An English battle cruiser under fire in the Battle of Dogger Bank, January 24, 1915. From a painting by Willy Stöwer.
Willy Stöwer 1915Reverse:KolonialkriegerdankEingetrag. Verein zur Unterstüzung ehemaliger Kolonialkrieger der Armee, Marine, der Schutz-, und Polizeitruppen sowie deren HinterbliebenenBerlin W 35, Potsdamer Str. 98aSchutzherr: Herzog Johann Albrecht zu Mecklenburg Ehrenpräsid.; Herzog Adolf Friedrich zu Mecklenburg Frhr. v. Gaul, General d. Inf., Mital. d. HerrenhauseßAus dem Seegefecht in der Nordsee am 24. Jan. 1915. Englischer Schlachtkreuzer im Salvenfeuer deutscher Kreuzer. Nach einem Original von Prof. Willy Stöwer.No. 10.Colonial Warrior ThanksRegistered association for technology to support the former colonial warriors of the Army, Navy, protection troops, and police forces and their dependentsBerlin W 35, Potsdamer Str. 98aPatron: the Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg Honorary President; Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg Baron. von. Gaul, Infantry General, Fellow-elder of the Prussian House of LordsFrom the naval battle in the North Sea on January 24, 1915. An English battle cruiser under a salvo from a German cruiser. From an original by Prof. Willy Stöwer.No. 10
". . . a tremendous picture, although we could hear almost nothing of the thunder of the guns, because of the noise of our engines. The Blücher was left behind as our forces steamed off and she was unable to follow. The four English battlecruisers fired at her together. She replied for as long as she could, until she was completely shrouded in smoke and apparently on fire. At 1207 she heeled over and capsized. We then observed the enemy's withdrawal, and followed our forces as rearguard. You can imagine how distressing it was for me to watch the Blücher capsize, and be helpless to do anything but observe and report. We didn't drop bombs on the English ships. We had no chance because the clouds were at 1,300 feet. If we had dared to fly over them at this altitude, we would have been shot down."
Extract from an account of the January 24, 1915 Battle of Dogger Bank by Lieutenant-Commander Heinrich Mathy who was overhead in Zeppelin L5 when the German battleship Blücher sank. The previous day, the British had decoded a German wireless message that a battle squadron of the German Fleet would cruise into the North Sea. Royal Navy squadrons under Admiral David Beatty and Commodore Tyrwhitt sailed to join and intercept them. The German fleet included four battle-cruisers, six light cruisers, and twenty-two destroyers. The English had five battle-cruisers, four light cruisers, and thirty-five destroyers. Shortly after dawn on January 24, the three forces converged. Outnumbered, the German fleet turned to flee to port. On both sides, the ships were the among the fastest in their fleets, but the English ships were faster, and slowly closed a gap that had been as much as 14 miles.About 9:00 AM, the British began firing on the Blücher and the other German battleships. The British had the advantage, but over the course of nearly two hours the wireless and signalling lights of Admiral Beatty's ship were destroyed, and he could communicate only by signal flags. When the British thought they had seen a submarine periscope, Beatty feared they were sailing into a trap, and turned his ships to avoid the danger, intending to continue the fight. In the smoke and confusion, officers on Beatty's other ships understood the signal flags to be orders to turn away from the main fleet and focus on Blücher. By the time Beatty clarified his commands, the German fleet had escaped.
Naval Battles of the First World War by Geoffrey Bennett, pp. 144, 145, copyright © Geoffrey Bennett 1968, 1974, publisher: Pan Books, publication date: 1983
Battle of Dogger Bank, Dogger Bank, 1915-01-24, 1915, January
