Workers’ councils in Hamburg, Bremen, Lubeck, Munich and other cities demanded political reforms. What had begun as a revolt against suicidal naval orders had quickly transformed into a fully-fledged political revolution. Munity becomes revolution A postcard celebrating the revolution erupting in Kiel It also adopted a distinctly political tone. No launching of the fleet under any circumstances.”Īs the days passed, the Kiel mutiny spread across Germany. No punishment for comrades returning to ships and barracks.Ħ. Appropriate treatment of crews by superiors.ĥ. Complete freedom of speech and the press.Ĥ. The release of all inmates and political prisoners.Ģ. A list of demandsĮchoing the 14-point peace plan of US President Woodrow Wilson, the Kiel mutineers drafted their list of demands, the first six points being: They also formed elected councils, not dissimilar to the ‘workers’ soviets’ that had precipitated the Russian Revolution the previous year. On November 3rd, the sailors at Kiel, joined by workers from the nearby city, detained their officers and took control of their ships. Within 48 hours, the mutiny had spread to other ports and naval stations. Instead, they attempted to disperse the mutineers, relocating the troubled ships to other German ports. This growing mutiny forced the Admiralty to abandon Operation Plan 19. Within a few hours, the revolt had spread to several battleships and cruisers. On October 29th, sailors aboard two major ships at Kiel failed to return from shore leave. Few were interested in sacrificing their lives in the freezing waters of the North Sea, in order that the Admiralty might restore some of its lost prestige. The German navy’s enlisted men, however, responded much differently. On receiving their orders, some were seen drinking joyful toasts to the imminent battle and the “death of the Kaiserliche Marine”. German officers seemed to accept and even relish this final suicide mission. The German navy, for all its ingenuity and U-boat strength, was hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned by the Allied fleet, which included British, British Commonwealth, French and American ships. Operation Plan 19, as it was called, had little chance of success. It would be “an honourable battle”, according to Admiral Reinhard Scheer, “even if it became a death struggle”. Once in the open, these Allied ships would be attacked by German U-boats and the rest of the Kaiser’s fleet. Two German destroyer groups would break from the harbour and bombard the French and British coastline, enticing Allied ships to respond. With the war drawing to an end, the German admiralty gave orders for one last major North Sea battle.

The war’s only major European naval engagement, the Battle of Jutland (1916), did nothing to dent the British Royal Navy’s dominance. The Kaiser’s fleet had spent most of the conflict in port at Wilhelmshaven and Kiel, boxed in by Allied ships and mines. Its U-boat campaign aside, the German admiralty had suffered a string of failures in the war. Three Allied vessels were attacked in October 1918, another factor in the Allied refusal to accept any terms other than total surrender. On October 23rd, von Baden was told that no armistice would be possible without an unconditional German surrender.Īs von Baden was working to negotiate a ceasefire, German U-boats were continuing their aggression against Allied mercantile shipping. At first, Wilson was prepared to broker a ceasefire – until London and Paris became aware of his actions and objected. The day after his appointment, von Baden contacted US president Woodrow Wilson with peace overtures. This appointment, it was hoped, would facilitate armistice negotiations with the Allies – particularly the Americans, who were seen as being more amenable to a peace deal. In October, Wilhelm II named Prince Max von Baden, a minor royal of liberal political views, as his chancellor.

By September 1918, German generals were resigned to the fact they could not win the war.