Gary Staff - Battle of the Baltic Islands 1917

From the damage control centre the First Offizier and Stabsingenieur Laebell undertook the first measures for the security of the ship. The bulkhead door to the flooded compartment, in the large transverse bulkhead near frame 117½, just forward of turret ‘Alsen’, was quickly shored up by carpenters and damage control personnel. However, water was penetrating the rivet and seam joints and the pumpenmeister personnel worked nimbly at their electric leak pump stations to master the flooding.

Meanwhile, on the orders of the Commander, the FT (Wireless) Offizier, Leutnant zur See Lindemann, sent a report about our misfortune to the Chief of the ‘Special Unit’. [1] Leutnant zur See Lindemann was later commander of the battleship Bismarck . The propellers renewed their revolutions and slowly the ship steamed with a southerly course, down along the side of the mine barrier, to take up its position for the bombardment off Cape Toffri.

At about 0524hrs, a submarine alarm to port was given. The Bayern turned away to starboard onto a southerly course. Before endangering the element of surprise of the entire operation, the commander, Kapitän zur See Rohardt, asked for confirmation of the submarine attack. The 3rd and 4th Artillerie Offiziers irreproachably confirmed that they had seen a periscope and torpedo track. Under these circumstances Bayern was forced to open fire, the firing observed by Moltke . Of course there were no allied submarines present.

Nevertheless, Bayern was able to continue her allotted task. By around 0600hrs Battery Toffri could be made out clearly and at 0602hrs the heavy calibre guns opened fire, followed briefly by the medium calibre guns. At ranges varying from 10,200 to 9,300 meters the battleship fired twenty-four 38cm shells and seventy 15cm shells. After the third salvo from Bayern the Russian battery replied; however, they took the boats of the S-Flotilla as their targets. As observed from Emden , the battleship’s fire was landing over the battery, but soon a warehouse and barracks were hit and caught fire, burning for several hours. Emden opened fire at 0608hrs at a range of 8,000m, but her first and second salvoes fell short and landed in the water and on the beach. Meanwhile the boats of the S-Flotilla under F. K. von Rosenberg, with men of the cyclist and sturm (assault) companies embarked, manoeuvred in Poka Bay, searching for a favourable landing site. The Russian battery took these vessels under fire and quickly obtained a direct hit aft on the torpedoboot A28 at a range of 25 cables, but the shell failed to detonate. The Emden ’s third salvo then landed amongst Battery No34 and destroyed the telephone wires and speaking tubes, and after this the battery could only continue with independent fire. One cannon remained serviceable. The fight continued for ten minutes and the battery fired up to twenty-five shells. When the battery commander, Warrant Officer Lesgaft, gave orders to retire there no longer remained any crews by the cannon. At around 0700hrs the German Landing Corps began going ashore and landed unopposed. There was no Russian battery at Pamerort as had been supposed. Once ashore the cyclist and assault companies immediately began to advance towards the stone dam at Orrisar.

In the meantime, in accordance with the operational plan, a diversion was being conducted to the east of the Sworbe Peninsula. The object was to deceive the Russians into thinking that a landing was imminent on Sworbe. At about 2100hrs the previous evening Vizeadmiral Souchon had led 1st Division of the IV Battle Squadron, Friedrich der Grosse and König Albert , away from the main body to the southeast, where they anchored out of sight of land. Towards 0400hrs on the morning of October 12th the unit weighed anchor and steered towards the coast, screened against submarines and mines by the boats of the 15th Torpedoboat Half Flotilla (15 TBHF). The torpedoboats were inexperienced in minesweeping and slipped their gear on the bottom twice, delaying the advance sufficiently that the coast was still out of range when the timetable called for them to open fire. Nevertheless, fire was inaugurated and the first salvoes fell short of the beach, although subsequently the shore was taken under fire. The Russian heavy battery No 43 at Zerel did not return the fire even though they were within effective range. By 0835hrs the German unit had begun the journey to Tagga Bay, preceded by the 15 TBHF.

Another special purpose for the German forces was the bombardment of the airstation at Papensholm. At 0200hrs Kapitänleutnant Zander, with the boats V82, S64 and V74, was detached from the 13th Torpedoboot Half Flotilla (13 TBHF) to fulfill this task. Towards 0500hrs they arrived in Papensholm Bay, south of Hundsort. Towards 0600hrs fire was opened on the air station and wireless station at Papensholm. At first the fire was inaccurate, but corrections given by the floatplane spotters quickly enabled the fire to become effective. Initially the fire lay far from the buildings and hangers, being 200 sazhen (425 metres) from the airstation, but then the shells began falling around the hangers. [2] 1 sazhen is 2.13 metres. One of the torpedoboats, V82, approached to within 3,600m of Papensholm and took deliberate fire on the air station. The German fire was answered by the fire of I and II Air Station Field Battery, but their shells lay far and wide and over, and in general the fire was poor. The batteries soon ceased fire because of a shortage of ammunition.

The airstation suffered great damage, and in part the roofs of buildings were blown off, pipes were dislodged, the walls of hangers and other buildings were holed and telephone lines were torn down. Towards midday part of the German 131 Regt reached Papensholm and took the Russians completely by surprise. The station commander, Leitenant Vavilov, ordered the base to be evacuated and then began demolishing the station. Attempts to set the buildings on fire, and blow up the stores of bombs, gasoline and launches failed because of the unexpected appearance of German pioneers. The demolition party fled across the bay and into the forest under the fire of the German troops. The gallant Leitenant Vavilov remained behind and it was thought that the last explosions at the air station during the evening were the work of his hand.

Late in the morning the senior pilot, Leitenant Safonov, reported to Vice Admiral Bakhirev that the air station was under fire and that all thirteen serviceable aircraft had been transferred to Arensburg, from where they would undertake reconnaissance. During the evening Michman Severski undertook reconnaissance in the Papensholm area. [3] Severski was later the founder of the Republic Aircraft Corporation in the United States. He was attacked by four German aircraft and having insufficient altitude to manoeuvre he alighted in one of the bays, dismounted his machine gun and then went ashore. He fought off the Germans from behind a stone fence and escaped.

The Germans made the air station operational the following day. After the infantry arrived, a wireless signal from the Special Unit ordered Kapitänleutnant Zander and his boats to hurry to Pamerort and place themselves at the disposal of the I FdT aboard Emden .

Whilst these events were occurring, the main landing was being launched in Tagga Bay. As the torpedoboats of II Flotilla entered the bay towards 0500hrs, Korvettenkapitän Heinecke dispatched the 4th Torpedoboat Half Flotilla (4 TBHF) to the eastern side of the bay whilst the lead boat, B98, took 3rd Torpedoboat Half Flotilla (3 TBHF) towards the western side. Initially there was no response from ashore and it appeared as if the surprise was complete. The landing of the assault troops and pioneers from aboard the torpedoboats progressed quickly with the men being put ashore by the torpedoboat cutters. The troops from aboard Blitz and Equity were taken ashore by the motorboats of II Minesweeper Division. After the troops had landed, a Russian field battery, hidden behind some woods on the eastern side of the bay, opened fire. Their targets included the beachhead on the shore, the torpedoboats, and Blitz and Equity . However, there were no losses or damage. The German torpedoboats returned the fire, but at the express wishes of the brigade commander, Oberst Matthiass, who was aboard B98, fire was ceased as he thought it endangered 138 Regt, who were landed on the eastern shore of the bay. However, under the direction of 131 Regt, some targets were taken under indirect fire, including Kielkond before it was captured. After the first wave was ashore the second wave, the motor launches of the III Battle Squadron with the troops of the I Pioneers aboard, began landing.