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A History of the German Marine Corps

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A History of the German Marine Corps ADMINISTRATIVE CONFLICT WITHIN THE WILHELMINE NAVY: A HISTORY OF THE GERMAN MARINE CORPS by Patricia Nellie Waring A Thesis Submitted to The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History McGill University Montreal, Quebec March, 1979 i I f ' I i ' .... J ABSTRACT The history of the German "marine corps" is a complex one. The origins of the Prussian Mariniere were honourable and within a few years of its reconstitution in the early 1800s, the force quickly re­ established its reputation for excellence. Modern training and strong leadership insured that both the infantry and the artillery branches of the service could function in a variety of naval and military situations. With the rapid growth of the German navy after the Reichsgruendung, the future of both the See-Bataillon and the See-Artillerie seemed bright. However, the tripartite naval reorganization of 1889 which shattered administrative/command unity within the Wilhelmine navy also destroyed unity within the marine units. In the decade after 1889, infantry and artillery traditions began to drift apart as they became victims of the schism between the OKM and the RMA. Paradoxically, the victory of the Tirpitz party at the RMA in 1898 did little to spark a renaissance within the marine corps. By that time, the See-Artillerie had become the handmaid of the navy•s technical departments and played virtually no independent role. The See-Bataillon, demoralized and lacking direction, turned to the army for leadership. Thus the positive contributions of the corps to the Wilhelmine navy were largely overlooked. At the moment when the corps had the most to offer the Reich in terms of technical expertise and trained personnel for overseas projects, the service became a sacri­ fice to the deep divisions within the naval administration. ABREGE Le 11 Corps de marine 11 allemande a une histoire complexe. La Mariniere prussienne a connu des debuts honorables et, peu de temps apres sa reconstitution au commencement des annees 1800, la force retrouva rapidement sa reputation d'excellence. Un entrainement moderne et un commandement energique ont permis a 1 'infanterie et A l'artillerie de ce service de bien fonctionner lors d'engagements navals et militaires varies. Gr~ce a la croissance rapide de la marine allemande a la suite du Reichsgruendung, 1 'avenir du See-Bataillon et du See-Artillerie paraissait brillant. Cependant, la reorganisation navale tripartite de 1889 qui detruisit 1 'unite administration/commandement au niveau de la marine imperiale, detruisit egalement l'unite au niveau des unites de la marine. Au cours de la decennie qui suivit l 'annee 1889, l 'infanterie et 1 'artillerie, victimes du schisme entre l'OKM et le RMA, connurent un ecart de leurs traditions de plus en plus marque. Paradoxalement, la victoire du parti Tirpitz au RMA en 1898 ne provoqua aucune renaissance au sein de la marine. Le See-Artillerie etait alors devenu le serviteur des services techniques de la marine et ne jouissait quasiment d'aucune autonomie. Le See-Bataillon, demoralise et depourvu de commandement, se tourna alors vers 1 •armee pour obtenir direction. Ainsi, la part jouee par le corps au sein de la marine imperiale fut en grande partie ignoree. Au moment oO le corps avait le plus a offrir au Reich en matiere d'expertise technique et de personnel aguerri pour les projets d'outre-mer, ce service fut sacrifie a cause de divisions profondes au sein de 1 'ad­ ministration navale. c TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Acknowledgements i A Note on Nomenclature iii Abbreviations Frequently Employed in the Text v Introduction 1 Chapter One Introduction to Bibliography 8 PART ONE -- The Marine Corps in Prussia and Germany: 1680-1888 21 Chapter Two The Origins of the Prussian Marine Corps: 1680-1852 22 Chapter Three The Prussian Marine Corps in the Years before the Reichsgruendung: 1852-1871 31 Chapter Four The German Marine Corps: 1871-1888 42 PART TWO-- Strategy and Administrative Conflict in the German Navy 54 Chapter Five Currents of Strategy in the Nineteenth Century 55 Section One -- The 11 Jeune Ecole 11 56 Section Two -- The Handmaid Theory 58 Gunboat Diplomacy -- A Footnote to Guerre de Course and Handmaid Strategy 61 Section Three -- The Mahan Theory 62 Section Four -- Tirpitz and the Risikoflotte 67 Conclusion 71 PAGE Chapter Six The Origin of Administrative Conflict within the German Navy 78 Chapter Seven The Strategy Debate in the German Navy 92 PART THREE -- The Disintegration of the t1arine Corps after 1889 111 Chapter Eight Growing Divisions within the Marine Corps 112 Chapter Nine The See-Bataillon and the Matrosen-Artillerie- ~btheilung after 1898 137 SB Engagements: 1898-1914 143 Changes within the MAA: 1896-1914 158 Chapter Ten Skutari and the 1914 Hobilization 169 Conclusion 178 Appendices 1 Organizational Heads of the Imperial German Navy 188 2 The Mar1ne-Infanterie -- 1889 to 1914 189 3 Figure One -- The Growth of the Marine Corps from 1680 ·191 4 The Growth of Naval Command in Germany -- 1871-1918 193 5 Figure Two --Areas of Conflict between the RMA and the OKM 191t . .... ·-~ .. ~· ;- ..... 6 Figure Three -- Battleship/Cruiser Ratio in 19f> the German Navy PAGE Appendices {Cont'd.) 7 Chronology of Important Dates in 198. the History of the Marine-Infanterie ... ' 8 Outline of SB and MAA Uniforms 205 ·~Composition and Kit of the Marine-Division, August 29, 1914 · 206 Bibliography Published Primary Sources 210 Secondary Sources 21.::2. Archival Sources ?;2 t ' i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The history of the German marine corps is both a complex and obscure one: it was not without the help of many institutions and individuals that this work was able to reach completion. I sincerely wish to thank all those involved in the project for their support, encouragement and advice. Many thanks are in order for the History Department of McGill Univer­ sity and its chairman from 1975 to 1978, Professor Stephen J. Randall. I also wish to acknowledge the continued support of both the McConnell Foundation and the Canada Council. Both these institutions have financed my research at different times and both have generously permitted me the many research trips necessary to my work. I owe a great debt of thanks to my adviser, Professor Peter Hoffmann of McGill University. By making himself always available to discuss my research problems and by closely supervising the progress of my drafting, Professor Hoffmann has been an unfailing source of support. I also gratefully acknowledge the support and advice of Robert Vogel, Dean of Arts of McGill University. Despite his busy schedule, Dean Vogel contributed much to the initial phases of the research by suggesting out­ line and organizational styles. Special thanks are certainly due to Professor Charles Burdick, Chair­ man of the History Department of San Jose State University. For the dura­ tion of my studies, Professor Burdick has cheerfully acted as a sounding board for my ideas and has proven an inexhaustible font of advice and sug­ gestions. For his moral support during my many fallow periods, I am eter­ nally grateful. c ii As the majority of the material employed in this dissertation has come from archival records, I must thank the archivists and librarians who spent many patient hours answering my questions and solving my re­ search questions. The list of those who should be singled out for spe­ cial attention is enormous, but among those whom I would like to thank personally are: Frau Riedel, Chief Librarian of the Hausbibliothek of the BAMA/Fre'i burg, the reference and i nter-1 i brary 1oan staff of the McLennan Library, and Frau Vera Schlosser, librarian at the Bundestags­ bibliothek, Bonn. Among the archivists involved with my research I would like to thank Robert Wolfe and his staff at the National Archives, Washington, D.C. for their prompt and excellent attention to my long and complicated requests; Fraeulein E. Maehler of the ZStA/Potsdam; Herr Doelch of the BA/Koblenz and the long-suffering, but ever-jovial Herr Mahler of the BAMA reading room. I sincerely appreciate the assistance of Dr. Gerd Sandhofer, Ober­ archivrath in Freiburg. By tak·ing a personal interest in the progress of my work and by his enthusiasm for the subject of the German marines, he greatly facilitated my task. I must also thank Dr. Sandhofer for his kind permission to examine and cite his unpublished MS, Die Koenigliche Mariniere. Special thanks to ~1r. Mi.chael Waring who cheerfully prepared the diagrams which appear in the appendices. Thanks are also in order for Mrs. Marie Fligel who prepared the typescript and who spent many frustrating hours puzzling over the German quotations. c iii A NOTE ON NOMENCLATURE The standardization of nomenclature for the various branches of the marine corps has not proven an easy task. Until 1914, a system approach­ ing chaos in corps records made the imposition of a uniform nomenclature all but impossible. Thus, although the early Prussian term "Mariniere 11 appears to have gone out of official usage during the 1840s, some corps members continued to employ it during the 1890s. In an effort to clear up the confusion which this problem is sure to create for the reader, an attempt has been made to impose a consis- tent standard for the use of marine corps nomenclature. From 1680 to 1848 members of the Prussian marine corps detachments were known as Mariniere. From 1849 to 1857, the infantry branch of the corps was also called the Marinir-Korps. After that time, the term See-Bataillon grad­ ually came into vogue, although the terms Marine-Infanterie and See­ Infanterie appear to have been used in some circles.
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