We returned aboard and slept well, the submarines did not disturb our night!
The final phase of the operation was about to begin.
CHAPTER SEVEN
17 October: The Battle in Moon Sound
The night passed quietly for Gruppe Behncke. The main concern for the German admiral was the Russian minefields at the southern exit of Moon Sound. The northernmost was rectangular in shape, measuring about 4 miles wide and 1 mile deep, whilst the southernmost was trapezoidal in shape and measured about 5 miles by 1 mile. The German U-boat mine barriers lay to the west of these fields. From the captured Russian pilotage book and the charts of Grom, the location of the Russian mine fields had become known but several mistakes had been made in relaying their positions to Vizeadmiral Behncke by wireless. The original German plan called for the unit to push forward to the west of the trapezoidal field then manoeuvre east between the two fields and give battle to the Russians. This route went uncomfortably close to the U-boat barriers, but the route to the east would take them very close to the 10 metre line and allow little sea room for manoeuvring. The cruisers of the BdAdO would follow and then strike northwest into the Kleinen Sound.
However, just before 0430hrs, an erroneous wireless message arrived, giving details of a narrow mine barrier running north-south between the two larger fields. Although the message was in error, as far as Vizeadmiral Behncke was concerned the situation had changed and now the minesweeper chiefs, Kapitänleutnant Doflein and Kapitänleutnant Weidgen, were called aboard König and given new instructions. The 3rd Minesweeper Half Flotilla would now sweep to the south of the trapezoidal field and then take course to the north from Larina Bank, followed by the battleships, whilst the 8th Minesweeper Half Flotilla and III Mine Sweeper Division would sweep west of the mine fields to clear a path for the cruisers. Valuable time was lost revising these arrangements and it was not until 0600hrs that the advance began in a freshening south-southwesterly wind.
About 0700hrs, the 3 MSHF took course east, sweeping a broad channel south of the trapezoidal mine field, whilst the 8 MSHF continued to the north. Shortly after, both groups slipped their gear, but whilst the 3 MSHF was able to continue eastwards without interruption, 8 MSHF had found mines and had actually pushed onto the southwest corner of the trapezoidal field. At about the same time, König sighted two Russian torpedoboats to the northeast, close under the Estonian coast. It was Deyatel’nyi and Del’nyi of XI Division Torpedoboat-Destroyers. However, the Russian torpedoboat-destroyers had sighted the German unit first.
At about 0600hrs Deyatel’nyi had been patrolling near Larina Bank and had reported ‘twenty-eight smoke columns in the southwest’, and soon afterwards ‘enemy force advances towards Kuiwast’. Upon receipt of this report Vice Admiral Bakhirev ordered Graschdanin and Slava to come south to Kuiwast Roads, where they arrived at 0700hrs. The cruiser Diana, which had arrived from the Finnish Gulf the previous day, was ordered to the north Moon Sound. The torpedoboat-destroyers and transports were ordered to weigh anchor and move to the north of Kuiwast Roads. Some steamers and tugs with civilian crews were released from service, whilst Kontre Admiral Stark boarded Novik where he was ordered to guard the Kassar Wiek and the deep dredged channel, and to prepare the steamers Glagol and Pokoj for scuttling in the channel should it be necessary to retire to the northern Moon Sound. Vice Admiral Bakhirev continued in his report: ‘At 7 o’clock [9 o’clock Russian time], after the latest dispositions were given from ashore by telephone, I arrived on Bayan, and had at my disposal Captain 1st Rank Muromtsev and Flag Officer Leitenant Sokolov. The flag was raised and the order was given to weigh anchor’.
The commander of Bayan, Captain 1st Rank S N Timirev, reported that the battleships were reluctant to move. He wrote:
A few agonizing minutes passed after the release of the signal. Slava and Graschdanin raised their anchors and raised their spheres to ‘medium speed’, but…did not move. Not the slightest breaker was appreciable under their bows. Was it again the ‘morale element?’… Bakhirev approached me and spoke through his teeth: ‘They do not wish to go! What shall we do?’
Captain 1st Rank Timirev had an idea and the signal ‘follow the admiral’ was raised. Thereon the battleships followed Bayan down the Moon Sound to the firing position.
Meanwhile at around 0730hrs German seaplanes carried out a raid on Kuiwast roadstead. The seaplanes dropped a total of fifteen bombs, four of which fell in the roads, eight on the pier and command post, and three near the battery. Neither the command post nor any vessels were directly hit, but the effect of the bombs was impressive. Captain 1st Rank Timirev wrote:
The picture was graphic: all the water around our units literally boiled from exploding bombs, the high water columns mixed with rich black smoke, and the noise and crashing from the detonations was deafening, with splinters whistling in all directions – all this made for an impression of hell. This impression, however, was not related to the results. No damage was caused, short of several hits by fine splinters.
The decision by Admiral Bakhirev to accept battle in the Moon Sound was extremely courageous, but also calculated and aggressive. There was an overwhelming disparity between the opposing forces. The two Russian pre-dreadnought battleships could field eight 12-inch and twenty-four 6-inch pieces, against the two German dreadnought battleships armed with twenty 30.5cm and twenty-eight 15cm pieces. The dreadnoughts were much larger, almost twice the displacement, and carried much thicker armour. However, the sea room was strictly limited in the confined, shallow and narrow channels, and therefore there was no advantage in having superior speed. The mine barriers and shore batteries at Woi and Werder were also an asset to the Russians. Vice Admiral Bakhirev knew that the defence of the southern Moon Sound was the last chance to save the campaign and keep the Germans from the gates of St Petersburg. A stubborn resistance and repulse, or even delay, of the German attack would allow reinforcements to be ferried to Moon and enable further submarine attacks and minelaying to occur. Thus the German lines of communication would be stretched and the force in the Riga Gulf could only be supported for a few days. Then there could be some relief. On the other hand, surrender of the southern Moon Sound and Kuiwast would mean the certain loss of the islands and the enforced evacuation of the Sea Forces of the Riga Gulf. For an officer of the character and experience of Vice Admiral Bakhirev there could be only one decision: continue the defence with all means available, despite the odds.
After sighting the two Russian torpedoboats, the battleship SMS König opened fire on them with her heavy guns. The Russian torpedoboats quickly made off to the north. Soon after, the Germans could make out the Russian heavy units coming south from Kuiwast Roads.