Battle of Heligoland Bight – 1914

399

When:

August 28, 1914

Where:

Heligoland Bight – North Sea

Who:

British Grand Fleet (commanded by Commodore Reginald Tyrwhitt and Commodore Roger Keyes) and German High Seas Fleet

Summary:

The Battle of Heligoland Bight was the culmination of the race to naval supremacy between Britain and Germany.

The first among the naval battles of World War I, the Battle of Heligoland Bight ended in a victory for the British Grand Fleet.

The British Navy planned to attack the German ships harbored northwest of Germany at Heligoland Bight. Commodore Tyrwhitt commanded thirty-one destroyers, two cruisers and Commodore Keyes commanded the submarines dispatched to sink the German vessels. Providing them cover was Vice Admiral David Beatty who commanded five battleships. The team sunk two German torpedo boats. The German counterattack damaged Arethusa, the British light cruiser. The British fleet sunk three German cruisers and damaged three more. The battle resulted in 712 German sailors being sunk and over 330 sailors taken prisoner by the British. The British fleet lost thirty-five sailors and forty more were injured in the battle.

Outcome:

Following the losses at the Battle of Heligoland Bight, the Kaiser of Germany issued orders for the fleet to be held back and not embark on further action. In the postwar years, Winston Churchill referred to the Battle of Heligoland Bight as “the most daring offensive action.

Major Battles of World War I

Battle of Mons – 1914	Battle of Heligoland Bight – 1914
Battle of Tannenberg – 1914	Battles of Gaza – 1917
Battle of Heligoland Bight – 1914	Second Battle of Aisne – 1917
First Battle of Marne – 1914	Second Battle of Arras – 1917
First Battle of the Masurian Lakes – 1914	Battle of Messines – 1917
First Battle of Aisne – 1914	Battle of Passchendaele – 1917
First Battle of Albert – 1914	Battle of Caporetto – 1917
First Battle of Arras – 1914	Battle of Cambrai – 1917
First Battle of Ypres – 1914	Battle of Heligoland Bight – 1914
Gallipoli Campaign – 1915	Hundred Days Offensive – 1918
Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes – 1915	Battle of Heligoland Bight – 1914
Battles of Isonzo – 1915	Second Battle of Somme – 1918
Loos-Artois Offensive – 1915	Second Battle of Marne – 1918
Battle of Verdun – 1916	Battle of St Mihiel – 1918
Battle of Heligoland Bight – 1914	Battle of Cambrai – 1917
First Battle of Somme – 1916	Battle of Vittori Veneto – 1918