How Germany Wreaked Havoc on the Royal Navy at the Start of World War I
How Germany Wreaked Havoc on the Royal Navy at the Start of World War I At the outbreak of World War I, eight German cruisers were on the high seas. Off the coast of Coronel, Chile, on November 1, 1914, Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee attacked an outnumbered British squadron. Here's What You Need to Know: Spee was determined to do as much damage to the Allies as he could. When World War I broke out in August 1914, the captains of the various German warships called their men together to give three cheers for the Kaiser. The 53-year-old commander of the East Asiatic Squadron, Maximilian Graf ...