That I was/am looking for such infos has a reason.
This is still around a possible/ly happening) ATL with Kaiser Bill staying with his last moment switch of OTL towards an East-All-Out and staying with his cancellation of the invasion/incursion of Belgium, Luxemburg and France no DoW from Germany against France ITTL).
And I'm playing with the thought, that - beside "simply tturn our whole army to the East" - Willy might also ²demand" something ... spectacular against the russians by his navy. Such proposals should - by job description, lesser the "lived" reality of the HSF - come from the Admirality Staff. Given the "mood" Kaiser Bill was in, when Moltke opposed his orders I could imagine, that Tirpitz might have been inclined to pass on the blame of the non-existence of such plans to the non-present Chief of the Admiraity Staff Hugo von Pohl. ... what also might have "bought" some time for the Kaiser to "come back to reason" (what for the sake of an ATL he won't).
Since his appointment as Chief of the Admiraity staff in April 1913 Hugo von Pohl tried on several occasions to at least initiate a discussion about possible offensive operations in the Baltic Sea against Russia BIG style ... or at least bigger style than just to hold on and "fake" a strengh the Baltic Sea parts of the HSF simply did not have after the "Tirpitzian" plans. The last time he tried this was on 25th July 1914, only to be with this initiative once more almost completly ignored. There seems to haven't even been a written answer to his memoranda about this.
And now on 1st/2nd/3rd August Hugo von Pohl has to patch together some "spectacular" plans of operation in the Baltic Sea.These are my thoughts what could or might be his thoughts :
Despite Nicolai von Essen being the Chief of the russian Baltic Fleet, given the "material" at hand in early August (
4 pre-dreadnoughts, one of at Kronstadt docked for repairs; some armored and protected cruisers; some large T-Boats/destroyers, some T-Boats; only few subs; few dedicated, old and slow minelayers), an early open-water battle was rather improbable.
That would leave as an "offensive action" only bombarding russian harbours and bases. This would have to happen rather quickly, as the russians are thought (correctly) to wage an extensive mine-warfare.
- Kronstadt would be even to the boldest an obvious suicide mission
- Reval/Tallin/Peter and Paul Fortress complex is at least a year from completion without facilities for more than some T-Boats
- Riga is known emptied from naval forces (beside a few older T-Boats)
- Libau and Windau : see Riga
That in essence leaves only one target worth of considering : Sveaborg/Helsingfors or Helsinki as it's named today.
And here is his (well, ... mine) plan of operations :
Baltic Big Bang Beginning
1st Minesweeping Division (
15 older T-Boats, half class 1885, half class 1892 converted) (maybe also 2nd ? or parts of it ?) start clearing/searching a path west and north of Dagö towards Sveaborg, being escorted by some "Small Cruisers"
(Magdeburg, Augsburg, maybe also Danzig and/or Stuttgart, being in the first days part of "Reconnaissance Group" before with further ships becomming recommissiond distributed to the Reconnaissance Groups 2 and 3).
These sail from Memel (
yes, big and "deep" enough to harbour the Small Cruisers as well as the T-Boats), which will be made a forward depot for ammo, coal, fuel for the wholeof the operation at least. BTW : eventual ... "one-time-usage" of the minesweeping T-Boats to speed up operations will be ... anticipated and prepared for (
orders for the already planned "True Mine-Hunters are already on the way as IOTL).
Some "way behind (maybe from waiting position/roadstead at Pillau) the larger ships of the Reconnaissance Group (
Moltke, Seydlitz, von der Tann, Blücher might be made Prince Heinrichs Flaggship as he requested on 2nd August IOTL) "cover" the minesweeping operation (the "usage" of the fast elements of the fleet were part of v-Pohls "proposals" IOTL).
Even further behind maybe at Danzig ... or ... at the eastcoast/northern tip pf Gotland ? ... near Färosund ... ? 1st Battlesquadron is at waiting position for ... whatever objective may become active.
Objectives of the whole action :
- clear a path towards Sveaborg/Hesingfors/Helsinki for the battlesquadron/major ships
- thereby "lure" russian forces into an open-water-battle
- bombardement (from a distance ? german naval 30,5 cm range 15-20 km, more than what was installed at Sveaborg at this pount in time) of the fortress complex, harbour facilities, mining facilities (mine stocks as as well as eventually present ships) and eventual present ships (the pre-dreadnoughts)
- thereby "lure" russian forces into an open-water-battle
- return the fleet back to Pillau/Königsberg and Danzig for eventual repairs
- thereby "lure" russian forces into an open-water-battle
essentially : do as much damage to the russian forces as possible for the duration of the operation
Possible "strategic value" of this operation (but this is less what I would like to see discussed) :
- First : satisfying the Kaisers demand for some spectacular action of the fleet without too much of risking valuables (this would probably be the main drive, with the others more or less thin "covers" for this one")
- Second : considerably hindering the russian navy to conduct actions byx detroying there easy available resources (ships, stocks and facilities of Helsingfors)
- Third : considerably hindering the russian navy to intercept further german actions on the baltic coasts, thereby "freeing" the heavy covering forces for whatever might become now necessary in the western(northsea theatre
- Forth : enabling the navy to conduct further actions to ensure blockade of the Gulf of Finland (landings/occupations of Libau, Windau, perhaps even Hanko now, that there aren't any russian naval forces to intercept supply convois/ships toward the named harbours).
Now I would like to ask your opinion, as I render myself unfortunatly under- and uneducated on naval matters. :
Is this Big Bang Baltic Beginning possible as described with sailing of first elemts from Memel between 7th to 10th August ? Earlier ? Later ?
But also, what you think such an operation would/might play out ?
Will they get into 15-20 km range to shell Helsingfors ?
Will von Essen try to intercept them earlier on ? And if so : at what point with what forces ?