The Battle of Coronel, 1914

Рет қаралды 48,026

The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered

7 ай бұрын

Play World of Warships here: wo.ws/464izba
Thank you World of Warships for sponsoring this video.
During registration use the promo code WARSHIPS to receive a huge starter pack including a bunch of Doubloons, Credits, Premium Account time, and a FREE ship after you complete 15 battles!
The promo code is only for new players who register for the first time on the Wargaming portal.
The little remembered Battle of Coronel was fought on November 1, 1914, off the coast of Chile in the Pacific, far away from the European battlefields. There the first British naval defeat in a century came to define the nature of sacrifice, and to exemplify the meaning of the term Pyrrhic victory.
Check out our new shop for fun The History Guy merchandise:
thehistoryguy-shop.fourthwall...
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
You can purchase the bow tie worn in this episode at The Tie Bar:
www.thetiebar.com/?...
All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
Find The History Guy at:
Patreon: / thehistoryguy
Facebook: / thehistoryguyyt
Please send suggestions for future episodes: Suggestions@TheHistoryGuy.net
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered is the place to find short snippets of forgotten history from five to fifteen minutes long. If you like history too, this is the channel for you.
Subscribe for more forgotten history: / @thehistoryguychannel .
Awesome The History Guy merchandise is available at:
thehistoryguy-shop.fourthwall...
Script by THG
#history #thehistoryguy #WWI

Пікірлер: 200

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

@columbiahd7110 7 ай бұрын

You should get a Nobel prize for your single handed re-popularizing the bow tie. Today you yet again sport a dashingly handsome tie. Bravo!

@fearoffema 7 ай бұрын

😊

@flparkermdpc 7 ай бұрын

@columbiahd7110 How about we suggest Lance for a Noble Prize instead of the increasingly self-discrediting Nobel prize with nonsensical choices for the Peace Prize, when there is no Peace. On the other hand there is nobility wherever a gentleman has opportunity.

@dennisenright9347 7 ай бұрын

The first combat between Allied and German forces was supposedly an attack on a communications station in Togoland, and the first between German and US forces on Guam. Have you covered either of these stories?

@Johnpalmer-eq7yq 7 ай бұрын

Working bardges. Almost crawled. Fone vault. Figured I need more computer. Boards. On. Lawn mower

@-jeff- 7 ай бұрын

The Graf Spee couldn't get a break even in death. The ship named after him was skuttled in 1939.

@scottabc72 7 ай бұрын

Also off South America ironically

@ericthered760 7 ай бұрын

Not just South American - Argentinian. @@scottabc72

@kurakensama 7 ай бұрын

There is a square in Coronel with plaques about this battle and a memorial for the british sailors. Besides, there's a highly decorated tomb for the german sailors killed at Falklands battle in Punta Arenas, all and with shells from Gneisenau.

@donnisraines 7 ай бұрын

What a wonderful gesture of remembrance.

@curtiscroulet8715 7 ай бұрын

I only know the details of this battle from various popular books in my library. Craddock decided to engage the German squadron, even while knowing that he faced certain defeat and probable death, because he had in mind the recent criticism of Adm Ernest Troubridge for his actions in the Mediterranean. Troubridge had allowed the German battlecruiser Goeben and cruiser Breslau to escape to Turkey. Troubridge had explicit instructions from the Admiralty to avoid battle, because his fleet consisted only of armoured cruisers and light cruisers. But Troubridge was criticized afterwards for following his orders. Craddock was determined not to face the same criticism. Better to die than to face the ignominy of implied accusations of cowardice.

@hellhound47bravo3 7 ай бұрын

The name of the admiral escapes me. But there was an incident where the Royal Navy did execute a commander for not being aggressive enough. Not that it would have happened in this case. But the expectations that they had for their admirals was often very high and they could be quite unforgiving.

@curtiscroulet8715 7 ай бұрын

Troubridge, the admiral who was criticized for letting Goeben and Breslau get away, wasn't demoted or executed. But he never again had an important command. He died in 1926.@@hellhound47bravo3

@stuartpeacock8257 7 ай бұрын

Honour above survival was paramount in those days

@lukedogwalker 7 ай бұрын

Canopus wasn't just technologically obsolete, but doctrinally as well: she was more lightly armored than other battleships of her period and was intended as a "light" battleship for service on overseas stations... an idea that quickly fell out of favor. Armored cruisers and, later, battlecruisers would better fulfill this role. As I recall, she was going to be based on the China station where even a smaller, lighter battleship would easily overmatch any likely opposition. This explains her lighter armor scheme and partly why she was available, as ships of her type were not kept in UK waters where they would have to face European battleships of heavier design.

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

Canopus is an interesting discussion. There is reason to question whether she would have made a difference in the battle. But Spee thought so, and one reason he gave for giving up the pursuit of HMS Glasgow was that he didn’t think he could defeat Canopus. Moreover, Cradock knew that he had no chance of winning the battle without Canopus. So both admirals understood how Canopus fit in. Cradock knew he was doomed at Coronel and Spee knew that he was doomed as soon as larger ships caught up to him. To me, the story of Coronel is that both commanders understood the futility of their situation, and both fought anyway. And both died.

@oroibahaozpi 7 ай бұрын

I'm glad to see informed discussions in the KZfaq comments. I'm fascinated by the far-flung naval engagements of WWI and the comments on this one have been edifying.@@TheHistoryGuyChannel

@stacymcmahon453 7 ай бұрын

"Famous Sea Battles" by David Howarth covers Coronel and the Falkland Islands. According to his account, Canopus played an oddly important role in both battles, especially considering she never engaged in either. First, Craddock was told by Canopus' captain that her machinery was in poor condition and she could only make something like 12 knots. That's why he left her behind. But some days later, the Canopus' captain found that the chief engineer was suffering from depression and exaggerating the problems with her powerplant. Had she been with Craddock's squadron when he confronted Spee's squadron, that battle would have gone quite differently. Then, Canopus was present at the Falklands harbor along with Sturdee's squadron, including the two battlecruisers, as Spee approached. The hills surrounding the harbor obscured most of the ships, but Spee's lookouts spotted the battlecruisers' tripod masts. Spee disbelieved their report because he didn't think the British would take such valuable ships away from the contested North Sea and send them all the way down to the Falklands. He ordered flank speed and was on track to catch the British in harbor with the battlecruisers cold at anchor. In that condition and at point blank range, the Germans might have destroyed them just like Craddock's ships. But the Canopus, which mounted 12-inch guns the same as the battlecruisers, was scheduled for practice firing. She just happened to conduct that firing in the direction from which Spee was approaching, and the dummy shells ricocheted off the water and struck a funnel on Spee's flagship. Seeing the 12-inch hole, Spee then believed his lookouts and turned away, giving Sturdee time for his famous breakfast order and then to pursue the Germans.

@lukedogwalker 7 ай бұрын

@@stacymcmahon453 interesting about the practice rounds. Canopus had been intentionally grounded as a fixed battery. I thought that, rather than practice firing, she was firing for effect utilising a spotting position established on the hills surrounding the harbor, which allowed her to fire on Spee's squadron before they entered the harbor mouth. Does Howarth mention this?

@stacymcmahon453 7 ай бұрын

@@lukedogwalker Your comment jogged my memory. Yes, Canopus had spotted Spee and was firing on the Germans. One gun or turret still had the dummy rounds loaded.

@stuartpeacock8257 7 ай бұрын

Superb explanation of the background to this disastrous chain of events. Coming from the Naval Port of Plymouth this battle was felt particularly heavily

@RetiredSailor60 7 ай бұрын

Thanks for your service to all fellow veterans! OS1(SW/AW) USN Retired. Deployed to South America and West Africa in support of UNITAS 34-93 on USS Whidbey Island LSD 41 in 1993. Visited many ports along the Chilean Coast.

@carbondragon 7 ай бұрын

Regarding @mjbull5156 who youTube won't seem to let me directly reply to, Canopus was on its way to the battle (slower for sure than the British Fleet had been, and yes this IS a perfectly valid reason why it could be left behind) and had to be turned around after the battle. Churchill claimed he would have been fine with the British missing the Germans and not being destroyed (because of Canopus' speed) but I have my doubts that this was true. And for the 2nd battle Canopus was grounded as a gun platform with spotters on the hill overlooking the approaches to the harbor. Having been beached, it could fire (accurately) at the germans but it couldn't pursue obviously because ... it was beached. the Germans sent a ship to reconnoiter the harbor and would have found the British coaling (leisurely) which would have been bad. The Canopus's shots startled the Germans and caused them to abandon their intended attack (to be fair the intended attack was meant to be attacking an empty harbor) and run. The Germans weren't sure WHAT was firing at them, and they didn't wait to find out. The british battlecruisers ran them down and used a LOT of ammo to sink the main ships and the rest scattered, mostly run down by other smaller British ships (with some exceptions).

@navret1707 7 ай бұрын

This is the first I’ve heard of this battle. Thanks, History Guy.

@john_in_phoenix 7 ай бұрын

Drachinifel has a really good video on this and the finale (battle of the Fauklands). More technically aimed since his is a naval history channel.

@ducttapetech9885 7 ай бұрын

A small correction: Papeete is not an island, but was rather the capitol city of French Polynesia and is located on the island of Tahiti.

@danielbeck9191 7 ай бұрын

"pa-pay-EH-tay"

@johna1160 7 ай бұрын

and Spee is pronounced sh-PAY@@danielbeck9191

@robertschumann7737 7 ай бұрын

"La-ong Da-ong Sil-ver"

@petestorz172 7 ай бұрын

HMS Canopus was, by 1914, obsolete. Commissioned in 1899, she was similar to the USN's USS Iowa (BB-4), better only in her greater displacement and possibly the location of her 6" secondaries. Her armor was of the same thickness and type as the Scharnhorst class, and each had more main guns, so Scharnhorst and Gneisenau might have been able to penetrate Canopus' belt armor.

@BlandSpagetti 7 ай бұрын

I read uss Iowa and got very confused until I realized you meant the first one

@petestorz172 7 ай бұрын

Though the hull number "BB-4" was assigned well after she was commissioned (and decommissioned?), "BB-4" is a quick way to make the distinction. There were several states' names used for two different battleships (Indiana, Massachusetts, and Iowa being but three). Then there's the states whose names were used for Armored Cruisers and a later battleship.

@mjbull5156 7 ай бұрын

A naval version of "The Charge of the Light Brigade".

@constipatedinsincity4424 7 ай бұрын

Hey History Guy 🤓and Classmates have a great weekend 😀 May GOD BLESS AND SMILE UPON YOU

@WackyIraqi777 7 ай бұрын

Mr. History Guy. When I was growing up I used to listen to Paul Harvey. Often i was too young to understand his subject matter, but his voice and delivery made listening to him a joy. You give me that same feeling today. Thanks for doing this!

@petestorz172 7 ай бұрын

Bismarck, no pacifist, understood the nascent Germany's limitations and what might yet be available for colonization. Plus or minus the trade value derived from Tsingtao (modern Qingdao) Germany's colonies were a loss to Germany, and quickly lost. Wilhelm II's judgment was driven by ego, ambition, and bellicosity. I wonder whether WW1 might have "just" been a war between Austria-Hungary and Czarist Russia, but for Wilhelm II.

@danielbeck9191 7 ай бұрын

I tend to agree. It could have stopped with Austria-Hungary's reprisals against Serbia, but things exploded into multinational conflict.

@robertschumann7737 7 ай бұрын

Russia wouldn't have even gone to war if they hadn't mobilized so quickly when the Czar decided to call it off. Had he slow rolled mobilization like Britain, Russia would not have entered at the beginning.

@Crumphorn 7 ай бұрын

Hitsory Guy, you've missed out the greatest story yet relating to this incident: how the Royal Navy tracked down and sank Spee's squadron in a gigantic empty ocean after a great spy operation halfway across the other side of the world - and almost nobody knows about it! Read the 'wikipedia' entry on 'The Battle of the Falkland Islands' and the section on 'British Intelligence During The Battle'. (This features a German spymaster, Franz von Rintelen, who was turned by his British opposite number, Admiral William Reginald Hall, a brilliant story in its own right).

@djchaiwallah 7 ай бұрын

It's Guy, not Man 😂

@thisismagacountry1318 7 ай бұрын

@djchaiwallah He's not your Man, Guy.

@stephenbedell7296 7 ай бұрын

⁠@@thisismagacountry1318I’m not your guy, man!😂

@djchaiwallah 7 ай бұрын

@@stephenbedell7296 He's not your man, buddy.

@augustuswayne9676 7 ай бұрын

He's not your buddy, guy ! 😂

@bo7341 7 ай бұрын

This was an excellent video. As a big fan of Drachinifel, I watched his video on this battle a long time ago (and would strongly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it) but really didn't understand the context that led to it. I really appreciate the explanation of why Spee and Craddock were where they were and did what they did. Everyone involved deserved much better than the hand they were dealt. May they rest in peace.

@JeffreyGlover65 7 ай бұрын

Another top shelf episode. 😎

@gordonbergslien30 7 ай бұрын

Well done, as usual, Lance. Any history nerd worth is salt plays an endless game of "what if?" After Colonel von Spee's squadron steamed into the South Atlantic to raid the Falkland Islands. As he approached Port Stanley, von Spee discovered, no doubt to his horror, two British battlecruisers, Invincible and Inflexible, along with their escorts in the harbor. He ordered his ships to make a run for it. They were pursued and sunk by the vastly superior battlecruisers. What would have happened if, instead of running, von Spee had ordered his ships to attack the Royal Navy vessels while they were still in the harbor? The British advantages in speed and firepower woud have been negated. The mighty Royal Navy might possibly have suffered a second defeat.

@user-gl5dq2dg1j 7 ай бұрын

Depends on how fast the British could have gotten steam up, which wasn't long, and how well they could have returned fire, both sides firing high to clear the island.

@oteliogarcia1562 7 ай бұрын

12 inch shells from HMS Canopus, grounded as a guard ship, making big splashes in the water near Gneisenau curbed any enthusiasm for battle. The Germans knew there were at least 2 ships with tripod masts in the harbor, but there is another one firing at them from an unknown location. They chose to run.

@user-gl5dq2dg1j 7 ай бұрын

@@oteliogarcia1562 The tripods were also orientated in the way only battle cruisers were!

@keithmitchell6053 7 ай бұрын

Please keep these going. I absolutely look forward to your lessons of history to remember. Lol.

@657449 6 ай бұрын

A story we were never told about. Thank you for showing their bravery.

@bobkitchin8346 7 ай бұрын

James Burke in his classic TV mini-series Connections mentioned this battle as part of his explanation of the Harber-Bosch process. This process produces sodium nitrate, which not only can make fertilizer feeding millions, but also high explosives. The reason the British had a fleet off Chile was to blockade the export of the largest natural deposit of sodium nitrate. Germany thenhad to turn to the Harber-Bosch process to produce the ammunition it needed for the Great War. So instead of running out of ammunition in a year, it was able to keep on fighting for four. Ironically, Fritz Harber also won the Noble Prize for Chemistry in 1918 for the process. He's also credited with the invention of Chlorine Gas used on the Western Front

@stacymcmahon453 7 ай бұрын

One note, Spee is pronounced like 'shpay.' This is a really excellent summary of the battle of Coronel, thank you!

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

www.howtopronounce.com/german/von-spee

@neilgershon928 7 ай бұрын

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I am kind of a history nut and one of my first memories as a kid was the movie Graf Spee. I have watched everything I can find on this subject and I have never heard the pronunciation schpee as opposed to schpay, even seeing Germans interviewed. Maybe we can get someone else to way in? Thanks, love your docoes!

@dennisheise6335 7 ай бұрын

The German "ee" is pronounced like the English "ay". Also, the "g" in "gn" is never silent in German. But these are nitpicks of yet another history short!

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

@@dennisheise6335 I linked pronunciation guides. I followed them as well as I am able.

@crusadrbob 7 ай бұрын

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel On a tangential note, I wonder if the rise and decline of German language and culture in the United States would make for a good episode. I think you've referenced it a little bit in the past (especially with the video on Robert Präger), so perhaps there isn't a lot more to tell. I usually describe in terms of if the US went to war with some Spanish-speaking country and all the Spanish media disappeared basically overnight -- a true cultural disaster that deserves to be remembered.

@hellhound47bravo3 7 ай бұрын

You are of course right about the ultimate fate of the East Asia Squadron and the German Far East colonies. But there is a qusetion about the battle. According to Robert K. Massie in his book "Castles of Steel" , H.M.S. Good Hope was the first ship lost in the battle. H.M.S Monmouth was forced out of the fight early, and was found later in an extremely bad condition by H.M.S. Glasgow. Unfortunately, Glasgow was not able to assist the other cruiser, and had to leave her behind due to the approach of enemy ships. She was soon attacked and sunk by S.M.S. Nürnberg.

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

Fair point. The descriptions I used were from contemporary newspaper reports, which, or course, were not entirely reliable. Spee’s description, though, supports the newspapers. He described Monmouth as sunk, but Good Hope having run towards shore with fate unknown.

@Codoloco1 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for your dedication of knowledge.

@frankgulla2335 7 ай бұрын

Thank you, THG. You always enlighten us with snippets of history that have ben forgotten. Great job.

@MightyMezzo 7 ай бұрын

Never knew of ANY battles in the Pacific during WWI. Thank you History Guy!

@user-rn5ks8sf5x 7 ай бұрын

As in all wars, many good people die for little purpose.

@-.Steven 6 ай бұрын

Wow! Great presentation! Such splendid history that truly deserves to be remembered! My first thought was, any defeat of the british evil empire is a great thing! But I take no joy in the loss of life, british or German.

@randywise5241 7 ай бұрын

I liked your final summation.

@tomhalla426 7 ай бұрын

The incident with Troubridge with the Goeben was with one battlecruiser and one light cruiser, not two battlecruisers.

@constipatedinsincity4424 7 ай бұрын

Back in the Saddle Again Naturally

@walkercustoms 7 ай бұрын

Thank you

@RailfanDownunder 7 ай бұрын

Superb... New Zealand also took a piece of the old German Empire too! You may find Mike Carlton's excellent books of interest on the Royal Australian Navy in WW1 and WW2

@shawnr771 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for the lesson. I had never heard of this battle.

@texasdustfart 7 ай бұрын

Great video, as always

@BasicDrumming 7 ай бұрын

I appreciate you and thank you for making content.

@ar4040smith 7 ай бұрын

Von Spee's largest ships weren't protected cruisers they were armored cruiseres

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

Correct, I apologize for the error.

@ar4040smith 7 ай бұрын

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel no worries sir, we appreciate all that you do.

@russwoodward8251 7 ай бұрын

Very good. Thank you.

@marckyle5895 7 ай бұрын

See, KZfaq? That first 2 minutes was an ad I didn't mind sitting thru!!

@petematthews9346 7 ай бұрын

Love your videos. I have great respect for well-read folks such as yourself. I know finding good pronunciation guides when you have only seen something in print can be daunting. If I may make a couple suggestions in this spirit of respect. Canopus is named for the star, can-OH’-pus. The double-e in German is pronounced “ay”, so Spee is shpAY, in fact the rest of the Graf’s name you did quite well. So just amend the last syllable Graff’ fahn Shpay’.

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

forvo.com/word/graf_spee/

@hughbarton5743 7 ай бұрын

As always, a cogent examination of little-known history. Thanks so much! And to any veteran of any service: thank you all for your service and your sacrifice.

@bigsarge2085 7 ай бұрын

Incredible.

@Robert-lg2bl 7 ай бұрын

Awesome!!

@sitaspell4384 7 ай бұрын

Great Historical Information. Obvious the host History Guy enjoys history!!

@MarshOakDojoTimPruitt 7 ай бұрын

thanks

@dirtcop11 7 ай бұрын

My Dad was stationed at Tsingtao when WWII ended. His division was training for the invasion of Japan.

@billthomas8205 7 ай бұрын

Kit Cradock is on record as having said he would like to die in the (fox-)hunt or at sea: he got his wish.

@mcgodg7591 7 ай бұрын

Love the videos, keep up the great work! Love and peace from Georgia!🍑🇺🇸

@dennisenright9347 7 ай бұрын

To paraphrase the great historian Bluto,"was it over when the Germans bombed Tahiti?"

@stanstenson8168 7 ай бұрын

The Hot Springs Bison are the 11B state football champions.

@happykillmore349 7 ай бұрын

Canopus wasn't 3 times the size of any ship in the squadron... Not by any measure

@jeffbangkok 7 ай бұрын

Much enjoyed on a rainy night at the mango farm.

@PaulfromChicago 7 ай бұрын

Churchill flat out murdered Craddock. There is no nice way to put that. Craddock was given a mission. He was denied the resources to complete the mission, namely HMS Defence. When he questioned the orders, he was ordered to proceed. Craddock had no other options. Any Royal Navy officer would be expected to do the same or they would have been treated as Troubridge was at best, with thoughts of Byng coming to mind as well.

@zacharycurrie3708 7 ай бұрын

Brave men

@Johnny-w15 7 ай бұрын

Ex RN myself and I look at a lot of the naval encounters in the First World War, Jutland included and I think the Germans done well

@Ulani101 7 ай бұрын

Von Spee knew what was coming after Coronel. His victory over Craddock was a death sentence for his squadron. The Royal Navy was remarkably vindictive like that. Hence giving Sturdy battlecruisers, to run down Von Spee's squadron like dogs on a highway. Von Spee couldn't run from, or outfight, what was coming for him.

@ronsmith8475 7 ай бұрын

Thought: just watched Battle of Coronel. Did you know of the USs Canopus (AS-9). She was to me the first true US naval hero of WW2, especially AFTER she was “sunk” in Mariveles harbor😋 19:04

@CAMacKenzie 7 ай бұрын

"Despite their five modern cruisers, the Squadron held no capital ships--battleships or battle cruisers--the two largest ships being protected cruisers..." No, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were not protected cruisers--ships with armored decks and slopes but no belt--they were armored cruisers with armored decks and substantial belts, and armed with 21 cm (8.3 in) guns, 4 in turrets and 4 more in casemates, plus 6 15 cm (5.9 in) guns in casemates. Not battle cruisers, but very powerful ships nevertheless. Emden, Leipzig and Nürnberg were protected cruisers, each with 10 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns and similar performance, though they were of 3 different classes. There were also 2 much older unarmored cruisers--Geier and Cormoran--plus some smaller ships, but they did not join with von Spee, and Geier was interned at Hawaii, eventually being taken over to serve in the U.S. Navy as USS Schurz, while Cormoran was disarmed and scuttled, with her guns being set up for harbor defence at Tsingtau. While Emden had been sent off alone to raid, Dresden, not originally part of the East Asia Squadron, had met and joined with von Spee off Chile. Dresden, same class as Emden, had been raiding in the Atlantic, having taken 4 british merchantmen, and had stopped at Isla Hoste, southernmost major Chilean island, for engine repairs and maintainance, before heading up the Chilean coast, to join von Spee on Oct 12.

@matthewpoplawski8740 7 ай бұрын

AS ALWAYS, MR. LANCE, AN EXCELLENT VIDEO!! Never heard of this battle until today. I love watching your app because I feel like I learn something new. Wish there had been more history teachers and professors like you instead of some of the bozos I DID run across(the European history professor I had WAS A REAL PILL!!). Just before Bismarck died he said that SOME DAMN THING IN THE BALKANS would start a world war. Would've been better for all concerned IF SOMEONE had listened. Tomorrow is Armistice Day. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE to all veterans of all conflicts.

@i-a-g-r-e-e-----f-----jo--b 7 ай бұрын

Did the German navy ever think of doing war games before starting a world war? I wonder. Great history Sir, thanks!

@megatwingo 7 ай бұрын

So you have no clue about anything in WW1. I see.

@jacktaggart2489 7 ай бұрын

Count on Churchill to windbag out a positive spin on the disaster. He, of course, was responsible for the disaster at Thermyplyae during the same war. And then the disaster at Arno during WW2.

@iankingsleys2818 7 ай бұрын

the largest naval battle of 1914 was not Coronel but Heligoland Bight on August 28th involving 5 Royal Navy Battle-cruisers and 5 Cruisers against 6 German Light Cruisers. Result a victory for the RN

@wendywhite4537 7 ай бұрын

I know this isn’t the proper video to ask this. Great video by the way, but do you know anything about The Reuben James?

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

USS Greer, USS Kearny, USS Reuben James, and the Undeclared War. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gdFxpdSEnt-VdGQ.html

@guydegregg6869 7 ай бұрын

I'm a little bewildered why you would wonder why the good captain attacked a superior force when you just noted he claimed to his friend that he did not want to suffer the court-martial and fate of his fellow captain.

@jp-um2fr 7 ай бұрын

I'm sorry History Man, but I have a rule that I don't subscribe to channels that have adverts in the middle of a video. Thanks for many great stories - take care.

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

This is my job. It pays my bills.

@Alphie_G 7 ай бұрын

Memories of a long ago “victory” - an “A” on a report on the Battles of Coronel and the Falkland Islands for a Naval Science class when I was a cadet at NY Maritime College back in… guess that was Mug (4th Class or Freshman) year 1967-68. And I am sure History Guy will do a separate video on the First Battle of the Falkland Islands.

@kennethhanks6712 7 ай бұрын

Actually Troubridge faced the battlecruiser Goeben and light cruiser Breslau versus the British 4 armored cruisers, which the later WWII Battle of River Plate with pocket battleship Graf Spee versus one "heavy" cruiser Exeter and two light cruisers showed with proper handling they could at least cancel, if not outright defeat, the heavier foe.

@raymondromanos1479 7 ай бұрын

Great video as usual. However, a note on pronunciation: Gneisenau is pronounced G-neizenau. Spee is pronounced Shpay. See you in the next video.

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

www.howtopronounce.com/german/von-spee www.howtopronounce.com/german/gneisenau

@ashergoney 7 ай бұрын

Think Its The Electrolyte Artificial Sweetener Holding Up Proceeds From Gatorade Sales Since..

@animal16365 7 ай бұрын

The issue with HMS Canopus was her cheif engineer was having a mental breakdown. That's one big reason why she couldn't make full speed

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

Respectfully, I don’t think the evidence supports the claim that Canopus’ speed was the result of the failings of the Chief Engineer. Jellicoe said of Canopus that “she could steam 15 knots for 3-4 days if she did not break down.” The issue where Cradock felt he could not match the German guns without Canopus, but he could not catch the German ships with Canopus was a fair assessment..

@J.A.Smith2397 7 ай бұрын

Morning

@paulweston2267 7 ай бұрын

This has nothing to do with coronel, but there is a ship, a battleship, that needs to be remembered. Aside from The big E, she saw more action than any other ship, The old warhorse USS Arkansas. She fired more shells than any other battleship in WW2. Please give her the respect she is due.

@carbondragon 7 ай бұрын

We'll never know for sure, but all the books I have read say that Canopus's chief engineer was insane and the ship wasn't near as bad as generally thought, though she WAS old and it WAS somewhat cranky. And when the Canopus was later used as a gun platform they nearly hit the germans with their first shot. It's unclear what Canopus would have done had it been part of the battle. Had they replaced the chief engineer, they might at least have hit the Germans. This was a battle bungled more by the British (especially Winston Churchill) than anything else. Regarding the battle of the Falkland Islands, had the Canopus not frightened away the germans with its precision gunfire, the Germans might have destroyed the British while they were coaling before they could ready for battle. Which is why I think the Canopus kind of saved the day.

@mjbull5156 7 ай бұрын

The major problem with Canopus was it did not have the speed necessary to keep up with the rest of the British ships or the Germans. The Battle of the Falkland went as it did because the Admirality sent a division of battlecruisers and the German squadron could not disengage from them without scattering. Canopus was stuck in harbor, because its engines were not at full steam.

@andrewmosher-le6ct 7 ай бұрын

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were armored cruisers

@petestorz172 7 ай бұрын

"Protected cruisers" had armored decks. "Armored cruisers" had armored decks and belt armor. SMS Emden and Dresden, which were in the German Far East fleet, were termed "light cruisers", but could also be called "protected cruisers", as they only only had armored decks. SMS Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were armored cruisers, a couple of knots slower than Dresden class light cruisers. Armored cruisers were, by WW1, made obsolescent by battle cruisers, which were more heavily armed (12" vs. 210 mm, guns), more heavily armored (significant immune zone against 210 mm guns), and a bit faster.

@andrewmosher-le6ct 7 ай бұрын

@@petestorz172 And they were perhaps the last German armored cruisers, the next being the blucher which, in my opinion at least, was probably the best of the breed. Lost at dogger bank she was, again in my opinion, misused with the HSF and probably have been best utilised in the Baltic. She would have made an interesting counter to Rurik.

@petestorz172 7 ай бұрын

IIRC, Blucher was Germany's initial answer to what they guessed the RN battle cruisers would be ... and guessed incorrectly. Armored cruisers were an obsolescent concept by WW1, but still could be useful if used correctly.

@romad357 7 ай бұрын

Do a video on the SMS Königsberg in the Indian Ocean and the German defense of German Southeast Africa.

@dennisenright9347 7 ай бұрын

To paraphrase the great historian Bluto, "Was it over when the Germans bombed Tahiti?"

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

Not the focus of the video, but some relevant discussion on the Königsberg here: Lake Nyasa: the First Naval Battle of WWI kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ia90osJ8tN64hWg.html

@markpaxton144 7 ай бұрын

Scharnhost and Gneisenau were both armoured cruisers

@edwardloomis887 7 ай бұрын

Great topic, great video, but an American pronunciation of von Spee's name. E in German is pronounced A, V is F, and an S followed by a consonant is often if not always pronounced Sch. The Germans would pronounce von Spee's name "fon Schpay" using American English phonetics.

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

www.howtopronounce.com/german/von-spee

@BA-gn3qb 7 ай бұрын

Spee must have had a death wish. He could have outrun the British at the Falklands, but chose to fight instead.

@mattwoodard2535 7 ай бұрын

Canopus had another problem that is not well known. Her chief engineer was having major mental problems and in no way could do his job properly. sm

@SoloPilot6 7 ай бұрын

Papeete="Pah pay AYY tay"

@merlinwizard1000 7 ай бұрын

13th, 10 November 2023

@allendyer5359 7 ай бұрын

All great about this Graf of Navy officers, but where'd ya get that feather in your cap? Is it other than Great Britannia? It's rank & whom owned the Ostrich ranch were it was plucked?

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

I acquired the hat complete. I don’t know who plucked the feathers.

@georgewallis7802 7 ай бұрын

that's woeful

@richardmeyeroff7397 7 ай бұрын

I would like to play but I have only macintoshes it wont run on them, sorry.

@SpartacusColo 6 ай бұрын

Tsing Tao? As in the beer? Germans... beer... Tsing Tao... Coincidence?

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 6 ай бұрын

Yes, the Tsingtao brewery was started by German settlers.

@SpartacusColo 6 ай бұрын

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel The sun never set on the Beer Empire. The Germans kind of took over the World if you look at it a certain way.

@spencerderosier6649 7 ай бұрын

Scharnhorst immer voran

@Drowronin 7 ай бұрын

I will forever hold Kaiser Wilhelm in contempt. he was a lousy leader, and when Hitler snubbed him it was well-deserved.

@danpoole4915 7 ай бұрын

Guano.

@EGSBiographies-om1wb 7 ай бұрын

182nd

@rartu 7 ай бұрын

Waste of human life for no real gain of resources, and people wonder why you can't sign up new recruits...

@TheRealRedRooster 7 ай бұрын

Spee is pronounced "Speh", a double vowel in German is stretching that vowel....

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

Like, literally every pronunciation guide disagrees. www.howtopronounce.com/german/von-spee

@grassnothing1631 7 ай бұрын

battle

@WeedMIC 7 ай бұрын

Are you sure "spee" is not pronounced "shpay"?

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

www.howtopronounce.com/german/von-spee

@chesterfieldthe3rd929 7 ай бұрын

Any Human that harms anything or anyone is mentally handicapped. War is truly a pathetic way for humans to solve problems. Pitiful

@thisismagacountry1318 7 ай бұрын

War is constant. Invest in Halliburton and Raytheon.

@chesterfieldthe3rd929 7 ай бұрын

@thisismagacountry1318 I don't think you understand, so let me inform you again. If YOU OR ANYONE harms ANYONE OR ANYTHING YOU ARE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED!!! FACTS HURT SOMETIMES I KNOW. IF YOU DISAGREE WITH THIS, IT PROBABLY MEANS YOU HARM OTHERS AROUND YOU WHICH MEANS YOU ARE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED. WAR IS A PATHETIC WAY FOR PITIFUL MENTALLY HANDICAPPED PEOPLE TO HARM OTHERS AND MAKE PROFITS!! TRULY THE SCUM OF THE EARTH.

@cowboywoodard2569 7 ай бұрын

@@thisismagacountry1318yep warmongers love the ARMS suppliers

@thisismagacountry1318 7 ай бұрын

@@cowboywoodard2569 Win Win

@chadparsons50 7 ай бұрын

When ya gotta fight, ya gotta fight.

@honodle7219 7 ай бұрын

If only the imperialist powers had not colonized. They should have stayed home and not meddled in lands not their own.

@tommiatkins3443 7 ай бұрын

I've watched The History Guy for years. I've been a subscriber for as long. To hear him talk about German battlecruisers at Coronel throws him into disrepute. I had thought he had taught me so much...now when he talked about Coronel like this ...I question all he has posted. Was his research on other history so "history channel" poor?

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 7 ай бұрын

There were not battlecruisers at Coronel. But one direct quotation from a newspaper used the word, and I quoted it accurately.

@stevehall383 7 ай бұрын

What happened to the five or ten minute videos, they were more enjoyable.

@jamesbellegarde2893 5 ай бұрын

This is one of the only videos of yours I have ever given a thumbs down. Had you actually down the proper research like I don’t know a Naval historian like oh Drachiifel, you were truly understand how bad your video is!

@glennquagmire1747 7 ай бұрын

The arrogance of British navy cost them their reputation.

@kennethhanks6712 7 ай бұрын

Possibly in this case (and maybe some others) but that same arrogance/confidence is what carried the British navy thru so many critical times of crises such as early WWII during the Dunkirk evacuation, etc.

@user-sq5uo8oh3g 7 ай бұрын

But they did win all their wars

@glennquagmire1747 7 ай бұрын

@@user-sq5uo8oh3g - Your statement alone says a lot about your lack of education in history, remember the war for independence between America and Britain? Slipped your mind ha ?