The German light cruiser Königsberg on the Rufiji River, which flows to the Indian Ocean south of Dar es Salaam. In October 1914, the ship was a commerce raider hunting Allied ships in the Indian Ocean before hiding in the Rufiji to escape being taking by the British. Word of its discovery reached the Admiralty in London on October 30, 1914. The ship was finally sunk in July 1915.
Reverse:Der Kreuzer Königsberg im Rufidji-FlußAls der Krieg ausbrach befand sich der Kleine Kreuzer Königsberg auf der ostafrikanischen Station. Um 6 August versentte er bei der Insel Sokotru den englischen Dampfer City of Westminster; am 20 September 1914 auf der Rhede von Sansibar zerstörte er durch Geschützfeuer den englischen Kreuzer Pegasus, der den Hafen von Bugamojo bombardiert hatte. Am 30 October, nachdem er bis dahin den ihn verfolgenden englischen Schiffen, Linienschiff Goliath, den Kreuzern Chortam and Weymouth glücklich ausgewichen war, wurde ex beim Kohlen-übernehmen in der Nähe der Insel Mafia von ihnen überrascht, konnte sich aber noch rechtzeitig über die Barre in den Rufidji-fluß retten. Nach langem, hart-näctigem Widerstand wurde er dort von einem englischen, ihn blockierenden Geschwader am 1. u. 11. Juli 1915 völlig zusammengeschossen und von der überlebenden Besatzung verlassen, die sich dann erfolgreich an der Verteidigung der Kolonie Deutsch-Ost-Afrika beteiligte.Das Originalgemälde zu umstehendem Bilde befindet sich im Besitze S. Kaiserlichen Hoheit des Deutschen Kronprinzen.Serie IV Bild 5.Zu beziehen durch Feldgrau '1914/15'. Verein für Kriegswohlfahrt in Armee und Marine G. B. Berlin W.9.The cruiser Königsberg in the Rufiji River When the war broke out the light cruiser Königsberg was stationed in East Africa. At August 6 he sunk the English steamer City of Westminster at the Socotra Islands; on September 20, 1914, on the Zanzibar Roads, he destroyed by gunfire the British cruiser Pegasus, which had bombarded the port of Bugamojo. On October 30, after he had been pursued by English ships including the battleship Goliath and the cruisers Chatham and Weymouth, he fortunately dodged them, but was coaling near the island of Mafia when they surprised him, but he could escape over the bar into the Rufiji River. After a long, hard-fought resistance he was completely shot down by the English squadr
"The strain upon British naval resources in the outer seas, apart from the main theatre of naval operations, was now at its maximum and may be partially appreciated from the following approximate enumerations:Combination against von Spee, 30 ships.In search of the Emden and Königsberg, 8 ships.General protection of trade by vessels other than the above, 40 ships.Convoy duty in the Indian Ocean, 8 ships.Blockade of the Turco-German Fleet at the Dardanelles, 3 ships.Defence of Egypt, 2 ships.Miscellaneous minor tasks, 11 ships.Total, 102 ships of all classes.. . .Already on October 30 news had reached us that the Königsberg had been discovered hiding in the Rufigi River in German East Africa, and it was instantly possible to mark her down with two ships of equal value and liberate the others."
Winston Churchill's summary of the disposition of the British Fleet at the end of October 1914 from his history of World War I. German Vice-Admiral von Spee was in command of the German East Asia Squadron in the South Pacific. The Königsberg and particularly the Emden had been sinking Allied shipping in the Indian Ocean, and fear for the lives of the British Empire troops from Australia, New Zealand, and India crossing the Ocean was high. The German battleships Goeben and Breslau were now part of the Turkish Fleet and had been renamed Yavuz Sultan Selim and the Midilli. The Allies were afraid they would re-enter the Mediterranean Sea. The Königsberg was not sunk until 1915, but it could not escape the Rufiji River, and no longer threatened Allied shipping.
The World Crisis 1911-1918 by Winston Churchill, 241, 242, copyright © by Charles Scribner's Sons 1931, renewed by Winston S. Churchill 1959, publisher: Penguin Books, publication date: 1931, 2007
Churchill, Konigsberg, Königsberg, 1914, October, 1914-10-30
