History of the World War Part 5

While the German light forces and the first cruiser squadron under Vice Admiral Hipper were following the British, who were retiring north-westward, the German battle cruisers sighted to the westward Vice Admiral Beatty's battle squadron of six s.h.i.+ps, including four of the Lion type and two of the Indefatigable type. Beatty's squadron developed a battle line on a southeasterly course and Vice Admiral Hipper formed his line ahead on the same general course and approached for a running fight. He opened fire at 5.49 o'clock in the afternoon with heavy artillery at a range of 13,000 meters against the superior enemy. The weather was clear and light, and the sea was light with a northwest wind.

After about a quarter of an hour a violent explosion occurred on the last cruiser of the Indefatigable type. It was caused by a heavy sh.e.l.l, and destroyed the vessel.

About 6.20 o'clock in the afternoon five wars.h.i.+ps of the Queen Elizabeth type came from the west and joined the British battle cruiser line, powerfully reinforcing with their fifteen-inch guns the five British battle cruisers remaining after 6.20 o'clock. To equalize this superiority Vice Admiral Hipper ordered the destroyers to attack the enemy. The British destroyers and small cruisers interposed, and a bitter engagement at close range ensued, in the course of which a light cruiser partic.i.p.ated.

The Germans lost two torpedo boats, the crews of which were rescued by sister s.h.i.+ps under a heavy fire. Two British destroyers were sunk by artillery, and two others-the Nestor and Nomad-remained on the scene in a crippled condition. These later were destroyed by the main fleet after German torpedo boats had rescued all the survivors.

While this engagement was in progress, a mighty explosion, caused by a big sh.e.l.l, broke the Queen Mary, the third s.h.i.+p in line, asunder, at 6.30 o'clock.

Soon thereafter the German main battles.h.i.+p fleet was sighted to the southward, steering north. The hostile fast squadrons thereupon turned northward, closing the first part of the fight, which lasted about an hour.

The British retired at high speed before the German fleet, which followed closely. The German battle cruisers continued the artillery combat with increasing intensity, particularly with the division of the vessels of the Queen Elizabeth type, and in this the leading German battles.h.i.+p division partic.i.p.ated intermittently.

The hostile s.h.i.+ps showed a desire to run in a flat curve ahead of the point of our line and to cross it.

At 7.45 o'clock in the evening British small cruisers and destroyers launched an attack against our battle cruisers, who avoided the torpedoes by manoeuvring, while the British battle cruisers retired from the engagement, in which they did not partic.i.p.ate further as far as can be established. Shortly thereafter a German reconnoitring group, which was parrying the destroyer attack, received an attack from the northeast. The cruiser Wiesbaden was soon put out of action in this attack. The German torpedo flotillas immediately attacked the heavy s.h.i.+ps.

Appearing shadow-like from the haze bank to the northeast was made out a long line of at least twenty-five battles.h.i.+ps, which at first sought a junction with the British battle cruisers and those of the Queen Elizabeth type on a northwesterly to westerly course, and then turned on an easterly to southeasterly course.

With the advent of the British main fleet, whose centre consisted of three squadrons of eight battles.h.i.+ps each, with a fast division of three battle cruisers of the Invincible type on the northern-end, and three of the newest vessels of the Royal Sovereign cla.s.s, armed with fifteen-inch guns, at the southern end, there began about 8 o'clock in the evening the third section of the engagement, embracing the combat between the main fleets.

Vice Admiral Seheer determined to attack the British main fleet, which he now recognised was completely a.s.sembled and about doubly superior. The German battles.h.i.+p squadron, headed by battle cruisers, steered first toward the extensive haze bank to the northeast, where the crippled cruiser Wiesbaden was still receiving a heavy fire. Around the Wiesbaden stubborn individual fights under quickly changing conditions now occurred.

The light enemy forces, supported by an armored cruiser squadron of five s.h.i.+ps of the Minatour, Achilles, and Duke of Edinburgh cla.s.ses coming from the northeast, were encountered and apparently surprised on account of the decreasing visibility of our battle cruisers and leading battles.h.i.+p division. The squadron came under a violent and heavy fire by which the small cruisers Defense and Black Prince were sunk. The cruiser Warrior regained its own line a wreck and later sank. Another small cruiser was damaged severely.

Two destroyers already had fallen victims to the attack of German torpedo boats against the leading British battles.h.i.+ps and a small cruiser and two destroyers were damaged. The German battle cruisers and leading battles.h.i.+p division had in these engagements come under increased fire of the enemy's battles.h.i.+p squadron, which, shortly after 8 o'clock, could be made out in the haze turning to the north-eastward and finally to the east, Germans observed, amid the artillery combat and sh.e.l.ling of great intensity, signs of the effect of good shooting between 8.20 and 8.30 o'clock particularly.

Several officers on German s.h.i.+ps observed that a battles.h.i.+p of the Queen Elizabeth cla.s.s blew up under conditions similar to that of the Queen Mary. The Invincible sank after being hit severely. A s.h.i.+p of the Iron Duke cla.s.s had earlier received a torpedo hit, and one of the Queen Elizabeth cla.s.s was running around in a circle, its steering apparatus apparently having been hit.

The Lutzow was. .h.i.t by at least fifteen heavy sh.e.l.ls and was unable to maintain its place in line. Vice Admiral Hipper, therefore, transs.h.i.+pped to the Moltke on a torpedo boat and under a heavy fire. The Derfflinger meantime took the lead temporarily. Parts of the German torpedo flotilla attacked the enemy's main fleet and heard detonations. In the action the Germans lost a torpedo boat.

An enemy destroyer was seen in a sinking condition, having been hit by a torpedo.

After the first violent onslaught into the ma.s.s of the superior enemy the opponents lost sight of each other in the smoke by powder clouds. After a short cessation in the artillery combat Vice Admiral Scheer ordered a new attack by all the available forces.

German battle cruisers, which with several light cruisers and torpedo boats again headed the line, encountered the enemy soon after 9 o'clock and renewed the heavy fire, which was answered by them from the mist, and then by the leading division of the main fleet. Armored cruisers now flung themselves in a reckless onset at extreme speed against the enemy line in order to cover the attack of the torpedo boats. They approached the enemy line, although covered with shot from 6,000 meters distances. Several German torpedo flotillas dashed forward to attack, delivered torpedoes, and returned, despite the most severe counterfire, with the loss of only one boat. The bitter artillery fire was again interrupted, after this second violent onslaught, by the smoke from guns and funnels.

Several torpedo flotillas, which were ordered to attack somewhat later, found, after penetrating the smoke cloud, that the enemy fleet was no longer before them; nor, when the fleet commander again brought the German squadrons upon the southerly and southwesterly course where the enemy was last seen, could our opponents be found. Only once more-shortly before 10.30 o'clock-did the battle flare up. For a short time in the late twilight German battle cruisers sighted four enemy capital s.h.i.+ps to seaward and opened fire immediately. As the two German battles.h.i.+p squadrons attacked, the enemy turned and vanished in the darkness.

Older German light cruisers of the fourth reconnoissance group also were engaged with the older enemy armored cruisers in a short fight.

This ended the day battle.

The German divisions, which, after losing sight of the enemy, began a night cruise in a southerly direction, were attacked until dawn by enemy light force in rapid succession.

The attacks were favored by the general strategic situation and the particularly dark night.

The cruiser Frauenlob was injured severely during the engagement of the fourth reconnoissance group with a superior cruiser force, and was lost from sight.

One armored cruiser of the Cressy cla.s.s suddenly appeared close to a German battles.h.i.+p and was shot into fire after forty seconds, and sank in four minutes.

The Florent (?) Destroyer 60, (the names were hard to decipher in the darkness and therefore were uncertainly established) and four destroyers-3, 78, 06, and 27-were destroyed by our fire. One destroyer was cut in two by the ram of a German battles.h.i.+p. Seven destroyers, including the G-30, were hit and severely damaged.

These, including the Tipperary and Turbulent, which after saving survivors, were left behind in a sinking condition, drifted past our line, some of them burning at the bow or stern.

The tracks of countless torpedoes were sighted by the German s.h.i.+ps, but only the Pommern (a battles.h.i.+p) fell an immediate victim to a torpedo. The cruiser Rostock was. .h.i.t, but remained afloat. The cruiser Elbing was damaged by a German battles.h.i.+p during an unavoidable maneuver. After vain endeavors to keep the s.h.i.+p afloat the Elbing was blown up, but only after her crew had embarked on torpedo boats. A post torpedo boat was struck by a mine laid by the enemy.

ADMITTED LOSSES-BRITISH NAMETONNAGEPERSONNEL Queen Mary (battle cruiser)27,0001,000 Indefatigable (battle cruiser)18,750800 Invincible (battle cruiser)17,250750 Defense (armored cruiser)14,600755 Warrior (armored cruiser)13,550704 Black Prince (armored cruiser)13,550704 Tipperary (destroyer)1,850150 Turbulent (destroyer)1,850150 Shark (destroyer)950100 Sparrowhawk (destroyer)950100 Ardent (destroyer)950100 Fortune (destroyer)950100 Nomad (destroyer)950100 Nestor (destroyer)950100 British Totals Battle cruisers63,0002,550 Armored cruisers41,7002,163 Destroyers9,400900 Fourteen s.h.i.+ps114,1005,613 ADMITTED LOSSES-GERMAN[A]

NAMETONNAGEPERSONNEL Lutzow (battle cruiser)26,6001,200 Pommern (battles.h.i.+p)13,200729 Wiesbaden (cruiser)5,600450 Frauenlob (cruiser)2,715264 Elbing (cruiser)5,300450 Rostock (cruiser)4,900373 Five destroyers5,000500 German Totals Battle cruisers39,8001,929 Armored cruisers18,2151,537 Destroyers5,000500 Eleven s.h.i.+ps63,0153,966 [A] These figures are given for what they are worth, but no one outside of Germany doubted but that their losses were very much greater than admitted in the official report.

ADMIRAL WILLIAM S. SIMS

Commander-in-Chief of United States Naval Forces in European waters.

ADMIRAL SIR DAVID BEATTY

Commander-in-Chief of the British Grand Fleet.

TOTAL LOSSES OF MEN BRITISH Dead or missing6,104 Wounded513 Total6,617 GERMAN Dead or missing2,414 Wounded449 Total2,863 LOSS IN MONEY VALUE (Rough Estimate) British$115,000,000 German63,000,000 Total$178,000,000 While the world was still puzzling over the conflicting reports of the Battle of Jutland came the shocking news that Field Marshal Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener, the British Secretary of State for War, had perished off the West Orkney Islands on June 5th, through the sinking of the British cruiser Hamps.h.i.+re. The entire crew was also lost, except twelve men, a warrant officer and eleven seamen, who escaped on a raft. Earl Kitchener was on his way to Russia, at the request of the Russian Government, for a consultation regarding munitions to be furnished the Russian army. He was intending to go to Archangel and visit Petrograd, and expected to be back in London by June 20th. He was accompanied by Hugh James...o...b..irne, former Councillor of the British Emba.s.sy at Petrograd, O.A. Fitz-Gerald, his military secretary, Brigadier-General Ellarshaw, and Sir Frederick Donaldson, all of whom were lost.

The cause of the sinking of the Hamps.h.i.+re is not known. It is supposed that it struck a mine, but the tragedy very naturally brought into existence many stories which ascribe his death to more direct German action.

Seaman Rogerson, one of the survivors, describes Lord Kitchener's last moments as follows: "Of those who left the s.h.i.+p, and have survived, I was the one who saw Lord Kitchener last. He went down with the s.h.i.+p, he did not leave her. I saw Captain Seville help his boat's crew to clear away his galley. At the same time the Captain was calling to Lord Kitchener to come to the boat, but owing to the noise made by the wind and sea, Lord Kitchener could not hear him, I think. When the explosion occurred, Kitchener walked calmly from the Captain's cabin, went up the ladder and on to the quarter deck. There I saw him walking quite collectedly, talking to two of the officers. All three were wearing khaki and had no overcoats on. Kitchener calmly watched the preparations for abandoning the s.h.i.+p, which were going on in a steady and orderly way. The crew just went to their stations, obeyed orders, and did their best to get out the boats. But it was impossible. Owing to the rough weather, no boats could be lowered. Those that were got out were smashed up at once. No boats left the s.h.i.+p. What people on the sh.o.r.e thought to be boats leaving, were rafts. Men did get into the boats as these lay in their cradles, thinking that as the s.h.i.+p went under the boats would float, but the s.h.i.+p sank by the head, and when she went she turned a somersault forward, carrying down with her all the boats and those in them. I do not think Kitchener got into a boat. When I sprang to a raft he was still on the starboard side of the quarter deck, talking with the officers. From the little time that elapsed between my leaving the s.h.i.+p and her sinking I feel certain Kitchener went down with her, and was on deck at the time she sank."

Where Earl Kitchener Met His Death

The British Admiralty, after investigation, gave out a statement declaring that the vessel struck a mine, and sank about fifteen minutes after.

The news of Lord Kitchener's death shocked the whole Allied world. He was the most important personality in the British Empire. He had built up the British army, and his name was one to conjure by. His efficiency was a proverb, and he had an air of mystery about him that made him a sort of a popular hero. He was great before the World War began; he was the conqueror of the Soudan; the winner of the South African campaign; the reorganizer of Egypt. In his work as Secretary of War he had met with some criticism, but he possessed, more than any other man, the public confidence. At the beginning of the war he was appointed Secretary of War at the demand of an overwhelming public opinion. He realized more than any one else what such a war would mean. When others thought of it as an adventure to be soon concluded, he recognized that there would be years of bitter conflict. He asked England to give up its cherished tradition of a volunteer army; to go through arduous military training; he saw the danger to the Empire, and he alone, perhaps, had the authority to inspire his countrymen with the will to sacrifice. But his work was done. The great British army was in the field.

CHAPTER V

THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN

In the very beginning Russia had marked out one point for attack. This was the city of Cracow. No doubt the Grand Duke Nicholas had not hoped to be able to invest that city early. The slowness of the mobilization of the Russian army made a certain prudence advisable at the beginning of the campaign. But the great success of his armies in Lemberg encouraged more daring aims. He had invested Przemysl, and Galicia lay before him. Accordingly, he set his face toward Cracow.

Cracow, from a military point of view, is the gate both of Vienna and Berlin. A hundred miles west of it is the famous gap of Moravia, between the Carpathian and the Bohemian mountains, which leads down into Austria. Through this gap runs the great railway connecting Silesia with Vienna, and the Grand Duke knew that if he could capture Cracow he would have an easy road before him to the Austrian capital. Cracow also is the key of Germany.