheer reassigned the German battlecruisers to attack HMS Marlborough and HMS Benbow after the fight became three ships against three.
• Vice Admiral David Beatty learned that HMS Emperor of India had sunk and told Robertson to hold out while he considered what to do.

The German Navy raiding fleet gained the upper hand in its battle against Vice Admiral Beatty’s British squadron, sinking Australia and Indefatigable. Beatty ordered a retreat and told Rear Admiral Robertson to hold back the Germans with the remaining fleet.

• Vice Admiral Beatty rallied the Royal Navy’s officers and men and ordered them to attack with all their strength.
• A British shell damaged Seydlitz, and Vice Admiral Hipper ordered the battlecruiser to withdraw rather than risk losing it.
• Von der Tann’s shells disabled Australia, forcing its captain to order the crew to abandon ship.
• Lothringen tore open Indefatigable’s waterline armor, and the battlecruiser capsized and sank despite damage-control efforts.
• After the forces dwindled to five ships on each side, Vice Admiral Beatty ordered the British fleet to retreat and tasked Rear Admiral Robertson with holding back the Germans.

Vice Admiral David Beatty ordered the surviving British Battlecruisers to retreat while the Iron Duke-class Battleships stayed behind. Admiral Reinhard Scheer’s forces destroyed the remaining British Battleships, leaving the German Navy with a major victory.

• Vice Admiral David Beatty ordered five British Battlecruisers to withdraw and the three Iron Duke-class Battleships to hold off the Germans.
• Vice Admiral Hipper and Vice Admiral Spee decided the British were retreating for good and joined Admiral Reinhard Scheer to attack the remaining Battleships.
• Rear Admiral Robertson condemned Beatty’s order but stayed to fight because his damaged HMS Iron Duke could not outrun the German ships.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer ordered his fleet to finish off the three Iron Duke-class Battleships, which fought on despite overwhelming odds.
• HMS Benbow, HMS Marlborough, and HMS Iron Duke were sunk, and Rear Admiral Robertson and other British officers were captured.
• The German Navy ended the battle having sunk seven British Battleships and three Battlecruisers, while heavily damaging one Battleship and one Battlecruiser at the cost of one heavily damaged Battlecruiser.