In the meantime, in accordance with the operational plan, a diversion was being conducted to the east of the Sworbe Peninsula. The object was to deceive the Russians into thinking that a landing was imminent on Sworbe. At about 2100hrs the previous evening Vizeadmiral Souchon had led 1st Division of the IV Battle Squadron, Friedrich der Grosse and König Albert , away from the main body to the southeast, where they anchored out of sight of land. Towards 0400hrs on the morning of October 12th the unit weighed anchor and steered towards the coast, screened against submarines and mines by the boats of the 15th Torpedoboat Half Flotilla (15 TBHF). The torpedoboats were inexperienced in minesweeping and slipped their gear on the bottom twice, delaying the advance sufficiently that the coast was still out of range when the timetable called for them to open fire. Nevertheless, fire was inaugurated and the first salvoes fell short of the beach, although subsequently the shore was taken under fire. The Russian heavy battery No 43 at Zerel did not return the fire even though they were within effective range. By 0835hrs the German unit had begun the journey to Tagga Bay, preceded by the 15 TBHF.
Another special purpose for the German forces was the bombardment of the airstation at Papensholm. At 0200hrs Kapitänleutnant Zander, with the boats V82, S64 and V74, was detached from the 13th Torpedoboot Half Flotilla (13 TBHF) to fulfill this task. Towards 0500hrs they arrived in Papensholm Bay, south of Hundsort. Towards 0600hrs fire was opened on the air station and wireless station at Papensholm. At first the fire was inaccurate, but corrections given by the floatplane spotters quickly enabled the fire to become effective. Initially the fire lay far from the buildings and hangers, being 200 sazhen (425 metres) from the airstation, but then the shells began falling around the hangers.[2] One of the torpedoboats, V82, approached to within 3,600m of Papensholm and took deliberate fire on the air station. The German fire was answered by the fire of I and II Air Station Field Battery, but their shells lay far and wide and over, and in general the fire was poor. The batteries soon ceased fire because of a shortage of ammunition.
The airstation suffered great damage, and in part the roofs of buildings were blown off, pipes were dislodged, the walls of hangers and other buildings were holed and telephone lines were torn down. Towards midday part of the German 131 Regt reached Papensholm and took the Russians completely by surprise. The station commander, Leitenant Vavilov, ordered the base to be evacuated and then began demolishing the station. Attempts to set the buildings on fire, and blow up the stores of bombs, gasoline and launches failed because of the unexpected appearance of German pioneers. The demolition party fled across the bay and into the forest under the fire of the German troops. The gallant Leitenant Vavilov remained behind and it was thought that the last explosions at the air station during the evening were the work of his hand.
Late in the morning the senior pilot, Leitenant Safonov, reported to Vice Admiral Bakhirev that the air station was under fire and that all thirteen serviceable aircraft had been transferred to Arensburg, from where they would undertake reconnaissance. During the evening Michman Severski undertook reconnaissance in the Papensholm area.[3] He was attacked by four German aircraft and having insufficient altitude to manoeuvre he alighted in one of the bays, dismounted his machine gun and then went ashore. He fought off the Germans from behind a stone fence and escaped.
The Germans made the air station operational the following day. After the infantry arrived, a wireless signal from the Special Unit ordered Kapitänleutnant Zander and his boats to hurry to Pamerort and place themselves at the disposal of the I FdT aboard Emden.
Whilst these events were occurring, the main landing was being launched in Tagga Bay. As the torpedoboats of II Flotilla entered the bay towards 0500hrs, Korvettenkapitän Heinecke dispatched the 4th Torpedoboat Half Flotilla (4 TBHF) to the eastern side of the bay whilst the lead boat, B98, took 3rd Torpedoboat Half Flotilla (3 TBHF) towards the western side. Initially there was no response from ashore and it appeared as if the surprise was complete. The landing of the assault troops and pioneers from aboard the torpedoboats progressed quickly with the men being put ashore by the torpedoboat cutters. The troops from aboard Blitz and Equity were taken ashore by the motorboats of II Minesweeper Division. After the troops had landed, a Russian field battery, hidden behind some woods on the eastern side of the bay, opened fire. Their targets included the beachhead on the shore, the torpedoboats, and Blitz and Equity. However, there were no losses or damage. The German torpedoboats returned the fire, but at the express wishes of the brigade commander, Oberst Matthiass, who was aboard B98, fire was ceased as he thought it endangered 138 Regt, who were landed on the eastern shore of the bay. However, under the direction of 131 Regt, some targets were taken under indirect fire, including Kielkond before it was captured. After the first wave was ashore the second wave, the motor launches of the III Battle Squadron with the troops of the I Pioneers aboard, began landing.
Meanwhile V100 penetrated further into Tagga Bay and took course towards Terwassa, on the eastern lower half of Hundsort. Here half a sturmkompanie was landed and once ashore they directed the supporting fire of V100. With this support they quickly captured six guns of the II Light Field Artillery Battery of the 107th Division. On interrogation the commanding officer revealed that the Russians knew of the planned landing, and of the probable landing positions and had adjusted their troop dispositions to suit. Under these circumstances the Germans were amazed that the landing achieved surprise. After capturing Terwassa the assault troops turned on the battery at Hundsort, which was taken at 0830hrs.
On the eastern side of the bay the landing was also successful. The boats B109, B110, B111, B97 and B112 landed their sturmtruppen south of Cape Merris without reaction from ashore. After the assault troops were landed, 138 Regt began disembarking. Now the Half-Flotilla came under fire from a battery of field guns located behind a wood, which could not be observed. Leutnant zur See Friedrich Ruge takes up the story:
Then a white cloud appeared over the ship, and the Army Artillerist dived behind the linen bridge screen, to seek protection from the Russian shrapnel. Muzzle flashes and dense smoke behind a coppice showed the approximate area of the battery… Our stereoscopic gear could measure the range to the smoke and the guns received direction with the help of a high tree… we moved slowly to the south, at first followed by the white smoke clouds, then they stopped.
Towards 0700hrs the six gun field battery was captured by the I Battalion, 138 Regt. B112 landed assault troops of the 10 Assault Section on Cape Merris, however this landing came under heavy machinegun fire from ashore. Nonetheless, the men were thrown ashore, under the covering fire from the torpedoboats, and by 1000hrs Battery No 46 at Cape Ninnast had fallen and the Russians had retreated. The troops were able to report that the fire of the III Battle Squadron’s medium artillery had been well laid and effective. Of the four 15cm guns, one had suffered a direct hit and had been put out of action, the crew being killed, and the others had all been struck by splinters; another hit had destroyed the command position.
The landing appeared to be progressing well with the pioneers meeting only light resistance and making good progress. By around 0800hrs all the pioneers were ashore and they had secured the bridgehead. Earlier Vizeadmiral Schmidt had ordered Kontreadmiral Reuter, who lay between point Delta and point White, to quickly bring the transport fleet into Tagga Bay so that disembarking of the main body could commence. The transport fleet was preceded by the II Minesweeper Flotilla and the Sperrbrechergruppe and by 0815hrs SMS Königsberg and the I Transport Section stood off Tagga Bay. Within half an hour the first transport, Bahia Castillo, anchored and the first troops were put ashore. At 1050hrs Nürnberg and the II Transport Section arrived. The landing now proceeded swiftly; not only were the infantry disembarking but also the horses, guns and vehicles. It took just three and an half hours to land the main body of infantry. The landing and unloading work continued after darkness fell, using the searchlights from the two cruisers for illumination, so that by 2000hrs the entire infantry, their wagons and machineguns were ashore and in addition so were 530 horses and 100 vehicles.
3
Severski was later the founder of the Republic Aircraft Corporation in the United States.