The Dresden in a German TV Documentary
SMS Dresden
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Remember the gruesome deaths of thousands of young sailors.
SMS DRESDEN
FURTHER BELOW IN ENGLISH!
German Documentary
"Unter kaiserlicher Flagge (2/2)"(Under the Emperors Flag, part 2 of 2)http://www.phoenix.de/unter_kaiserlicher_flagge/2008/09/29/0/169297.1.htm
Hetzjagd vor Kap Hoorn
Die "Dresden" befindet sich vor Südamerika, als der Erste Weltkrieg ausbricht. Der schnelle, aber wenig gepanzerte Kreuzer soll sich dem Fernostgeschwader Graf Spees anschließen. Verfolgt von der Royal Navy, gelingt der heimliche Durchbruch zu Spees Verband. Die britische Admiralität befiehlt, die Deutschen im Pazifik zu vernichten.
Mo, 29.09.08, 21.00 Uhr Di, 30.09.08, 08.15 Uhr Di, 30.09.08, 19.15 Uhr
Admiral Cradock wagt es zu widersprechen: Seine Crew mit vielen Reservisten sei schlecht ausgebildet, seine Schiffe museumsreif. Doch Cradocks Ruf nach Verstärkung wird abgelehnt. Vor der chilenischen Küste treffen die beiden Geschwader aufeinander.
Spielszene: Oberleutnant Wilhelm Canaris (Steffen Schröder) (Quelle: PHOENIX/ WDR/ Lichtblick Film/ Max Efros)
Die Royal Navy erfährt eine fürchterliche Niederlage - die Erste seit über 150 Jahren. Dem Debakel von Coronel kann nur die "Glasgow" entkommen. Die britische Vorherrschaft auf See scheint gebrochen. Doch wenige Wochen später nehmen die Briten vor den Falkland Inseln unerbittlich Rache und versenken Graf Spees Geschwader. Als einziges deutsches Schiff kann sich die "Dresden" absetzen und flieht in das noch unerforschte Patagonien.
Doch die "Glasgow" nimmt die Verfolgung auf, um die Schmach von Coronel zu tilgen. Wilhelm Canaris, der junge Erste Offizier der "Dresden", erweist sich im Felsenlabyrinth von Patagonien als Meister der Tarnung. Winston Churchill setzt ein hohes Kopfgeld aus. Die größte Suchaktion in der Geschichte der Royal Navy beginnt. Ein entschlüsselter Funkspruch verrät schließlich die "Dresden". Vor Robinson Island wird der deutsche Kreuzer gestellt. Nur einem gelingt die Flucht: Wilhelm Canaris, dem späteren Chef der Spionageabwehr im Dritten Reich.
Dokumentation von Jürgen Stumpfhaus und Carl-Ludwig Rettinger (2006)
Enter Rodolfo Stubenrauch and Albert Pagels, the latter an unlikely character to take a lead role, however short, in a world war: a humble German infantry veteran of the Boxer Rebellion, long-time settler in southern Chile and, apart from his expert knowledge of the many uncharted features and hazards of the Magellan Straits and Chilean fjords, just another weather- beaten face among the sailors, fishermen, otter hunters, wolf trappers and wilderness guides of Punta Arenas. During the night of December 6, 1914, Pagels was roused from his bed by German Consul Rodolfo Stubenrauch. Ironically, until the declarations of war in August, Stubenrauch had also been consul of Great Britain. Fortunately for Germany, Stubenrauch’s replacement as British consul was an old salt who seemed to lack his predecessor’s organizational skills.
Consul Stubenrauch explained that he had just received an urgent telegram from Montevideo ordering him to find some way to warn Admiral von Spee of an imminent trap by British warships.
He beseeched Pagels to depart immediately for Hewett Bay where Pagels could transmit a warning to von Spee’s squadron from the Amasis, a German steamer of the Kosmos Line. Pagels set out on rough seas in his own motor boat Elfreda with a friend, Hans Schindlich. On December 9, to their horror, the men spotted a cruiser approaching at high speed. To their relief it turned out to be SMS Dresden, but she was running for her life from British pursuers in a supreme effort to escape a trap that had claimed the rest of her squadron on December 8. Dresden was the only German fighting ship to escape the slaughter of the East Asiatic Squadron at the Falkland Islands, and raced along at 27 knots, not noticing Pagel’s attempts to signal her.
Die Dresden im damaligen Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal
Captain Lüdecke realized that Dresden was the prey of a determined British hunt and reckoned that damage to the boiler and propulsion system was better than total destruction and sinking. Pagels soon found the Amasis and tried in vain to radio von Spee, not realizing that the Admiral and the 2,200 men of the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Nürnberg and Leipzig were dead. Meanwhile Dresden anchored off Punta Arenas to catch her breath, but HMS Kent bore down upon her, forcing Captain Lüdecke to flee into the Beagle Channel where he hoped that a shore party would be able to cut enough wood to keep the fuel-starved ship out of British range. There a Chilean Navy torpedo boat, Almirante Condell, happened upon the hounded Dresden on December 11 and ordered her to move along. Desperate for fuel, Lüdecke headed back to Punta Arenas, took on coal within the prescribed 24-hour limit, and made for Hewett Bay.
The risky port call at Punta Arenas produced one positive side effect: from there the informal network of German settlers -- especially los alemanes magallánicos (Germans of the Magellan Straits) -- could track and support the Dresden. Thus Pagels located the ship’s next hiding place and began to run food, spare parts and fuel to the cruiser on its utility boat which carried up to two tons per trip.
Albert Pagels
During the next several weeks Pagels tapped his mariner’s instinct and intimate knowledge of the labyrinth of islets and inlets along the Beagle Channel to guide the big ship through the to hiding places that did not appear on nautical charts and maps.
Die Cumberland Bucht
At the same time, British agents ashore in the guise of "innocent settlers" were frantically hunting for the Dresden and located her on at least one occasion, sending her scurrying for cover again.
Pagels humble life suddenly changed as a result of his involvement with the fugitive cruiser. When he returned to Punta Arenas he was watched like a spy, and some friends refused to have anything to do with him anymore. There were threats, and he slept with a carbine under his arm, fearful for his family’s safety. During Pagels’ absence, his wife gave birth to a daughter who was named Dresden.
Yet whenever Consul Stubenrauch approached Pagels for help, he did not hesitate. Dresden needed more fuel and provisions, and Pagels’ expertise was needed to arrange a rendezvous with a large supply ship, the Sierra de Córdoba. The ship was formerly a passenger liner of the Bremen Line, now a naval target loaded with thousands of tons of coal and stores, cowering in a cove one hundred miles from Christmas Bay, having miraculously evaded British pursuit by inadvertently traversing dangerous sandbars into an inaccessible cove. The ship had cleared Buenos Aires for Bremen on October 16, 1914, took supplies to SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm in a rendezvous on the high seas, then returned to Montevideo on November 26.
She remained more than three weeks, ignored by Uruguayan authorities though she would have been interned under the same circumstances in Chile or Peru.
Captain Lüdecke sent Pagels to ask for Sierra de Córdoba’s immediate assistance, and Pagels steered the huge freighter through a maze of navigational hazards in wild seas and howling winds, wire mesh on the chimneys to reduce sparks that could tip off British coast watchers. Dresden’s crew hailed Pagels as a hero when the Sierra de Córdoba appeared to transfer its precious cargo.
On December 18, 1914, the steamer Seydlitz, sole survivor of von Spee’s three supply ships, crept into Argentine waters to be interned at San Antonio Este rather than face destruction by the British. Seydlitz was a 450-foot long, 7,900-ton Norddeutscher Lloyd passenger liner that normally ran between Germany and Australia.
The outbreak of war had caught her in Sydney, from whence she fled on August 3, making Valparaiso in time to take on provisions to supply the East Asiatic Squadron’s victorious action at Coronel. The other two supply ships, Baden and Santa Isabel, were sunk at the Battle of the Falkland Islands. Seydlitz was interned, but her determined crew refused to be retired from action so easily and would eventually become the center of much intrigue and mischief as the war dragged on.
The Germans were not alone in treading upon Latin American sovereignty. Ecuador had obliged the Allies by investigating their accusations of German flaunting of neutrality laws in the Galapagos Islands in September 1914. Then two British ships, Dunraven and Bakedale, overstayed their legal limits at Guayaquil, as did a Japanese cruiser, Kurazama, from December 16 to 19. Ecuador duly protested the Allied offenses, just as it had the German ones.
The first five months of the European war had not bypassed Latin America. Europe’s mobilization immediately disrupted immigrant and expatriate families, communities and commerce continent-wide in early August 1914, and by mid-September naval actions were producing combat casualties just off South American coasts. For nationals of the Central Powers, the initial flush of war fervor spent itself quickly as stranded reservists became destitute, interned ships rusted in limbo, previously thriving businesses withered, and locals grew wary of associating with them.
The blockades of trade and communications amplified the isolation of Germany, Austria-Hungary and their overseas constituencies, and turned Latin American businesses to new partners in Allied Europe or neutral countries. German intelligence scrambled to work around these difficulties and to build on a minimal intelligence infrastructure with local resources in the expatriate and immigrant communities. Meanwhile Latin American governments clung to their precious neutrality and watched in amazement as the hostilities inched closer to their shores and deeper into their domestic affairs.
After the initial flush of martial euphoria, the bitter reality of the war began to sink in. Already the war seemed to have touched everyone in the expatriate, immigrant and international business communities. Just one month into the war, tens of thousands of Europeans in Latin America were en route to the Old World, or stranded in some strange port by internment or the naval blockade, agricultural and business enterprises were struggling to cope with the sudden departure of personnel and, in the case of German and Austrian firms, the losses of transportation and communication routes, and local people whose livelihood was somehow tied to Europe or expatriate Europeans suddenly noticed changes.
PSNC ships serviced Admiral Craddock’s fleet before it was sunk at Coronel, provoking protests from the genial German minister plenipotentiary in Santiago Friedrich (aka Federico) Karl von Erckert. Von Erckert was a seasoned, young diplomat, having served in Rome, London, Guatemala City and Tokyo. In late October 1914, he successfully prevailed upon the Chilean government to intern two British freighters, Benbrook and Langoe, that had ferried supplies to the Royal Navy warships.
In February 1915, the heartfelt support of Chile’s German colony for the war effort emerged in the seclusion of Quintupeu Fjord, in the Gulf of Ancud, near Llancahué Island. The bulk of Chile’s 17,686 Volksdeutsche dominated the German settlements near Quintupeu, and could muster support from many of the country’s 10,724 Reichsdeutsche as well.
Most were farmers and tradesmen long detached from the Fatherland, although the powerful merchants, importers and bankers in Santiago and Valparaiso maintained close contact with their diplomatic and intelligence services. Chile was also home to some 3,813 Austro-Hungarian citizens, although many of the latter were Dalmatians of dubious loyalty to the Central Powers.
SMS Dresden, the last surviving cruiser of von Spee’s fleet, slipped into the single narrow entrance of the fjord on February 6, 1915, squeaks from her damaged machinery echoing off sheer green walls of rich flora that towered 1,500 feet over the ship. At dusk a sailboat appeared, piloted by a German-Chilean merchant, Enrique Oelkers, flying a German flag and bringing supplies, coal, mechanics and Albert Pagels, followed by other small craft that sheepishly approached Dresden.
Soon the deck of the warship became the scene of an impromptu party as German settlers served sausages, strudels, beer and other delights, while a band began to play. The sailors were enchanted by this warm welcome, the archaic language of their visitors, laughter, jokes, children and even girls who were happy to dance with the valiant heroes of SMS Dresden. Early the following morning, the rejuvenated crew began repairing the rudder and other equipment.
Damaged parts were sent to Puerto Montt and Calbuco to be fixed. Soon the Dresden was ready to make a dash for the open ocean. Captain Lüdecke asked Pagels for one final favor: to continue running back and forth to port to hoodwink British spies into thinking that Dresden was still undergoing repairs.
When SMS Dresden emerged from Quintupeu Fjord, she left behind the legend of a hidden chest of Mexican treasure and, of most concern to Allied intelligence, reports of an enthusiastic German fifth column in Latin America.
SMS Dresden played cat and mouse with an Allied flotilla that was scouring the Eastern Pacific in pursuit. Defiantly, the German marauder ran down and scuttled a British bark, the Conway Castle, 560 miles southwest of Valparaiso on February 27, 1915. Soon after, a gifted signal officer aboard HMS Glasgow, Charles Stuart, intercepted and deciphered a message from Nauen to SMS Dresden that revealed the raider ship’s next rendezvous for coaling.
Stuart’s feat ordained Dresden’s day of reckoning when she was cornered by British cruisers Glasgow and Kent and armed transport Orama at Cumberland Bay in the remote Juan Fernandez Islands, 400 miles off the Chilean coast on March 10, 1915. Captain Emil Fritz Lüdecke could no longer scrounge enough coal to keep Dresden moving; even the ship’s cook had to forage for firewood on the island.
HMS Glasgow pressed the attack in Chilean waters, violating Chilean neutrality but forcing Dresden’s surrender after a brief exchange of gunfire. On March 14, Lüdecke scuttled Dresden with her colors flying and guns stilled trained while Lieutenant Wilhelm Canaris distracted the British with a meaningless parlay about surrender terms.
This reduced the German naval threat in the East Pacific and South Atlantic Oceans for the time being. Coincidentally the German surface threat to North Atlantic commerce diminished that same week when SMS Prinz Eitel Friedrich put into Norfolk, Virginia for repairs and was interned. During her 218-day war cruise from Shanghai she sank eleven merchant ships totaling 33,423 tons.
Four days after scuttling their ship, 300 officers and men of Dresden were transported to the Chilean Navy’s main base at Talcahuano Bay for internment on Quiriquina Island. Minister von Erckert energetically protested their internment, to no avail.
However, many of the Dresden crew would not be content to sit out the war in internment. The German intelligence network in Chile and Argentina promptly began working on escape plans for a few internees. Some would become participants in campaigns of espionage and sabotage in the Americas and at least one would manage to return to Germany. (Canaris himself!)
Zur Entstehung des Films "Unter kaiserlicher Flagge"
Filmemacher Jürgen Stumpfhaus scheute keine Mühe, um zentrale Szenen des Geschehens historisch präzise nachzuinszenieren. Kein leichtes Unterfangen, wenn man eine Geschichte aus einer Zeit erzählt, in der weder Kriegsberichter noch Hobbyfilmer mit zur See fuhren
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Die Entstehungsgeschichte der beiden Abenteuerfilme reicht mehr als vier Jahre zurück. Es war ein Zufall, der mich auf die Idee zu den beiden Filmen brachte: ich hatte im Familienalbum geblättert und war auf ein kleines Bild gestoßen. Es zeigte den Bruder meines Urgroßvaters, der einst als Signalmaat der Kaiserlichen Marine in der chinesischen Pachtkolonie Tsingtao seinen Militärdienst absolvierte. Sein aus China mitgebrachter Bambusstock, in den ein Horoskop eingeritzt war, sollte zum Auslöser einer weltweiten jahrelangen Recherche werden, einer Suche, die Jahre andauern sollte, bevor sie in eine zweiteilige Dokumentation mündete, die in Tsingtau beginnt. Im August 1914.Da vom ersten Weltkrieg, zumal auf hoher See, nur wenige Archivmaterialien existieren, war früh geplant, an den weltweit verstreuten Originalschauplätzen zu drehen und die zentralen Szenen des dramatischen Geschehens historisch präzise nachzuinszenieren. Der aufwendige Dreh auf HDTV war nur mit einem relativ kleinen, flexiblen Team realisierbar. Als Kameramann konnte ich den erfahrensten deutschen High Definitions-Experten gewinnen, Thomas Bresinsky.
Reise zu den Originalschauplätzen
Das Filmemachen selbst ist eine lange Reise. Nicht nur eine innere, was die mühevolle Arbeit am Drehbuch betrifft. Einige Szenen können nur vor Ort entstehen, das heißt, wenn man den Originalschauplatz des damaligen Geschehens vorab und vor allem selbst in Augenschein genommen hat. Vor Ort gilt es dann, nicht nur die fehlenden Puzzleteilchen der Historie zu finden, sondern auch Kontakte zu knüpfen, die eine Durchführung des späteren Drehs erst ermöglichen. Das sind nicht nur Behördengänge. So entdeckte ich in dem Salesianerorden von Punta Arenas einzigartiges Filmmaterial aus dem Jahr 1914. Es stammte von einem jungen italienischen Missionar, namens Padre Alberto de Agostini. Er war Filmamateur und hatte damals als einziger die Ureinwohner Patagoniens gedreht. Damit gab es jetzt authentische Filmaufnahmen der Indianer, die in der Suche nach der verschwundenen „Dresden“ eine entscheidende Rolle gespielt hatten.In Punta Arenas konnte der Filmemacher Francisco Ayarza, den chilenischen König der Wracktaucher, gewinnen, sich im Spätsommer mit seinem Zweimaster „Chonos“ in das tückische Fahrwasser der Fjorde Patagoniens zu wagen. Man wollte mit der Kameracrew an Bord das Versteck der „Dresden“ aufspüren. Nach den erfolgreichen Dreharbeiten in der zivilisationsfreien Wildnis, während denen es gelang, gute Bilder trotz einer Windstärke 10-11 mitzubringen, stellte sich ein ganz neues Problem.
Irgendwie musste man die „Dresden“ noch einmal für die Kamera in Fahrt bringen, wenn möglich in dem originalen Fahrwasser Patagoniens, vor den authentischen Landschaften! Mit am Computer generierten Bildern wurde der versenkte Kreuzer mittels der Originalbaupläne rekonstruiert und in die Originalbilder gestanzt.Ein Lehrfilm der Royal Navy ist die Rettung
Doch so schön diese „CGIs“ des Kreuzers auch waren, sie reichten beileibe nicht für die Darstellung der Seeschlacht der Falklands im Winter 1914, an der damals Dutzende von Schiffen beteiligt waren. Deutsche und Englische. Aber gerade das mussten wir zeigen! Denn das dramatische Geschehen des Untergangs des deutschen Überseegeschwaders war der Auslöser für die Verfolgung der überlebenden “Dresden“ in den Fjorden Patagoniens.
Eine Lücke, die kaum zu schließen war, wurde doch das Geschehen damals nicht gefilmt! Nach langer Suche stieß ich jedoch auf einen Schulungsfilm der Royal Navy aus den Zwanziger Jahren. „The Battle of Coronel and the Falklands“. Ein Lehrfilm, der die Fehler der Royal Navy aufzeigte und etwas geschönt dokumentierte, wie schnell man daraus gelernt hatte, vor den Falklands. Das besondere war der gigantische Aufwand, der dafür betrieben wurde: Alle im Weltkrieg beteiligten britischen Schiffe wurden zur Rekonstruktion der Schlacht wieder hinaus auf hohe See befohlen. Wenn man sich die Betriebskosten dieser Giganten aus Stahl, samt ihrer Tausenden von Mannschaften und deren Verproviantierung, einmal hochrechnet, kommt man schnell auf die Herstellungskosten. Hollywood würde heute noch erblassen. Denn selbst an Munition wurde in der filmischen Rekonstruktion der Royal Navy nicht gespart.
Kameramann Bresinsky glänzt mit Ideen
Wir hatten damit die fehlenden Bilder der Schlacht! Was wir nun brauchten, waren Bilder der „Dresden“! Unter Fahrt! Doch die gab es nicht. Der Kameramann Thomas Bresinsky hatte die geniale Idee, wie man die verrückte Geschichte des verschwundenen Kreuzers wirklichkeitsnah drehen könne: Mit „Greenscreen“! So könne man einen kompletten Panzerkreuzer in die originale Landschaft platzieren! Die Brücke und die Mannschaft während des Gefechtes zeigen und sehen, was die Besatzung der „Dresden“ damals sah. Man brauchte dafür nur einen Kreuzer! Nur!
Einen baugleichen Panzerkreuzer, einer mit drei Schornsteinen musste es sein, der aus der Zeit des Ersten Weltkrieges stammte! Es fand sich auf der ganzen Welt nur noch ein einziger! Es war ein russisches Schiff, das im Jahre 1917 in St. Petersburg als „Panzerkreuzer Potjomkin“ Geschichte geschrieben hatte. Mit einem Schuss auf das Winterpalais des Zaren hatte es die Revolution ausgelöst. Die Dreherlaubnis auf diesem Symbol Russlands für einen „kaiserlichen“ Film zu bekommen, war nicht gerade einfach. Immerhin ist die „Aurora“, wie sie heute heißt, das Schiff N° 1 der russischen Flotte. Konnte man womöglich die russische Besatzung und die Offiziere des Kreuzers zum „mitspielen“ gewinnen, noch dazu in kaiserlichen Uniformen? Das grenzte an das Unmögliche.
Seeleute sind Weltbürger
Das es dennoch gelang, ist allein dem Umstand zu verdanken, was passieren kann, wenn man miteinander spricht. Und gemeinsam beginnt, zu träumen. Sich entschließt, zusammen, eine Seegeschichte wieder auferstehen zu lassen. Denn Seeleute waren und sind stets Weltbürger. Es war nicht einfach, das Museumsschiff, das mit toter Maschine in St. Petersburg vor Anker lag, wieder durch „Greenscreen“ in Fahrt zu bringen, aber es gelang. Der Cutter Martin Kayser-Landwehr glich noch an Bord die Ergebnisse des Trickverfahrens ab. Ersetzte man am Schneidetisch das Grün, mit dem wir die Brücke und Gänge des Panzerkreuzers abgehängt hatten, entstand ein Freiraum, in dem ein neuer Hintergrund eingesetzt werden konnte. Patagonien.
Die langen Nächte von St. Petersburg halfen den engen Drehplan durchzuziehen. Immerhin gab es Licht für fünfzehn Stunden. Dies als kleiner Hinweis für die tägliche Dauer der Arbeitszeit.
Wir waren sehr zufrieden mit dem Ergebnis des Reenactments in Russland. Zurückgekehrt nach Berlin, sah sich der Cutter nun vor der heiklen Aufgabe, das ganze Material zu ordnen und für einen Rohschnitt vorzubereiten.
Weltweite Suche nach Bildern zur Geschichte der Emden
Während dieser Drehpause aber musste die zweite Geschichte, die der „Emden“ vorbereitet werden. 1914 hatte sie im Indischen Ozean Handelsschiffe der Alliierten gekapert, bevor sie durch einen verhängnisvollen Zufall vor einer abgelegenen Insel von einem australischen Kreuzer versenkt wurde. Allein ihrem zuvor auf Cocos Island abgesetzten Landungstrupp gelang die Flucht. Wieder stellte sich die Frage, gab es für unsere zweite Geschichte alte Filmdokumente? Filmmaterial aus einer Zeit, wo weder Kriegsberichterstatter noch Hobbyfilmer mit zur See fuhren? Wer hatte schon im Jahr 1914 die Kamera parat, um auf den Cocos Inseln auf den Auslöser zu drücken? Noch dazu, wenn es um Leben oder Tod ging?!Der Filmemacher hatte auf seiner weltweiten Recherche zwar private Tagebücher und Photographien der Beteiligten des Landungstrupps gefunden, wie beispielsweise die Photos von Hellmuth von Mücke, dem Ersten Offiziers der „Emden“. Seine zerbrechliche Negative auf Glas dokumentierten Einzigartiges, wie beispielsweise die Flucht des versprengten Landungscorps von Cocos Island.
Aber vielleicht gab es noch mehr Bilder. Verstreut auf der ganzen Welt. Man musste sie nur finden! Die Flucht des Landungscorps von Cocos Island war eine halbe Reise um die Welt. Erst nach Sumatra, dann zur arabischen Küste. So begannen unsere Dreharbeiten für die „Karawane der Matrosen“ nicht auf Cocos Island, sondern im Jemen, an der südlichsten Spitze Arabiens. Denn ein Film wird selten chronologisch gedreht.Dass die Dreharbeiten im Jemen so erfolgreich waren, verdanken wir unserem Fahrer Mohammed, einem Stammesführer aus den Bergen von Sanaa, der uns sicher zu den Originalschauplätzen des einstigen Geschehens führte. Er wurde unser Glücksbringer. Er war auch
unser Dolmetscher, der uns den Kontakt zu den hilfsbereiten Einheimnischen knüpfte. Nachdem wir das fast 3000 Meter hohe Gebirge durchquert hatten, sahen wir alle zum ersten Mal das Rote Meer. Friedlich lag es da, wie ein großer See. Die Ausfahrt auf einer Dhau am nächsten Tag sollte und eines Besseren belehren. Das trotz der hohen Wellendünung gute Bilder dabei herauskamen, war allein dem artistischen Talent des Kameramannes Thomas Bresinsky zu verdanken. Unsere Spurensuche nach dem Landungscorps der „Emden“ war nun im Jemen abgeschlossen.Abenteuerliche Dreharbeiten in der Südsee
Nach einem Zwischenstopp in Kairo landeten wir in einem mit Mekkapilgern überfüllten Flugzeug im winterlichen Frankfurt, um wenige Stunden später über Singapur nach Perth / Australien zu fliegen, wo es mit einer kleinen Maschine gleich weiter ging. Über den Indischen Ozean nach Christmas Island und dann weiter nach Cocos Island, wo die Odyssee des Landungscorps vor über neunzig Jahren begann. Und das mit über 230 Kilo Kameragepäck, das von drei Personen getragen werden musste! Also, Filmemachen ist kein Zuckerschlecken, selbst wenn man so einer Cocosinsel immer geträumt hatte. Palmen, weiße Sandstrände, Sonnenuntergänge!
Angekommen waren wir froh, dass es die Insel überhaupt noch gab! Denn inzwischen hatte ein gigantischer Tsunami die Küsten des Indischen Ozeans verwüstet. Hoffentlich gibt es kein Nachbeben! Der dokumentarische Dreh begann deshalb sofort. Irritiert waren wir allein durch die Anfrage einer Nachfahrin des Großgrundbesitzers von Cocos Island. Ihrem Vorfahr habe der Segler „Ajesha“ gehört, der 1914 von dem deutschen Landungstrupp zur Flucht gestohlen wurde. Ob wir wissen, wer ihr den entstandenen Verlust ersetzte? Wir gaben ihr den Hinweis, sich doch bitte direkt an die Rechnungsstelle der Kaiserlichen Admiralität in Berlin zu wenden. Weniger spaßig war es, als unser Hamburger Kameraassistent Thomas Stührk plötzlich im Wasser der Lagune einem ausgewachsenen Tigerhai begegnete und er am Tag darauf, im dichten Palmengestrüpp, in das Netz einer schwarzen Vogelspinne geriet.
Erstes Reenactment schon 1926: der australische Triumph wird auf Zelluloid festgehalten
Heimgekehrt stand vor dem eigentlichen Reenactment der „Karawane der Matrosen“ erst einmal wieder Fleißarbeit. Gab es womöglich doch noch irgendwo Filmmaterial über deren Odyssee? Tatsächlich fand ich in den Archiven einen Stummfilm aus dem Jahre 1926, der die Fahrt der „Emden“ nacherzählte. Es gab davon sogar unterschiedliche australische, englische und deutsche Versionen. Die australische aber war mit Abstand die Beste. Denn für die damals noch junge Nation Australien, deren Kreuzer „Sydney“ die gefürchtete „Emden“ vor Cocos Island gestellt und versenkt hatte, war dieses Ereignis offensichtlich von so großer nationaler Bedeutung, dass 1925 die „Sydney“, kurz vor ihrer Ausmusterung, samt komplettem Marinepersonal, unentgeltlich für die Filmaufnahmen zur Verfügung gestellt wurde: Für ein Reenactment des australischen Triumphes auf Zelluloid!
Ein unglaublicher Zufall
Bei der Sichtung des alten Films von 1926 geriet der Cutter des neuen Filmes plötzlich in Aufregung: unter den Schauspielern des Stummfilms hatte Martin Kayser-Landwehr tatsächlich seinen Großvater erkannt und der Abspann bestätigte dessen Mitwirken. Mit Ausschnitten aus diesem Film konnte nun das Geschehen vor Cocos Island mit „fast“ authentischen Bildern dokumentiert werden.
Marsch durch die Wüste bei 46 Grad
Die Darsteller des versprengten Landzugs waren zumeist ehemalige Soldaten und teils selbst bei der Marine gewesen. Nur sie konnten das durchhalten, was dem Landungszug der „Emden“ bevorstand: Der Marsch durch die Wüste als „Karawane der Matrosen“. Die Darsteller wollten, so versicherten sie uns, an ihre eigenen Grenzen gehen. Sie kam schneller, als erwartet: auf dem Marsch durch die über 46° heiße Steinwüste.Ihr Durchhaltevermögen, ihre nie einbrechende Begeisterung, sollte das Reenactment nicht nur authentisch machen, sondern dem ganzen Film erst seine Seele geben. Außerdem konnten sie das Gefecht in den Wüste Arabiens, in das 1915 das Landungscorps geriet, als einzige professionell nachstellen. Aus politischen Gründen fand es allerdings in der marokkanischen Sahara statt. Der hinterhältige Feind kam dennoch, diesmal in der Form eines fürchterlichen Sandsturmes. Als die Darsteller des Landungscorps endlich die Bahnstation
am fernen Horizont ausmachten, die ihre Rettung versprach, freuten sich die Darsteller wie die echten Protagonisten von 1914. Denn die "Schauspieler" von 2006 waren längst zum versprengten Landungscorps der „Emden“ von damals geworden.Ein alter Seebär erzählt diese zwei unglaublichen Abenteuer „Unter Kaiserlicher Flagge“: Es ist Otto Sander - einer der renommiertesten deutschen Schauspieler, der selbst einst als junger Marineangehöriger zur See fuhr und weiß, wovon er spricht.
Text von Jürgen Stumpfhaus
FORGOTTEN CRUISERWARRIOR
By
Robert F. Smith
The Imperial German light cruiser SMS Dresden "..at first...sank very slowly, going down by the bows." She was a rusty hulk with water lines running down her side, and she sat high in the pristine waters of Cumberland Bay, Chile. Her valves were open and she was taking on water when suddenly a small charge detonated. Members of the crew hoisted the German naval ensign and abandoned the ship. Dresden slipped faster into the water, listed to the side and sank with her naval ensign flying above a white flag.
For the German crew that cheered from the shores of the bay it was a noble end to an honorable ship, as well as to a long and arduous cruise. Dresden had steamed nearly 21,000 miles from August 1, 1914 to March 15, 1915, farther than any other German cruiser that fought in the early months of World War One. At the time of her demise, Dresden had been serving continuously since her commission in 1909. A work horse for the Fatherland, this ship has been too long considered merely an addition to Admiral Graf von Spee's, East Asia Squadron. It is true that Dresden fought at both Coronel and the Falklands with Spee, but Dresden was a cruiserwarrior in her own right. She was not the last cruiser to be sunk, nor was she the most productive, but her exploits ranked her as a significant menace to British control of the world's oceans in the first half year of war.
July 1914, found Dresden patrolling the Caribbean Sea, protecting vital German investments and watching over German immigrants and citizens. The hot spot in the region was Mexico which was embroiled in a harsh civil war. Mexican President Victoriano Huerta led a police state that terrorized citizens to the point that he was deposed. On July 20, Huerta found safe passage on Dresde just hours before rebel soldiers arrived at his villa in Vera Cruz. Dresden transported Huerta, his family and staff to Jamaica where the British government gave him asylum. Dresden's swashbuckling captain, Erich Kohler was a celebrity in the Caribbean. He worked well with both native residents and German immigrants. He also befriended the officers of British ships stationed in North America. The information he gained from his experience with those men, as well as his natural leadership abilities would make him famous as captain of the cruiser Karlsruhe.
While in Jamaica Kohler received orders to take his ship to Port-au-Prince, Haiti and there exchange commands with Fregattenkapitan (commander) Fritz Emil von Luedecke who was sailing from Germany with the new light cruiser Karlsruhe (armament: 10, 4.1"guns). Luedecke's orders were to deliver Karlsruhe to her new captain and return to Kiel, Germany with Dresden in order for her to have a refit. The commands were exchanged on July 26, and the two German crews socialized. News from Europe arrived on July 28, of the Austrian ultimatum to Serbia and the Admiralty put the fleet on alert. The next day Dresden steamed to St. Thomas, Dutch West Indies.
Dresden was a 3,600 ton light cruiser, the sister ship of Emden, which would gain fame in East Asia. Her hold could carry 860 tons of coal and her berths held a complement of 360 men. The ship was rated at a top speed of 24.5 knots. The British Royal Navy did possess faster ships, but Dresden had the luck of never facing one. Dresden was one of the first German ships to be built with modern steam turbine engines to drive her propellers, as opposed to her sister, Emden which was the last German piston-engine cruiser. She was armed with 10, 4.1" guns each possessing a range of 10,500 yards, but she was not afforded the luxury of armor. Dresden's new commander, Luedecke was not of the daring character that made the German fleet famous. A Prussian by birth, he was a man of gentle character who was not really cut out to be a warrior, but he put his heart into it and carried on with honor. He served as artillery commander of the High Sees Fleet First Squadron for two years before becoming a staff officer in 1911
On July 29, the German Admiralty wired Luedecke that war was eminent with Russia, France, and possibly Great Britain. If word reached Dresden that Germany had mobilized for war, Luedecke was ordered to take his ship to a position off the Brazilian port of Pernambuco and pray on British shipping in the Amazon delta. By August 4, the Germans and British were at war. The British cruisers Essex and Berwick were in the Caribbean looking for Dresden, but Luedecke was already nearing the coast of South America where he found a German steamer Baden with 6,000 tons of coal. He took her on as his personal coalier. On August 6, the second day of war with Britain Dresden captured three cargo ships, Drumcliffe, Lynton Grange, and Hostilius. Drumcliffe was sailing with women and children, and the other two were carrying neutral cargoes. With "incredible gallantry" uniquely Luedecke's, the captain turned the ships loose because he did not have enough accommodations aboard his own vessel in order to house all the passengers, especially the women and children. He also saw no point in destroying ships with neutral cargo. Two days later Dresden caught and sank the British cargo ship Hyades, carrying a shipment of corn to Britain. Following this attack Dresden anchored at the island of Fernando Noronha and coaled from Baden. Island. On the 26th she caught and sank the steamer Holmwood carrying 6,000 tons of coal. Later the same day Dresden caught the cargo ship Katherine Park, but on learning she was a neutral turned her loose. Germany's military threat to the French channel ports in Europe forced the British to reroute their South American trade through the port of St. Naziere on the French, Atlantic coast. This shifted British-South American shipping channels further south and opened up a totally undefended shipping region to Dresden's guns. That made commerce raiding easy, and this lucky break added to British naval weakness in South America gave Luedecke control of South American waters below the Equator. German captains continued to trade in the Plate River basin of Argentina, while, "Within weeks of the outbreak of war the mere rumor of... Dresden was enough to stop up (British) ships in South American ports..." Thus, for a precious few weeks, German merchants thrived.
Knowing Dresden could not take on the entire Royal Navy by herself Luedecke took her down through Cayetano Bay before the month was over. Dresden steamed through the Straits of Magellan, passed the port of Punta Arenas, Chile and arrived at Orange Bay, near Tierra del Fuego on September 4. The British Admiralty appointed Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock commander of Royal Naval forces in the Atlantic coast of North and Central America. Included in this assignment was the capture, and/or destruction of both Dresden and Karlsruhe. When news reached the Admiralty that Dresden had crossed the Equator, Cradock's command was extended to include the coast of South America as well. Cradock divided his forces, taking four ships, the armored cruisers, Good Hope (armament: 2, 9.2" and 16, 6" guns), and Monmouth (armament: 14, 6" guns), the light cruiser, Glasgow (armament: 2, 6" and 10, 4" guns), and the auxiliary cruiser, Otranto with him in search of Dresden. The remaining five ships in his command were stationed in the Caribbean and ordered to find Karlsruhe. Cradock's force arrived at Trinidada Island one week after Dresden had left. With little information arriving as to Dresden's whereabouts, Cradock investigated every port, bay, and inlet that his maps showed in order to find the illusive ship.
Meanwhile, Dresden spent 12 unmolested days at Orange Bay. German agents in Punta Arenas sent the supply ship Santa Isabel to Dresden in order to restock her. Until that ship arrived on the 16th Luedecke allowed his men to go ashore to hunt for game and forage for whatever provisions they could find. During one of these occasions a few daring men carved a plaque to the memory of their visit. They left their signboard nailed to a tree on shore visible to all, listing the name of the ship, several crew members and the date, September 11, 1914. Perhaps even more daring was the fact that Luedecke allowed the sign to remain. On the 18th, Luedecke received an admiralty wire suggesting he operate in conjunction with the light cruiser, Leipzig (armament: 10, 4.1" guns) off the west coast of South America. Dresden steamed north into the Pacific Ocean that same day.
Cradock arrived at Punta Arenas on September 28 and made extensive contact with the Admiralty. He learned of Leipzig, and the German East Asia Squadron's voyage east. Cradock then learned of the signboard left by Dresden's crew. All of this led him to believe that Dresden was searching out a base for the East Asia Squadron. Orange Bay would afford the perfect place as it was a "...wide natural harbour, landlocked and completely hidden by projecting mountains, at the foot of ... Koste Island." He wanted to thwart Dresden's mission and if all information pointed to a base at Orange Bay, he would attack there. He prepared Good Hope, Monmouth and Glasgow by September 30, and dashed into the Bay that morning expecting to capture Dresden, and/or Leipzig, and perhaps their colliers. The Bay was empty. Cradock returned to Punta Arenas to await the next sighting of Dresden. While Cradock was in Punta Arenas, it became clear to the Admiralty that the German overseas fleet was congregating off the western coast of South America. They assigned Cradock the task of destroying that fleet. The slow, pre-dreadnought battleship Canopus (armament: 4, 12" and 12, 6" guns) was dispatched to strengthen Cradock's fleet but that did not make up for the fact that his command of ten ships was stretched over 10,000 miles in two oceans, searching for six German ships of war and various enemy colliers. Dresden stretched Cradock beyond his means and put him in a very vulnerable position.
As Dresden made her way up the west coast of South America she came upon the British tramp Ortega. Dresden put several shots across Ortega's bow, but the small ship refused to come-to. Luedecke tried to position Dresden in front of the tramp, but the water became increasingly shallow. Luedecke refused to sink an unarmed ship, and thus allowed his prey to escape. Within a week, Cradock was aware of Dresden's position, but he foolishly clung to the belief that he would catch Dresden alone, before she could meet up with her comrades. He sent Glasgow out to patrol the southern reaches of Chile, while he waited with the rest of the fleet in Punta Arenas for Canopus to arrive.
Dresden put in at Mas a Fuera Island, in the Juan Fernandez Islands group on the night of October 2. There she radioed to Leipzig for a rendezvous at Easter Island. At the incredible distance of 3,500 miles Dresden's message was overheard by Vice-Admiral Maxamilian Graf von Spee of the German East Asia Squadron on the heavy cruiser Scharnhorst. Three nights later on October 5, the admiral established communications with Dresden and ordered a rendezvous of all German ships in the area.
On October 12, Dresden joined the heavy cruisers, Gneisenau, and Scharnhorst (each armed: 8, 8.2" and 10, 4" guns), and the light cruiser Nurnberg (armament: 10, 4.1" guns), under Spee, at Easter Island, and thus became part of the East Asia Squadron. The next day Leipzig arrived. The Squadron coaled until the 18th. Luedecke provided Spee not only with the collier Baden and her 6,000 tons of coal but also with information he had received from German agents in Punta Arenas as to the strength of the British fleet.
Canopus arrived in the Falkland Islands in the waning weeks of October and radioed her position to Cradock in Punta Arenas. Cradock ordered his fleet to sea at once in search of Dresden ordering Glasgow to be the fleet's scout. He then ordered the battleship to follow the rest of the British fleet into the Pacific, but he prohibited radio contact, except by Glasgow, in order to conceal his position.
Spee learned of the position of Glasgow at the same time that Cradock learned of the position of a German coalier scouting for Spee. The two admirals moved in to cut off what each thought was an isolated ship, and the fleets clashed by accident, and Cradock was caught without his battleship. What followed was the Battle of Coronel. Spee ordered his ships to open fire at sunset, when Cradock's fleet became silhouetted against the falling sun. Just after 7 PM on November 1, Dresden let loose a salvo at Otranto. A shell landed on the deck of that ship and the others fell in such close proximity that Otranto fled from the scene, heading west at full steam. After scaring off Otranto; Dresden and Leipzig opened fire on Glasgow. Seven 4.1" shells landed on the British light cruiser. One shell cut a hole in the aft port waterline of the ship. A second exploded on deck with little damage, and a third failed to explode at all. It was not, however, Glasgow's day to die. She was hit four more times, but sustained little damage and escaped in the night.
The outcome of the battle is legend as the Germans sent Admiral Cradock, Good Hope, and Monmouth to the bottom of the Pacific. Cradock had not been able to find a single light cruiser for three months, and now that cruiser had taken part in the coup de grace of his career. Dresden had baited admiral Cradock and kept his fleet at bay until Spee could arrive to destroy it. Over the next several weeks Dresden performed the support tasks for which the light cruiser was built. It scouted for the main squadron, called at port for information, and guarded the fleet when at anchor. Dresden also captured the 3,600 ton British cargo ship North Wales. That ship's coal, charts, and crew were removed before she was sunk. During November, Luedecke received information that he had been promoted to Kapitan zur See (captain). Also, the Kaiser had awarded the Iron Cross Second Class to men who Spee saw worthy. Luedecke and his staff were among this group.
Spee procrastinated until December to bring his squadron into the Atlantic in order to continue the cruiser war he had started. For that reason, British Vice-Admiral Frederick Sturdee had enough time to arrive at the Falkland Islands with the battlecruisers Invincible and Inflexible (each armed: 8, 16" and 16, 4" guns). Thus, when Spee made the unwise decision to attack those islands, he was cut to pieces. The Battle of the Falkland Islands on December 8, 1914, was a massacre of the German squadron. Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Leipzig, and Nurnberg were outgunned and slower than their opponents and all went down, along with Admiral Spee. Sub-Lieutenant Richarz on board Dresden later wrote of the battle, "Each one of us knew he would never see his comrades again- no one on board the cruiser can have had any illusions about his fate." The sacrifice of her sister ships, however, gave life to Dresden, which stoked her boiler fires and steamed away, finding safety in bad weather to the south of the Falklands. Luedecke took Dresden around Cape Horn and made his escape from the British fleet. He passed through Cockburn Channel, arriving in Sholl Bay on December 11. He knew his only hope was to get coal in Punta Arenas. He had only 160 tons of his own coal left and he knew the British would be after him with their two battlecruisers. He sent work parties ashore to cut down evergreen trees to stoke the ship's boiler fires. Sturdee had begun to search for Dresden immediately after the battle but had turned back in the bad weather that had saved Dresden. He resolved to wait until the German ship appeared again.
On December 12, Dresden boldly steamed into Punta Arenas and Luedecke arranged to receive supplies and coal. Dresden received 750 tons of coal from the steamer Turpin and Luedecke set up a rendezvous for supplies later in the week. The coaling drill was done the next day and Dresden steamed south into the Straits of Magellan. Luedecke decided that his only hope for survival was to stay in the narrow channels surrounding Tierra del Fuego, hiding right under the noses of his British hunters rather than running from them. Dresden met the collier Amasis in Hewett Bay on the 14th, and they were joined by the steamer Sierra Cordoba on the 19th. Neither of those ships had enough coal to provide Dresden for a cruiser war, and Luedecke realized he would have to wait.
While the crew of Dresden was celebrating Christmas safely in their hiding place, no less than 11 ships were at sea looking for them. The Japanese cruisers Idzumo and Hisen, the Australian battlecruiser Australia, and the British cruiser Newcastle joined Sturdee's fleet. Furthermore, shipping had all but stopped along the coasts of South America, as fear of Dresden continued unabated, no one knowing when or where she would turn up.
On January 11, Admiral Sturdee was ordered home. First Sea Lord, John Fisher had a personal animosity with Sturdee and felt he had been in the South Atlantic long enough with battlecruisers needed to strengthen the home fleet. Fisher wanted to question Sturdee in detail as to why Dresden had not been found. Despite the animosity between Fisher and Sturdee, Sturdee was named commander of the Fourth Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet. But that is where he stayed. The month he spent searching for Dresden as well as the embarrassment of her still being at large led to his decline into obscurity.
On December 26, Dresden was discovered by French fishermen who reported the incident to the British in Punta Arenas. Unfortunately, the British did not believe them because British naval maps showed Dresden's position to be on dry land. Luedecke did not take any chances once he had been discovered and on the 27th followed his steam pinnace, which was taking soundings, into another channel for which the British had no maps. Dresden remained in the false channel throughout January. After being supplied by the steamer Esplorador, Dresden moved to a channel on the southern end of Santa Ines Island on January 28. Dresden and her crew had been in hiding for two months. The winds and severe weather of the southern tip of South America harassed Dresden unmercilessly and the constant fear of discovery slowly made the crew stir-crazy. Hopelessness and insecurity grew as the months wore on and Luedecke knew he had to make a move.
Luedecke received suggestions from the German Admiralty to return home via the sailing channels of the Atlantic Ocean no longer in use. Luedecke sent back a message that he felt there were too many ships searching for him and not enough coal to supply the long voyage home. Luedecke felt he better served the Fatherland by staying at large and attacking shipping in the Pacific. The Admiralty was not enthusiastic about those plans, but it did not order Luedecke back to Germany, and finally gave its assent. Dresden did not have enough coal to carry on a cruiserwar but Luedecke felt he had a better than average chance of finding coal on the northern coast of Chile.
Dresden steamed into the Pacific on February 14, with Sierra Cordoba as a lookout. On February 27, Dresden captured and sank the British bark Conway. For the moment, at least, it seemed as if Luedecke had made the correct choice in venturing into the Pacific, but his ship was dangerously low on coal and had to travel at half steam in order to preserve the precious commodity.
Throughout January the fleet of Allied warships that had been sent to find Dresden were slowly called back by their governments. The British recalled all of their ships except for the cruisers Kent and Glasgow, which finally discovered Dresden's maze of hide outs on March 2. Kent made a run north from Cockburn Channel on March 3 to see if Dresden was anywhere in sight and found her on the horizon by a stroke of luck. Kent gave chase until her funnels were glowing red but Dresden was too far away and at full steam was able to escape. Kent had lost her coveted prize but had placed a limit on Dresden's field of operations. The five hour pursuit that Kent gave put a huge strain on Dresden's engines and ate up most of her limited supply of coal.
Luedecke sent Sierra Cordoba into Valparaiso, Chile for coal, and took Dresden to Cumberland Bay in Mas a Fuera, arriving there on the forth. Dresden, as said, had been in constant operation from the day she was commissioned in 1909. The last seven months had by far been the most tedious and destructive for her machinery. When Luedecke put in at Mas a Fuera, Chilean authorities tried to enforce the twenty-four-hour-rule, but Luedecke contended that his ship was not fit for service and needed time for the repair of her rusty boilers, fouled bottom and failing engines. The evening of Dresden's arrival a message arrived for Luedecke from the Admiralty, "The Kaiser leaves it to your discretion to lay up." Luedecke knew it was a hard task to repair his ship but he vowed to do it. Dresden had only 80 tons of coal remaining in her bunkers and Luedecke sent out numerous pleas for coal to any collier that could hear it. Kent and Glasgow picked up one of these messages on March 13 and immediately made steam for Mas a Fuera.
Kent and Glasgow arrived at Mas a Fuera on March 14 and found Dresden at anchor with her ensign flying and smoke coming from her funnels. Dresden took no notice of the British ships that had cornered her until the Kent opened fire. Glasgow opened shortly after and Dresden replied by firing on Kent. She fired only three rounds from a single gun and then ran up a white flag and asked for a truce. Luedecke sent a young lieutenant, Wilhelm Canaris, who would be famous in the next war as head of Hitler's Abwehr, to Kent in order to work out terms of surrender. The British commander, Captain Luce said he would accept nothing short of unconditional surrender, as he knew Canaris was merely stalling for time.
Foto der “Dresden” vom 14.03.1915, gegen 10.00 Uhr (Bb.-Seite vor Anker)
Luedecke took the truce as an opportunity to evacuate the crew, open the sea valves and set charges to scuttle the ship. When Canaris returned to the ship a small charge detonated and Dresden began taking on water. "(A)t first...(she)...sank very slowly, going down by the bows." She was a rusty hulk with water lines running down her side, and she sat high in the water due to lack of coal. Members of the crew hoisted the German naval ensign and abandoned the ship. Dresden slipped faster into the water, listed to the side and sank with her naval ensign flying above a white flag. Both the German crew on shore and the British crews on their respective ships began to cheer wildly.
Foto vom Untergang der “Dresden” am 14.03.1915 gegen 11.15 Uhr
According to those present it was a truly unique sight. The Germans were interned by the Chilean government and the 21,000 mile cruise of Dresden was over. The ship, herself, was a threat to British control of the seas, as has been shown. She was only briefly considered a member of Spee's squadron, and benefited the Fatherland more as a commerce raider, hiding from her enemies and showing up when least expected, as a good cruiserwarrior should.
Bibliography
Bennett, Geoffrey. Naval Battles of the First World War. New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1968.
Hoehling, A. A. The Great War At Sea, A History of Naval Action 1914-18.
New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1965.
Hough, Richard. The Great War At Sea, 1914-1918
-----------The Long Pursuit: A gallant enemy meets the Royal Navy
at the end of a classic sea chase. New York: Harper and Row, 1969.
Hoyt, Edwin P. kreuzerkrieg. Cleveland: The World Publishing Company, 1968.
Middlemas, Keith. Command The Far Seas, A Naval Campaign of the
First World War. London: Hutchinson, 1961.
© Robert F. Smith 2000.
Robert Smith, from Lansdale, PA., has an MA in history from Villanova University. He will be starting work on his Doctorate in the fall of 2001.
stfinnian@yayoo.com
Am Morgen des 14.03.1915 gegen 05.00 Uhr ging die Dampfpinaß der “Dresden” zur Aufklärung vor der Cumberlandbucht in See. Nach annähernd 10 km vom Ankerplatz der “Dresden”abgelaufen, die ca. 400 m vor dem kleinen Fischerdorf San Juan Bautista auf der Insel Mas a Tierra lag, kehrte sie zurück, ohne Gegner festgestellt zu haben. 08.00 Uhr schickte der I.O., KL Wieblitz die Pinaß noch einmal in See , da aus der F.-T.-Station starke gegnerische Funksignale gehört wurden. Das Boot war mit ihren 6 kn Geschwindigkeit gerade eine halbe Stunde gelaufen, als es von Osten kommend den Kleinen Kreuzer “Glasgow” mit dem dahinter laufenden Hilfskreuzer “Orama” auf einer Entfernung von 9 km ausmachte. Kurze Zeit später sichtete die Bootsbesatzung auf ihrer rechten Seite den Panzerkreuzer “Kent” in einer Entfernung von ca. 4,5 km. Während “Glasgow” und “Kent” auf den Ankerplatz der “Dresden” zu liefen, dampfte das Aufklärungsboot sofort zur “Dresden” zurück. Dort war die Besatzung auf dem Mitteldeck angetreten in der Erwartung, dass die engl. Kriegsschiffe vor Anker gehen und nun zwischen allen Beteiligten, einschließlich des chilenischen Inselgouverneurs Verhandlungen eingeleitet werden. “Glasgow” ( 90 hm entfernt) und “Kent” (40 hm) feuerten sofort auf die vor Anker liegende “Dresden”. Bei den ersten Salven der Engländer lief die Besatzung der “Dresden” auf die Gefechtstationen und versuchte, auf die näher gelegene “Kent” zu schießen. Das einseitige Gefecht begann gegen 09.10 Uhr. Binnen weniger Minuten waren die achteren Geschütze der “Dresden” außer Gefecht gesetzt, die Feuerleitung funktionierte nicht mehr, die Munitionskammer II mußte wegen Explosionsgefahr geflutet werden, die Munitionszuführungen waren zerstört. Der Freibord der “Dresden” lag auf grund der geringen Vorräte so hoch über Wasser, dass die so schon geringe Panzerung hier gänzlich fehlte. Eine Granate durchschlug den unter dem Panzer, aber bereits über der Wasserlinie liegenden Torpedoraum an der Bb.-Seite. In dieser Situation faßte der Kmdt. den Entschluß, die “Dresden” selbst zu versenken, damit sie nicht in die Hände der Briten fiel. (siehe auch Kriegstagebuch vom 14.03.1915)
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| Um Zeit zu gewinnen für die Vorbereitung und Ausführung der Selbstversenkung, schickte er einen Parlamentär zu den Engländern, lies die weiße Flagge und das Signal für “schicke einen Parlamentär” hissen und begann mit einem kleinen Teil der Besatzung die Rolle der Selbstversenkung durchzuarbeiten. Während der größte Teil der Besatzung an Land evakuierte, teils auch schwimmend, wurden die Sprengladungen angebracht und gezündet sowie die Seeventile aufgedreht. Es war höchste Zeit dafür, weil bereits ein Teil der Maschinenräume im achteren Teil des Schiffes voll Wasser gelaufen waren. In der Zwischenzeit fuhr der Parlamentär, OL Canaris, mit der Pinaß zur nähergelegenen “Kent”, um den Protest des Kmdt. zu überbringen. Die “Dresden” befand sich für alle offensichtlich in chilenischen Hoheitsgewässern. Der Kmdt. der “Kent”, Capitan Allen, schickte den dt. Offizier zur “Glasgow”, da deren Kmdt., Capitan Luce, die Führung inne hatte. Dort wurde der dt. Unterhändler bereits erwartet. Nachdem OL Canaris seinen Protest vorgebracht hatte, antwortete Capitan Luce, dass er Befehl habe, die “Dresden” zu finden und zu vernichten. Diesen Befehl erhielt er bereits am 14.12.1914 von Admiral Sturdee, als dieser mit seinen Schlachtkreuzern nach England zurückkehrte: “Object (“Dresden”) is destruction not interment ... Press your chase.” Als das Boot mit dem Parlamentär von der “Glasgow” ablief, sahen alle Beteiligten kurze Zeit später auf der “Dresden” eine Explosion im vorderen Teil des Schiffes, die den Untergang einleitete. Der Signalmann Welch von der “Kent” nannte 10.40 Uhr für diesen Zeitpunkt des Beginns des Unterganges, der ca. 20 Minuten dauern sollte. Zeitzeugen der “Dresden” benennen 11.15 Uhr als Untergangszeit. Zu dieser Zeit wurde auf der “Orama” bereits ein Boot mit Ärzten und Sanitätern zu Wasser gelassen, dass in Richtung Land fuhr. Dessen Kapitän begriff offensichtlich die Lage am schnellsten. Nach dem Untergang des Kleinen Kreuzer “Dresden” stand die Besatzung ohne “Hab und Gut”, teilweise mit zerrissenen Sachen und ohne Schuhe an Land und harrte der Dinge, die nun kommen würden. Der brit. Hilfskreuzer “Orama” nahm die 15 Schwerverwundeten an Bord, um sie sogleich in das dt. Hospital nach Valparaiso zu überführen, wo sie auch alle ankamen und auch wieder gesundeten. Vorab hatte sich der Kmdt. der “Dresden” die Versicherung der Briten eingeholt, die Verwundeten nicht als Kriegsgefangene zu betrachten, was auch von engl. Seite zugestanden wurde. Da am 18.03. auch zwei chilenische Kriegsschiffe am Ort des Geschehens eingetroffen waren und die hoheitlichen Pflichten bemüht waren, wahr zu nehmen, kehrten aus dem Inneren der Insel auch die Besatzungsmitglieder der “Dresden” an den Strand zurück, die sich einer möglichen Gefangennahme durch die Briten entziehen wollten. Im Ergebnis dieser kriegerischen Auseinandersetzung zwischen dt. und brit. Kriegsschiffen auf chilenischem Boden, fanden 7 Besatzungsmitglieder den Tod und einer galt als vermißt. (siehe auch nachfolgende Mannschaftsverlustliste des Kleinen Kreuzers “Dresden”). Die engl. Seite verzeichnete keine Schäden und Verluste. Die chilenischen Einwohner an Land, die durch engl. Granaten Verluste hinnehmen mußten, wurden vom Zahlmeister der “Glasgow” mit Geld abgefunden. Das betraf auch den chilenischen Lastensegler “Argentina”, der den engl. Granaten ausgesetzt war. |
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| Mannschaftsverluste während des Gefechtes mit den britischen Seestreitkräften und der Selbstversenkung am 14.03.1915 in der Cumberlandbucht |
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| I. Tote: |
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| II. Schwerverwundete: |
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| III. Leichtverwundete: |
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| Grabmal der gefallenen Besatzungsmitglieder des Kleinen Kreuzer “Dresden” im kleinen Fischerdorf San Juan Bautista auf der Robinson-Insel | ||||
Das Kriegstagebuch der SMS “Dresden” (rekonstruiert nach amtl. Quellen) | |||
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| Seegefecht vor Coronel: |
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| Seeschlacht vor den Falkland-Inseln: |
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| Der Untergang der SMS “Dresden”: |
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Stumble It!
posted at 9/30/2008 12:10:00 AM
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