After the "Great War" On November 3, 1918, German sailors began rebellion at the Kiel riot, precursor to the German Revolution and the end of the German Empire.
On November 3, 1918, German sailors began rebellion at the Kiel riot, precursor to the German Revolution and the end of the German Empire.
In October 1918, most of the ships of the German High Sea Fleet were docked in ports across the country, particularly Wilhemshaven in the North Sea and Kiel in the Baltic Sea. The discipline and spirit of the German Navy were on the ground at the time, and sailors received lower rations and expected a German surrender soon, with German armistice negotiations underway since early October 1918.
On October 20, the German government accepted the allied peace period to cease its underwater activity. In response to this, Admiral Scheer, Chief of the German Navy, took the initiative and ordered Admiral Hipper, Commander of the German High Seas Fleet, to prepare the fleet for a decisive naval confrontation with the British Royal Navy on October 30.
The plan was presented to the sailors on Oct. 24, who unanimously protested the plan. They had no intentions of risking their lives so close to the end of the war and knew that a German naval strike would only postpone the Armistice. On October 29, as German ships anchored at Wilhemshaven prepared to set sail, German sailors of the 3rd Naval Squad began rebellion, ranging from refusing orders not to carry anchors to sabotages and riots.
Admiral Scheer cancelled the attack, feeling the sailors could not be trusted, and ordered the 3rd Naval Squadron to sail towards Kiel via the Kiel Canal. The leaders of the protests were stopped on boats and jailed upon arriving in Kiel.
This led the other sailors to rally in Kiel, demanding the release of their mates, which was immediately denied on November 2. As a result, on November 3, 1918 thousands of German sailors, including union and civilian workers, began to demonstrate against the authorities. under the slogan "Peace and Bread", demanding not only the liberation of sailors but the end of the war.
In the colorised photograph, members of the Freikorps with one of the two improvised tanks (number 54 "Heidi") that were used during the Spartachist uprising in Berlin. 1919

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