In October 1917, an invasion force of some 25,000 German soldiers, accompanied by a flotilla of 10 dreadnoughts, 350 other vessels, a half-dozen zeppelins, and 80 aircraft, attacked the Baltic islands of Dago, Osel, and Moon at the head of the Gulf of Riga. It proved to be the most successful amphibious operation of World War I. The three islands fell, the Gulf was opened to German warships and was now a threat to Russian naval bases in the Gulf of Finland, and 20,000 Russians were captured. The invasion proved to be the last major operation in the East. Although the invasion had achieved its objectives and placed the Germans in an excellent position for the resumption of warfare in the spring, within three weeks of the operation, the Bolsheviks took power in Russia (November 7, 1917) and Albion faded into obscurity as the war in the East came to a slow end.
Michael B. Barrett is Professor of History at the Citadel and Brigadier General (retired), U.S. Army Reserve. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina.
Table of Contents
List of Maps VI Dates, Times, and Names VII Acknowledgments IX Submarine UC-58, Tagga Bay, 28 September 1917 1 The Strategic Importance of the Baltic Islands 8 The Decision to Mount Operation Albion 33 The Islands and Their Defenses 56 The Invasion 94 Osel, 12-13 October 1917: The Central Island 119 Osel, 12-16 October 1917: The Island's Ends 144 The Capture of Moon and Dago Islands 165 The Naval Battle for the Baltic Islands 199 Conclusion 221 Epilogue 236 A Word on Sources 241 Notes 245 Bibliography 283 Index 291
A campaign relatively unknown even in the field of military history, Albion was quite significant in dictating events on the Eastern Front in World War I. It features a sea battle between German dreadnoughts and a Russian battleship; the use of aircraft and zeppelins; and an attack and dramatic stand by bicycle troops. And Michael Barrett writes very well, indeed.
