Battle for the Baltic Islands, 1917

Book excerpt: “A very detailed operational account of the highly successful German amphibious landings in October of 1917 on the Russian islands of Osel and Dago.”—The NYMAS Review In late 1917, the Russians, despite the revolution, were still willing to continue the war against Germany. This is an account of Operation Albion, the highly successful seaborne operation launched by the Germans to change their minds. The Baltic Islands were pivotal for the defense of the Finnish Gulf and St. Petersburg, so their capture was essential for any campaign towards the Russian capital. Only after the fall of the islands did Russia begin peace negotiations (freeing nearly half a million German soldiers for the Kaiser’s last gamble on the Western Front). This then was a campaign of great significance for the war on both Eastern and Western fronts. A large part of the High Sea Fleet took part in the invasion of the Baltic islands, including the most modern dreadnought battleships. The Russians mounted a resolute defense despite being heavily outgunned and over a ten-day period there were many naval clashes around the islands as well as the campaign ashore, all of which are described in detail with the use of both Russian and German firsthand accounts. This book shatters the myth that the Imperial German Navy spent the last two years of the war cowering in port. “Should be a blueprint for other military history books . . . The maps are some of the best I have seen in military books . . . The author tells the story of the campaign from the smallest mine sweeper to the various battleships involved.”—A Wargamers Needful Things