User:Hammersfan/Imperial German Navy order of battle (1914)

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This is the order of battle of the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) on the outbreak of World War I in August 1914.

Commanders and locations of the Imperial German Navy[edit]

Kaiser Wilhelm II
Naval officer in full dress uniform looking at the camera
Admiral Müller
Naval officer in full dress uniform looking at the camera
Admiral Tirpitz
Naval officer in full dress uniform looking to the right]]
Vice-Admiral Pohl

The overall commander of the Imperial German Navy was Kaiser Wilhelm II. All authority over the navy was vested in the Kaiser, and he was ultimately responsible for all decisions regarding the navy.[1] Under the Kaiser were a number of organisational bodies responsible for various aspects of the navy's administration and operation, each of which was directly responsible to the Kaiser:

The departmental heads within the Imperial Naval Administration were:[1]

Nautical Department Vice-Admiral Max von Gradow
Armaments Department Vice-Admiral Gerhart Gerdes
Shipyard Department Vice-Admiral Karl Dick
Naval Construction Department Vice-Admiral Freidrich Schrader
German Department Rear-Admiral Friedrich Bodicker
States Department Vice-Admiral Harald Dahnhardt

German naval bases[edit]

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Kiel and Wilhelmshaven were the main bases of the Imperial German Navy, and were connected by the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal

Germany had two major naval bases covering its main areas of interest:[1]

  • Kiel - headquarters of the Baltic Naval Station, which was also responsible for the base at Danzig in East Prussia.
    • Commander, Baltic Naval Station - Vice-Admiral Gustav Bachman[3]
    • In addition to hosting the fleet units stationed in the Baltic Sea, a number of other units were under the direct command of the Baltic Naval Station commander:
      • 1st Seaman Division (Kiel)
      • 1st Marine Artillery Division (Friedrichsort)
      • 1st Torpedo Division (Kiel)
      • 1st Battalion of Marines
  • Wilhelmshaven - headquarters of the North Sea Naval Station, which also served as the host base of the High Seas Fleet.
    • Commander, North Sea Naval Station - Vice-Admiral Gunther Krosigk[3]
    • As well as hosting the High Seas Fleet, other units were also under the direct command of the North Sea Station commander:
      • 2nd Seaman Division
      • 2nd Marine Artillery Division
      • 3rd Marine Artillery Division
      • 4th Marine Artillery Division
      • 2nd Torpedo Division
      • 2nd Battalion of Marines

In addition to its two major bases in Germany, the Imperial German Navy had a number of units stationed overseas.

High Seas Fleet[edit]

Admiral von Ingenohl
Battleships of the High Seas Fleet moored at Kiel
Seydlitz, flagship of the 1st Scouting Group

The High Seas Fleet (Hochseeflotte) was the primary formation of the Imperial German Navy, with its main element being the three operational battle squadrons to which the navy's battleships were assigned. The majority of units of the High Seas Fleet were stationed at Wilhelmshaven for operations in the North Sea. A small force was stationed at Kiel for use in the Baltic, which could be quickly reinforced by North Sea based units via the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal. The High Seas Fleet was under the command of Admiral Friedrich von Ingenohl, whose flagship was the battleship Friedrich der Grosse.[4]

Battle squadrons[edit]

Reserve squadrons[edit]

Scouting groups[edit]

Torpedo boats[edit]

U-boats and Mine warfare[edit]

Coastal defence divisions[edit]

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Locations of the North Sea coast defence units

A number of small units were formed whose primary purpose was coastal and harbour defence of the various naval bases in and around Wilhelmshaven. These usually consisted of one or more light cruisers, commanding a number of torpedo-boat destroyers and other vessels.[4]

Baltic Fleet[edit]

Prince Heinrich of Prussia

Although part of the High Seas Fleet, the force stationed permanently at Kiel for operations in the Baltic operated with a degree of independence. Grand Admiral Prince Heinrich of Prussia, the brother of Kaiser Wilhelm II, was the commander-in-chief of the Baltic Fleet,[note 8] with Rear-Admiral Robert Mischke in operational command of units at sea.[3][4]

Coast Defence Group Baltic[edit]

Outpost Half-Flotilla Kiel / Elder[edit]

Naval Aviation[edit]

Zeppelin L 3

The Imperial German Navy had a small aviation capability, which was originally formed in 1913 when the Kaiser decreed the foundation of the Naval Aviation Forces (Marinefliegerkräfte). Within the newly formed aviation section were two separate commands - the Naval Airship Detachment, based at Nordholz, near Cuxhaven, and the Naval Flying Detachment, which was split between Kiel, Heligoland and Putzig.[6][7]

  • Naval Airship Detachment[note 9]
  • Naval Flying Detachment
    • 1st Naval Flying Detachment
      • Kiel Detachment
      • Heligoland Detachment
      • Putzig Detachment

Overseas units[edit]

Naval officer in dress uniform looking at the camera
Vice-Admiral Spee
Naval officer in dress uniform looking to the right
Rear-Admiral Souchon

In addition to the main body of the Imperial German Navy stationed in home waters, Germany also maintained a number of overseas deployments of ships. The majority of these were usually of one or two cruisers operating independently, with the primary formations of German warships outside German waters being the East Asia Squadron, under the command of Vice-Admiral Maximilian von Spee,[8][9] and the Mediterranean Division, commanded by Rear-Admiral Wilhelm Souchon.[10] These units operated independently of the High Seas Fleet.[4]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The remaining three ships of the division were König (commissioned 10 August 1914); Markgraf (commissioned 1 October 1914); and Kronprinz (commissioned 8 November 1914).
  2. ^ a b Rostock was attached to the battle fleet and Kolberg to the scouting groups as the leaders of the fleet's torpedo boats during fleet actions
  3. ^ a b The 3rd and 4th Scouting Groups swapped identities on 25 August 1914
  4. ^ Prinz Adalbert was transferred to the Baltic Fleet in late August 1914
  5. ^ The ships of the 5th Scouting Group were assigned to the Baltic Station, but remained under the command of the High Seas Fleet until September 1914
  6. ^ S143 was sunk on 3 August 1914, and replaced by S138
  7. ^ Hamburg was attached to the 4th Scouting Group as the leader of the fleet's u-boats during fleet actions
  8. ^ Prince Heinrich also served as the Inspector-General of the Navy
  9. ^ The airship detachment had a single operational airship on the outbreak of war. By the end of 1914, another five had been commissioned

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Watson, Graham. "Introduction to Die Kaiserliche Marine 1914-1918". Organisation of the Imperial German Navy 1914-1918. naval-history.net. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  2. ^ Herwig p.22
  3. ^ a b c Watson, Graham. "Flag Officers of the Imperial German Navy 1914-1918". Organisation of the Imperial German Navy 1914-1918. naval-history.net. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Alton, Dave (2 September 2002). "Imperial German Navy Deployment, 1914". The WWI Document Archive. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  5. ^ Tarrant, p. 286
  6. ^ Neumann, Arndt (14 September 2014). "100 Years of German Naval Aviation: A Continuous Change from the Beginning". Joint Air Power Competence Center. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  7. ^ "The Birth of German Naval Aviation". Weapons and Warfare. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  8. ^ Bassett, p. 55
  9. ^ "The Great War in the South Atlantic". The Critic. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  10. ^ Bassett, p. 40

Further reading[edit]

  • Bassett, Ronald (1981). Battle-Cruisers: A History 1908-1948. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-28164-0.
  • Herwig, Holger H. (1980). 'Luxury Fleet', The Imperial German Navy 1888-1918. London: The Ashfield Press. ISBN 0-948660-03-1.
  • Tarrant, V. E. (1995). Jutland: The German Perspective. London: Cassell Military Paperbacks. ISBN 0-304-35848-7.
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