Captivating History - Weimar Republic: A Captivating Guide to German History between 1919 to 1933 and the Treaty of Versailles

The officers knew it was a suicide mission. In fact, the night before, many of them partied and drank, toasting the death ride of the German navy. Negotiations for an armistice with the Allies had been underway for the last few weeks, but none of the eighty thousand sailors assigned to be involved with the unsanctioned Operation Plan #19 was seeking the infamy of being sacrificed in an apocalyptic last-ditch sea battle effort.

Imperial Naval Commander Admiral Franz von Hipper had become impatient with the restructuring of the government and efforts at peace being undertaken by Kaiser Wilhelm II. Hoping that a show of movement toward democracy would appease the Allies during the peace negotiations, the Kaiser appointed Prince Maximilian von Baden as the new chancellor at the beginning of October 1918. He was backed by a cabinet of Social Democrats.

Von Hipper knew that his audacious last battle plan would be put down if he presented it to von Baden. So, he decided he wouldnt present it and would just go ahead without permission. Perhaps seeking a last shot at glory or to save the honor of the fleet, von Hipper went ahead with his naval order, giving it twenty days later on October 24th.

War-weary sailors were already long discontented with the conditions imposed upon them on their ships. Their food rations were not only inadequate, but they were also of poor quality and utterly monotonous. To add insult to injury, the sailors watched as officers enjoyed delicious feasts at banquets while they languished in their separated cramped quarters. Officers enjoyed relative comfort aboard the battleships and dreadnaughts. The physical separation from the officers gave the sailors a sense of growing isolation, and it made it seem as if the officers were indifferent to their suffering. It created fertile ground for complaints to be aired among the groups of disgruntled men bunking together.

The constant discussion of grievances caused the men to reach a boiling point, and the talk was sure to eventually give way to action. Many of their fellow soldiers had already deserted, having escaped into German port towns and disguising themselves as citizens. What actions could those still aboard the ships take?

Now the men who had stayed in their assignments were asked to sacrifice again for their final daring mission of the war. The German fleet was planning coordinated attacks against the Allied forces at the mouth of the Thames and in the English Channel near northern France. Of course, the sailors were no cowards; they were willing to fight if attacked first. But to go into battle unprovoked was another story. What would it accomplish if Germany was about to agree to the armistice with the Allies anyway? Did they really want to take part in an action that might derail peace negotiations with the Allied forces? It was no surprise that a mutiny was brewing.

At the end of October 1918, the first mutinous crews finally broke. Germanys fleet was docked just north of the town of Wilhelmshaven, waiting to leave for battle. The rumblings of rebellion began on October 28th, with crews aboard numerous ships defying orders from their commanders. It wasnt long before the situation escalated.