拍品专文
Vice-Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee was born in Copenhagen in 1861 and entered the Imperial German Navy in 1878. Successively promoted due to his undoubted ability, he received his first influential appointment as Chief-of-Staff to the strategically significant North Sea Command in 1908 and, by 1914, was in command of the German East Asiatic Squadron based at Tsingtao in China.
When War was declared in August 1914, von Spee's squadron was visiting Ponape in the Caroline Islands, a German possession in the South Pacific, north of New Guinea. The islands' proximity to Australia however precluded him staying there whilst Japan's entry into the War on the allied side prevented his return to China. Thus, von Spee decided to strike out westwards where, in South American waters, he believed his ships could wreak havoc amongst British merchant shipping and possibly engage three cruisers stationed there. Originally von Spee's force had included the light cruiser 'Emden' but she had been detached to raid the North Pacific and Indian Oceans where she would become a legend in her own right. Von Spee therefore withdrew two other light cruisers -- 'Dresden' and 'Leipzig' -- from their American station and made a landfall on the Chilean coast in October with five ships including the large armoured cruiser's 'Scharnhorst' and 'Gneisenau'.
On 1st November he was intercepted off Coronel by the British squadron under orders to find him and commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock. Cradock's force -- the ageing armoured cruisers 'Good Hope' and 'Monmouth', teh light cruiser 'Glasgow' and the antiquated auxiliary cruiser 'Otranto' -- was hopelessly outclassed and the unequal fight, late in the day and in heavy weather, resulted in the loss of 'Good Hope' and 'Monmouth', even though the othe two vessels managed to escape under cover of darkness. Both the Bristish armoured cruisers went down with all hands, including Cradock himself, whilst von Spee's ships emerged practically unscathed; notwithstanding the loss of the two elderly thoughstill useful cruisers, the damage to Bristish prestige was immense. Von Spee put into Valparaiso where the German community fêted him as the greatest hero of the War, but he himself was uneasy. He knew his painless victory would bring savage retribution and he wasted most of November trying to decide upon his best course of action.
Back in London meanwhile, teh new First Sea Lord "Jackie" Fisher -- recalled from retirement to galvanise the navy's war efforts -- was beside himself when the news of Cradock's defeat at Coronel reached the Admiralty. Within hours -- and against Jellicoe's express wishes -- Fisher detached the dreadnought battle-cruisers 'Invincible' and 'Inflexible' from the Grand Fleet and ordered them to the South Atlantic at once, that same day, via Devonport to refuel and arrange minor repairs. Under Vice-Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee, the avenging squadron then sped south and made the Falkland Islands by the first week of December. Co-incisentially von Spee had also decided to make for the Falklands and, in the absence of any reports from Berlin to warn him of the opposing battle-cruisers, was shocked to find British warships lying in Port Stanley harbour when he arrived there early on the morning of 8th December. He gave immediate orders for a full-speed retreat eastwards but, having revealed his presence, the die was cast. Within two hours 'Invincible' and 'Inflexible', along with his the other cruisers in company with them, had raised enough steam to give chase and the race was on. Ruthlessly closing 25 knots, the two battle-cruisers were able to open fire a 1.00pm. and, at 1.20pm, von Spee turned his armoured cruisers to engage them. The battle, in several phases, lasted about six hours during which four of the five German cruisers were sunk with enormous loss of life. Von Spee himself went down with the entire crew of the 'Scharnhorst', the flagship being the first to be sunk after taking a tremendous pounding. 'Gneisenau' went next, followed by the light cruisers 'Leipzig' and 'Nürnburg'. In all 1,871 German sailors were lost, including Spee's two sons, and even though 'Dresden' escaped that day, it was only a tempory reprieve.
British casulties were minimal, with their ships sustaining negligable damage, and Fisher's much vaunted battle-cruisers had proved themselves in what was the Royal Navy's most decisive victory of the entire war. Von Spee was not forgotten either, his bravery being perpetuated when his name was chosen first for an uncompleted Great War German battle- cruiser and then more famously, for one of Hitler's so-called 'pocket-battleships'. This seconf 'Graf Spee', completed in 1936, was scuttled after the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939, ironically meeting her end in the same South Atlantic waters that had claimed her namesake's life twenty-five years earlier.
When War was declared in August 1914, von Spee's squadron was visiting Ponape in the Caroline Islands, a German possession in the South Pacific, north of New Guinea. The islands' proximity to Australia however precluded him staying there whilst Japan's entry into the War on the allied side prevented his return to China. Thus, von Spee decided to strike out westwards where, in South American waters, he believed his ships could wreak havoc amongst British merchant shipping and possibly engage three cruisers stationed there. Originally von Spee's force had included the light cruiser 'Emden' but she had been detached to raid the North Pacific and Indian Oceans where she would become a legend in her own right. Von Spee therefore withdrew two other light cruisers -- 'Dresden' and 'Leipzig' -- from their American station and made a landfall on the Chilean coast in October with five ships including the large armoured cruiser's 'Scharnhorst' and 'Gneisenau'.
On 1st November he was intercepted off Coronel by the British squadron under orders to find him and commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock. Cradock's force -- the ageing armoured cruisers 'Good Hope' and 'Monmouth', teh light cruiser 'Glasgow' and the antiquated auxiliary cruiser 'Otranto' -- was hopelessly outclassed and the unequal fight, late in the day and in heavy weather, resulted in the loss of 'Good Hope' and 'Monmouth', even though the othe two vessels managed to escape under cover of darkness. Both the Bristish armoured cruisers went down with all hands, including Cradock himself, whilst von Spee's ships emerged practically unscathed; notwithstanding the loss of the two elderly thoughstill useful cruisers, the damage to Bristish prestige was immense. Von Spee put into Valparaiso where the German community fêted him as the greatest hero of the War, but he himself was uneasy. He knew his painless victory would bring savage retribution and he wasted most of November trying to decide upon his best course of action.
Back in London meanwhile, teh new First Sea Lord "Jackie" Fisher -- recalled from retirement to galvanise the navy's war efforts -- was beside himself when the news of Cradock's defeat at Coronel reached the Admiralty. Within hours -- and against Jellicoe's express wishes -- Fisher detached the dreadnought battle-cruisers 'Invincible' and 'Inflexible' from the Grand Fleet and ordered them to the South Atlantic at once, that same day, via Devonport to refuel and arrange minor repairs. Under Vice-Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee, the avenging squadron then sped south and made the Falkland Islands by the first week of December. Co-incisentially von Spee had also decided to make for the Falklands and, in the absence of any reports from Berlin to warn him of the opposing battle-cruisers, was shocked to find British warships lying in Port Stanley harbour when he arrived there early on the morning of 8th December. He gave immediate orders for a full-speed retreat eastwards but, having revealed his presence, the die was cast. Within two hours 'Invincible' and 'Inflexible', along with his the other cruisers in company with them, had raised enough steam to give chase and the race was on. Ruthlessly closing 25 knots, the two battle-cruisers were able to open fire a 1.00pm. and, at 1.20pm, von Spee turned his armoured cruisers to engage them. The battle, in several phases, lasted about six hours during which four of the five German cruisers were sunk with enormous loss of life. Von Spee himself went down with the entire crew of the 'Scharnhorst', the flagship being the first to be sunk after taking a tremendous pounding. 'Gneisenau' went next, followed by the light cruisers 'Leipzig' and 'Nürnburg'. In all 1,871 German sailors were lost, including Spee's two sons, and even though 'Dresden' escaped that day, it was only a tempory reprieve.
British casulties were minimal, with their ships sustaining negligable damage, and Fisher's much vaunted battle-cruisers had proved themselves in what was the Royal Navy's most decisive victory of the entire war. Von Spee was not forgotten either, his bravery being perpetuated when his name was chosen first for an uncompleted Great War German battle- cruiser and then more famously, for one of Hitler's so-called 'pocket-battleships'. This seconf 'Graf Spee', completed in 1936, was scuttled after the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939, ironically meeting her end in the same South Atlantic waters that had claimed her namesake's life twenty-five years earlier.