A Brief History
On October 29, 1918, a disheartened and disgusted German Navy had enough of the slaughter, mismanagement, and bungling of World War I and mutinied when ordered to sail out for one last ‘glorious’ mission that amounted to a suicide mission when the war was already lost.
Digging Deeper
The German High Seas Fleet had basically been bottled up in port after the enormous naval Battle of Jutland, in which an outnumbered Imperial German fleet acquitted itself quite well. Despite many pleas by the Navy for other chances to contribute to the war effort, German leadership kept them safely in port while they bungled away the war. Admiral Franz von Hipper and Admiral Reinhard Scheer decided on the last sortie as a way to retain the reputation of the German Navy, an idiotic and suicidal gesture not exactly appreciated by the sailors.
Stupidity and lack of insight infected all sides in The Great War, and the men doing the fighting and dying were getting tired of it. Disease, starvation and slaughter were commonplace, while military leaders wined and dined in luxury accommodations, seeming not to care about the fate of their men and demanding unrealistic feats from them.
By October of 1918, the German people had had enough, and were ready to revolt. When elements of the High Seas fleet started to mutiny, the revolt spread to other parts of the fleet and into the population. Kaiser Wilhelm II was forced to abdicate after a republic was declared on November 9, 1918. Elections were held in January of 1919, and by August of 1919 the Weimar Republic had been established.
The German fleet was interned at Scapa Flow, Scotland by the British Royal Navy, and on June 19,1919 somewhat redeemed itself when Admiral Ludwig von Reuter ordered the men to scuttle their ships in order to prevent the British an other allied navies from seizing and using the ships for themselves. The British sailors guarding the German fleet tried to save as many ships as possible, but 52 of the 74 ships interned at Scapa Flow were sunk. In all, 10 battleships, 5 battle cruisers, 5 cruisers and 32 destroyers were sunk, valuable ships denied use by the Allies.
The German Navy of World War II, the Kriegsmarine, further redeemed the honor of the German Navy by fighting a skillful and valiant battle against overwhelming odds.
The German Navy was not the only fighting force to seriously question the wisdom of fighting World War I, as the Russian Revolution had also been precipitated by the folly of the War and the French Army suffered a crisis of officers refusing to mount suicidal attacks. The British and Colonial troops at Etaples suffered a riotous mutiny as well, and to some extent most of the lesser participants in the war did as well.
World War I is one of History’s greatest debacles on a grand scale, with so much poor political and military leadership on all sides that it defies belief. Incredibly, barely over 20 years later Europe was at it again, this time no more Mr. Nice Guy, either! Question for students (and subscribers): Are we doomed to have a World War III? Let us know what you think in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Schneider (‘Icarus’), Ernst, Joe Thomas, et al. The Wilhelmshaven Revolt. A Chapter of the Revolutionary Movement in the German Navy 1918-1919. ChristieBooks, 2013.
The featured image in this article, a photograph of sailors demonstrating at Wilhelmshaven provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv), is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="12130 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=12130">27 Comments
It disgusts me that military leaders, who wine and dine in luxury accommodations with no regard of their suffering men, can order their men to continue fighting. It seems extremely disrespectful.
I think that this shows how hard war truly was on the men and not just physically. It takes a psychological toll on them after a while, especially in a war that they were losing. I think that war is something that no one wins and I feel sorry for those soldiers who had to fight the battles of petty political leaders.
I would like to think that a third World War would not be possible. Our countries seem to have learned a bit from the past about working together in order to accomplish common goals. The next World War would be much more dangerous than the ones we have seen in previous history due to nuclear weapons and warfare innovations.
So upsetting to read about leaders who do not seem to have the best interest of their men in mind. I do not think there will be a WWIII, however these is always room for history to repeat itself, even twice.
I would not fight if I were being treated horribly as a soldier, nobody would want to fight for you if you were treating them like no one and telling them to just go fight. In terms of a third World War, I think it is possible with how the world is today. I hope it does not happen but no one can really be sure.
I cannot even imagine having a World War III especially with all the technology and weapons we have today. I know history repeats itself, but this is a repetition no one will want to see. I think it is unfair when leaders ask men to do things they would never do themselves and that goes for all the leaders out there, not only military ones.
WWIII would be the last thing we ever saw! That would be where the history book ends. On another note, it’s always interesting to see the difference between the guys giving commands and those on the front lines. I think the best troops are those that have similarities between the two as opposed to worlds of difference. It allows them to better understand each other and for communication to be clearer.
I never knew World War I precipitated multiple revolutions in serve wrap countries such as Germany and Russia. I also did not know the First World War was so political and full of botched battles and aristocratic people running it all from a comfy seat in a warm mansion. No wonder people revolted against their governments after such a war!
The Germans destroying the ships reminds me of the Confederates destroying their warehouses in Richmond. Why should they let the enemy use what they had build against them?
To answer the question “Are we doomed to have a World War III?” Yes, unfortunately I think the world would be doomed if there was another world war. Having the technology and firepower that not only the USA has but the crazy groups over seas that will do anything to see groups of people dead. If this day comes will not be a pretty sight to see.
It was very unfair for the military officials to wine and dine in their luxury households, while they gave orders that brought men to their death and they had no regard. To answer that question, yes we would 100% be doomed if there ever was a World War III. I heard a statement that said, if we ever had a World War III, the next World War would be fought with sticks and stones. Like Frank said, the amount of technology and firepower the world has, is too much.
I pray to God that we don’t have a WWIII, but you never really know what could happen in the world. Hopefully we will continue to learn from our mistakes in the past and conflict never boils down to another World War.
It is totally understandable for the German people and fighters to be upset with the massive losses Germany was happening. Then on top of that while the fighters are going through harsh conditions, the officials are resting and enjoying luxuries. Can you say unfair?
Even after 100 years, it seems things haven’t changed. Soldiers are ordered to fight and potentially lose their lives while the people doing the ordering are safe and sound. In the end, people eventually just see the dead soldiers as a number. Terrible.
It is not a surprise that the German soldiers were fed up during the Great War. The conditions they were living in had to be unbearable. Good for them for having the courage to stand up to their corrupt leaders. At some point, after seeing enough of their fellow soldiers starving and dying, it makes sense that these soldiers were hungry for rebellion.
If I was told to go fight for something and I would most likely end of dying I would refuse to go fight too. The German soldiers came to a point where they did not see the point anymore and basically committing suicide was not of interest to them.
Poor leadership on both sides of World War I was costly. While the soldiers fought and suffered, the leaders wined and dined in luxurious estates. I would not have much respect for my superiors if they were more focused on food than the actual war.
It drives me nuts that while these poor men were fighting for their country, the leaders were hanging out in luxurious estates enjoying their time. The worst part about it is that while they were relaxing they were giving their armies unrealistic requests.
I do not blame the German soldiers for their anger during the Great War. I was shocked to read that military leaders wined and dined in luxury places seeming not to care about the fate of their men. I am proud of the German soldiers for standing up for themselves against their superiors.
This article illustrates that war is not always favored by those participating in it. And, also a lot of the time the people of the country do not agree with their country going to war. We saw this in our history with the Vietnam war, as there was a lot of protest against it.
The German soldiers were exhausted from the war so it is not a surprise they refused. I would also refuse to fight if I were told to go on a suicidal mission. This war is full of bad leadership and costly mistakes, something we tried to learn for future wars.
Military leaders should be concerned with winning when possible. After the war was over, the concern should turn towards your people and keeping together a nation. Not going out with a bang.
World War I was the biggest war in history up until that time and I’m not surprised that after a few years of fighting and seeing others die that men no longer wanted to fight. They were fighting a battle that people who didn’t have to experience the war wanted them to fight. They were being slaughtered and starving while others were being wined and dined in nice homes.
I feel like so many times military leaders have a different idea and focus than what they should have. They worry about there ego and themselves before the people.
It seems that once the war decided, the losing leaders enter panic mode and make ridiculous orders. Scuttling the ships was smart since the Allies clearly had no intention of allowing Germany to rebuild its military immediately.
It is easy to say what they did wrong now but in the heat of the moment everyone believed that’s the right move.
I don’t think the question is “if” WW3 happens, but “when” it happens. I am confident it will occur during my lifetime, as sad as it sounds.