saddletank
Forum Conscript
WAR DIARY ADMIRAL SCHEER, 1916
REDEPLOYMENTS AND STRATEGY
Upon taking up my new command I made a complete review of all forces assigned to the North Sea theatre of operations.
Decided that the weak torpedoboats of the Flanders Flotilla will be withdrawn immediately and replaced by more modern forces of torpedoboats and light cruisers when these are available. The present flotilla is too weak and slow to venture out and would be more useful based at Helgoland where the small ships could patrol inside the mine belt and operate to the north to intercept British merchant ships off the Danish coast.
At a date as practical as possible stronger and more modern boats to be sent to Zeebrugge, possibly some light cruisers as well in order to interdict Royal Navy shipping in the Channel and to tie down superior forces in southern waters where they would be more vulnerable to attack by the High Seas Fleet. Exact nature of the ships to be transferred to Zeebrugge under review.
The Flanders minelaying U-Boats to immediately commence minelaying operations off Dover, the Straits, the Thames estuary and Harwich with the intention of causing losses of attrition to Royal Navy forces and enemy merchant shipping in this area.
The small Flanders UB Boats to be used to gather intelligence in the eastern Thames and Channel basins and off the coast of East Anglia. It would be of assistance to fleet operations to have advanced notification if the Arethusa class cruisers and modern destroyers based at Harwich put to sea.
The Ahlhorn Zeppelins have been assigned a patrol area between Harwich and Zeebrugge to cover all southern enemy ports and coasts and the main shipping lanes in the 'narrow seas' area. One ship, the L19, ordered to transfer to Tondern in order to make up a six-ship squadron there divided into two sub-squadrons, the first to concentrate on patrols off the Orkney Islands and the second to focus it's patrol area off the Firth of Forth.
* * *
At our main bases it has been decided that the obsolete light cruisers of the various Defence Squadrons would best serve as additional scouts for the main fleet and therefore Arcona from the Ems, and Nymphe and Medusa from the Elbe ordered to Wilhelmshaven at once to join Thetis, Niobe and Frauenlob. These six ships to form VI and VII Scouting Groups.
It is resolved to have destroyer flotillas led from destroyers themselves and the firepower and screening capability of Rostock and Regensburg are to be combined with Stralsund to form III Scouting group, operating with the Scouting Forces.
Danzig, Stuttgart and Munchen to be combined to form V Scouting Group. Frauenlob transferred to VI Scouting Group. IV, V, VI and VII Scouting Groups to work with the main fleet while the Scouting Force comprises I, II and III Scouting Groups plus attendant destroyers.
Some light cruisers to be assigned to Zeebrugge in due course. Proposal under consideration.
* * *
The small defence torpedoboat flotillas at the Ems, Jade, Elbe and Helgoland are to remain on patrol duties for the time being, principally searching for English merchant shipping off the Dutch and Danish coasts and to escort the fleet minelayers. The 'A' Class boats from Flanders should perform these functions and free up these boats for other duties.
* * *
Nautilus and Pelikan tasked with mining the northern and western exits to the Bight to make these passages as difficult as practical for Royal Navy submarines.
III and IV U-Boat Flotillas at Helgoland tasked with maintaining standing patrols to the SE of Scapa Flow and E of Rosyth to report enemy fleet movements and interdict their patrols of light craft and attack British merchant shipping.
* * *
The principal units of the High Seas Fleet to remain in readiness. However it has been mooted to divide the Scouting Forces into raider groups each of a battlecruiser and a 15cm-armed light cruiser each to conduct fast operations against English merchant shipping and patrol forces. Proposal under consideration.
1 - 2 JAN
During the 2nd of the month the older cruisers had arrived in the Jade from Emden and Cuxhaven and VI and VII Scouting Groups were formally organised under the command of Commodore Hoffman of Frauenlob and Commodore Seiferling of Thetis.
III Scouting Group formed of Rostock, Stralsund and Regensburg to be commanded by Commodore Michelsen in Rostock.
During the night of 1-2 Jan Nautilus and Pelikan laid a new minefield of 600 mines at 55-09north, 08-07east W Tondern. This field is intended to make it more hazardous for enemy submarines to penetrate behind the Bight mine barrier.
Reports came in during the afternoon of 2nd January of the Norwegian cargo ship Trondheim with her German cargo of foodstuffs that had been seized to the east of the Shetland Isles by a British armed merchant cruiser. It is a possibility that the Scouting Forces might raid this patrol line and sink a number of the RN auxiliary ships thus helping our cargoes get home.
The six boats of the Flanders Submarine Minelaying Flotilla laid mines off Harwich completing this task in the night before dawn on the 2nd.
The 'A' Class boats of Flanders Flotilla moored up at Emden at daylight on the 2nd having made the transit from Zeebrugge without incident. This force of 16 boats was immediately split into 4 half-flotillas. Two are to remain based in the Ems and would form a standing patrol N of Borkum. Two half-flotillas were sent to Helgoland, there to undertake patrol work off the Danish coast in search of enemy cargo shipping.
The Scouting Forces under Rear Admiral Franz Hipper are to make a preliminary sweep up the coast of Norway to the latitude of Bergen and there patrol for enemy auxiliary cruisers, sink as many as they can and return. This is to be a short range patrol. If successful further sorties of longer range without torpedoboat escort shall be considered.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
German cargoes lost to the enemy:
One - Swedish Trondheim E Lerwick (unknown AMC), 1st Jan
British cargoes captured:
Nil
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
REDEPLOYMENTS AND STRATEGY
Upon taking up my new command I made a complete review of all forces assigned to the North Sea theatre of operations.
Decided that the weak torpedoboats of the Flanders Flotilla will be withdrawn immediately and replaced by more modern forces of torpedoboats and light cruisers when these are available. The present flotilla is too weak and slow to venture out and would be more useful based at Helgoland where the small ships could patrol inside the mine belt and operate to the north to intercept British merchant ships off the Danish coast.
At a date as practical as possible stronger and more modern boats to be sent to Zeebrugge, possibly some light cruisers as well in order to interdict Royal Navy shipping in the Channel and to tie down superior forces in southern waters where they would be more vulnerable to attack by the High Seas Fleet. Exact nature of the ships to be transferred to Zeebrugge under review.
The Flanders minelaying U-Boats to immediately commence minelaying operations off Dover, the Straits, the Thames estuary and Harwich with the intention of causing losses of attrition to Royal Navy forces and enemy merchant shipping in this area.
The small Flanders UB Boats to be used to gather intelligence in the eastern Thames and Channel basins and off the coast of East Anglia. It would be of assistance to fleet operations to have advanced notification if the Arethusa class cruisers and modern destroyers based at Harwich put to sea.
The Ahlhorn Zeppelins have been assigned a patrol area between Harwich and Zeebrugge to cover all southern enemy ports and coasts and the main shipping lanes in the 'narrow seas' area. One ship, the L19, ordered to transfer to Tondern in order to make up a six-ship squadron there divided into two sub-squadrons, the first to concentrate on patrols off the Orkney Islands and the second to focus it's patrol area off the Firth of Forth.
* * *
At our main bases it has been decided that the obsolete light cruisers of the various Defence Squadrons would best serve as additional scouts for the main fleet and therefore Arcona from the Ems, and Nymphe and Medusa from the Elbe ordered to Wilhelmshaven at once to join Thetis, Niobe and Frauenlob. These six ships to form VI and VII Scouting Groups.
It is resolved to have destroyer flotillas led from destroyers themselves and the firepower and screening capability of Rostock and Regensburg are to be combined with Stralsund to form III Scouting group, operating with the Scouting Forces.
Danzig, Stuttgart and Munchen to be combined to form V Scouting Group. Frauenlob transferred to VI Scouting Group. IV, V, VI and VII Scouting Groups to work with the main fleet while the Scouting Force comprises I, II and III Scouting Groups plus attendant destroyers.
Some light cruisers to be assigned to Zeebrugge in due course. Proposal under consideration.
* * *
The small defence torpedoboat flotillas at the Ems, Jade, Elbe and Helgoland are to remain on patrol duties for the time being, principally searching for English merchant shipping off the Dutch and Danish coasts and to escort the fleet minelayers. The 'A' Class boats from Flanders should perform these functions and free up these boats for other duties.
* * *
Nautilus and Pelikan tasked with mining the northern and western exits to the Bight to make these passages as difficult as practical for Royal Navy submarines.
III and IV U-Boat Flotillas at Helgoland tasked with maintaining standing patrols to the SE of Scapa Flow and E of Rosyth to report enemy fleet movements and interdict their patrols of light craft and attack British merchant shipping.
* * *
The principal units of the High Seas Fleet to remain in readiness. However it has been mooted to divide the Scouting Forces into raider groups each of a battlecruiser and a 15cm-armed light cruiser each to conduct fast operations against English merchant shipping and patrol forces. Proposal under consideration.
1 - 2 JAN
During the 2nd of the month the older cruisers had arrived in the Jade from Emden and Cuxhaven and VI and VII Scouting Groups were formally organised under the command of Commodore Hoffman of Frauenlob and Commodore Seiferling of Thetis.
III Scouting Group formed of Rostock, Stralsund and Regensburg to be commanded by Commodore Michelsen in Rostock.
During the night of 1-2 Jan Nautilus and Pelikan laid a new minefield of 600 mines at 55-09north, 08-07east W Tondern. This field is intended to make it more hazardous for enemy submarines to penetrate behind the Bight mine barrier.
Reports came in during the afternoon of 2nd January of the Norwegian cargo ship Trondheim with her German cargo of foodstuffs that had been seized to the east of the Shetland Isles by a British armed merchant cruiser. It is a possibility that the Scouting Forces might raid this patrol line and sink a number of the RN auxiliary ships thus helping our cargoes get home.
The six boats of the Flanders Submarine Minelaying Flotilla laid mines off Harwich completing this task in the night before dawn on the 2nd.
The 'A' Class boats of Flanders Flotilla moored up at Emden at daylight on the 2nd having made the transit from Zeebrugge without incident. This force of 16 boats was immediately split into 4 half-flotillas. Two are to remain based in the Ems and would form a standing patrol N of Borkum. Two half-flotillas were sent to Helgoland, there to undertake patrol work off the Danish coast in search of enemy cargo shipping.
The Scouting Forces under Rear Admiral Franz Hipper are to make a preliminary sweep up the coast of Norway to the latitude of Bergen and there patrol for enemy auxiliary cruisers, sink as many as they can and return. This is to be a short range patrol. If successful further sorties of longer range without torpedoboat escort shall be considered.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
German cargoes lost to the enemy:
One - Swedish Trondheim E Lerwick (unknown AMC), 1st Jan
British cargoes captured:
Nil
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =