SMS Breslau 1913

[Peter H]

Photos from tusslamabad on ebay

These are Marines being deployed off Scutari,Albania in 1913

[Peter H]

Posing with the Albanian locals

[Peter H]

Turkey

[Peter H]

Drill

[Peter H]

According to German Battlecruisers 1914-18,Gary Staff, Tony Bryan:

..In October 1912 the First Balkan War erupted.The Armee High Command determined that a naval Mediterranean Division was required and to this end Goeben and Breslau departed Kiel on 4 November.On 15 November they anchored off Constantinople.From April 1913...began visiting the ports of Pola,Venice and Naples and then moved into Albanian waters...continued to shiw the flag,visiting 80 destinations..

Off Beirut.I think this is the Turkish Avnijllah,armored gunship,sunk by the Italians.

[Peter H]

Breslau,off Alexandretta Turkey.

[Peter H]

Malta

[Peter H]

From: http://hometown.aol.de/marineakademie/M ... Hist_2.htm

01.11.1912
Formation of a Mediterranean division. The tensions, unrests and war on the Balkans and in the Levante require the constant presence from warships to the protection of the German interests

1913
03.1913
S.M.S. Goeben leads the mourning escort of the warships of six states for king George I. of Greece from Salonika to Piräus.

04.1913-05.1913
During the first Balkans war S.M.S. Goeben secures the German interests by cruises in the eastern Mediterranean, S.M.S. Dresden and Loreley in Konstantinopel, S.M.S. Strasbourg and vulture before the Syrian coast. S.M.S. Loreley transfers the resigned Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid from Saloniki to Konstantinopel.

04.04. - 06,08. 1913
Participation S.M.S. Breslau at the international blockade Montenegros for the enforcement of the release of the illegally occupied Albanian city Skutari.

14.05.1913
The landing corps S.M.S. Breslau, 100 men strong, occupies together with the federations of the foreign warships Skutari.

Karl Donitz served aboard the Breslau from October 1912 to September 1916.Holding dog mascot in photo below.

[Peter H]

Donitz might be hiding here somewhere.

[Chris Dale]

Great photos, Peter!
Thanks very much for posting them, especially the first few showing the Marine Detachment Skutari.
Cheers
Chris

[Dave Bender]

Nice pictures!

Was the Mediterranean division permanent? If so, did the KM have plans to establish a naval station in the Mediterranean?

[Peter H]

Not permanent according to here:

Geoffrey Miller's Superior Force : the conspiracy behind the escape of Goeben and Breslau online.

http://www.dardanelles.co.uk/

With this embryonic yet powerful force the German commander at the time, Admiral Trummler, suggested that a permanent divisional command should be formed, a proposal which found little favour with Tirpitz (who preferred to see the ships in the North Sea) but which recommended itself to Wilhelm as a means to divert British attention away from the North Sea. In the event, Dresden and Strassburg were withdrawn in September 1913 when the main Balkan crisis had passed, though the latter was scheduled to return in the summer of 1914, and all four ships were listed in the Annex of the Triple Alliance Naval Convention as being available for joint operations in 1914.

Pola was used for repairs,supplies:

Souchon’s first thoughts turned to his boiler problems which had become so serious that the crew were attempting to effect makeshift repairs and the ship’s speed had dropped to an alarming 12 to 14 knots, with perhaps 20 knots available in an emergency. Souchon had to reach Pola as quickly as he could, and to make sure everything was in readiness when he got there — he sent an urgent message to Berlin to dispatch a large quantity of new tubes as soon as possible, together with skilled dockyard workmen capable of doing the work, and then arranged for Goeben to reach Pola a few days ahead of the men and supplies coming from Germany. During the 13 days Goeben spent at Pola, as the engineers toiled in blistering heat replacing 4,460 tubes, Souchon had the chance to review the strategical and tactical situation with the Austrian C-in-C, Admiral Haus.

SMS Goeben was due to leave the Med in October 1914,to be replaced by SMS Moltke,but the events of August 1914 stopped this.

[ozgurarcan]

hi peter
Thank You ... Your Breslau This Photos very imported...
I’m Sorry because Im speak english so so...

But I must say . My grandfather military personnel Breslau (Midilli ) cruiser in time 1916-1917
My grandfather Midilli cruiser’s second personnel at the time..

This photograph content : Breslau Captain or admiral’s family in istanbul..
Probably your photograph ( Karl Donitz served aboard the Breslau from October 1912 to September 1916.Holding dog mascot in photo below. ) with same dog my picture above..

best regard
ozgur arcan

[ozgurarcan]

by photo (Karl Donitz served aboard the Breslau from October 1912 to September 1916.Holding dog mascot in photo below.)
those with information about this photo,
You can contact me..
My e mail
[email protected]

[Chris Dale]

Hello Ozkur,

Thank you for your messages. Do you have any photos of your grandfather in service on the Bresalu? Family history is always worth 100% more than history books.

All the best,
Chris