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 |