1915 Battle of the Gulf of Riga

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In August 1915, the High Seas Fleet of the Imperial German Navy sought to eliminate the Baltic fleet of the imperial Russian Navy in a little remembered action, in a little remembered theater of the war that was more important than you might think.
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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.
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#history #thehistoryguy #

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Play World of Warships here: wo.ws/3OqoO2u 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.

[@liberalsockpuppet4772]

What are your favorite ships to play?

[@Cbabilon675]

Thank you as always for what you do bring history to life. One small piece of history that people have not heard of because it's been so overshadowed in World War II, is the fact that the Chinese Republic navy actually held off Japanese for quite some time with just light Cruisers. I believe the tenacity of the Republic Chinese Navy should be remembered😊

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

@@liberalsockpuppet4772 Well, from the start, I am not what you’d call good at the game, but I do enjoy playing. I really lack focus- I’ll log on and play four or five rounds, but all on different ships. I’d say that I enjoy cruisers the most.

[@daria_morgandorffer5768]

You should try the game Navy Field it’s actually really good and may suit your play style better. My husband love navy field that’s how I know about it. Also man I love your videos! Thank you for what you do! You’re amazing! Also I’d love you to do an episode about the 1979 Daytona 500 @@TheHistoryGuyChannel

[@surters]

I think it would have taken a lot more death for the Russians to give up much earlier.

[@geoffreymowbray6789]

One of the Royal Navy's submarine commander Max Horton who gained a great reputation as a submariner. In 1942 as Admiral Sir Max Horton, he would direct the war against the U-boats from his HQ in Liverpool. In effect the British were pitting a distinguished submarine commander against the German's distinguish submariner commander Admiral Karl Donitz,

[@geoffreymowbray6789]

Max Horton won the Distinguish Service Order for his operations in the Baltic Sea in WW1.

[@georgeperkins4171]

I thought I knew alot about sub forces, but I've never heard anything about ww1 British subs.🤔

[@bryantsemenza38]

Admiral Donitz was an excellent Naval Commander… he should have never been executed. He stepped in to surrender Germany in 1945, but should have never been executed. I believe the Britts and the US were still fearful of many of the admirals and generals of the third Reich, and needed to remove them permanently.

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the lesson. Any ship can be a minesweeper, once.

[@grahamstrouse1165]

And a submarine!

[@shawnr771]

@@grahamstrouse1165 lol.

[@Dilley_G45]

😅

[@armypenguin]

Russia, early 1900s, mention of Japan, and torpedo boats. Brings to mind "that damn kamchatka".

[@elixir4487]

The target of countless pairs of binos being throwed at?

[@masterskrain2630]

"Do you see Torpedo Boats??"

[@BeingFireRetardant]

Fun fact, prior to the later land battle of Riga, the Germans prototyped blitzkrieg by having the largest concentration of guns on the Eastern Front. Meticulously planned, their breakthrough was immediate, and they put logistics in place to constantly move the guns forward specifically to sustain momentum, and it worked tremendously well. The Russian collapse was near total in the region. And it helped crystalize German future war planning, right down to the concept of assault guns and SPG's.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Yes, the 1917 battle was a model for the use of combined arms.

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for this information.

[@davea6314]

"C, big blue wabbly thing that mermaids live in, C.'" -Baldric from the Blackadder British comedy series regarding re-writing Dr. Johnson's dictionary under the letter "C".

[@MausMasher54]

"Do you see Torpedo Boats???? I see Torpedo Boats...."

[@comentedonakeyboard]

The shallows in the Baltic are made worse by the lower salt content of the water, leading to ships floating lower in the water.

[@TheWalterKurtz]

The history of that part of the world is very fluid to this day. Surprising, considering the region is more land than sea.

[@stuartriefe1740]

Good morning from Connecticut, fellow History students!

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

'Hello Connecticut, whatever the hell that is' - World audience

[@curtismcelhaney2512]

Good morning from Arizona

[@davea6314]

"Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" by Mark Twain

[@johntabler349]

I'll readily admit most of my historical knowledge of WWI is centered after the American Expeditionary Force entered, but thanks to the History Guy my knowledge just took a significant boost

[@eyesofisabelofficial]

The Naval Gun Support and the events concerning the mines are covered in the Russian movie "The Admiral" (Ru 2008).

[@RetiredSailor60]

Good morning from Ft Worth TX History Guy and everyone watching. Have a great weekend. I toured the Russian Udaloy Class Guided Missile Destroyer Admiral Vinogrodov while in port Bahrain in 1993.

[@crispyhoover8880]

Didn't know about this battle and even after the geography, mine fields and destroyer sweeps keeping the Royal Navy out they still got a punch in. Remarkable.

[@Patrick_Cooper]

Love the original sized GI Joe in the background. I still have my last original from 1968, with its footlocker and everything. Well played with, but he still has his arms attached...

[@LMacNeill]

If there's one thing I could go back in time and change, it'd be WWI. If you prevent WWI from happening, you prevent the Russian Revolution, *AND* WWII, *AND* the Korean War *AND* the Vietnam War. And probably the Chinese Cultural Revolution as well, since that almost certainly wouldn't have happened if the Soviet Union didn't exist. The 20th Century would've been *VERY* different, had WWI never occurred.

[@kumasenlac5504]

For a concise explanation of the start of WW1 might I recommend kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnjbcoybmt6if8U

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

Have a great weekend Hi Guy 🤓 and classmates. I'm going to see George Benson Friday and Peter Frampton Saturday!

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

Where?

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@CathodeRayNipplez Here in Las Vegas

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

@@constipatedinsincity4424 Oh goodo. I thought both these guys were dead by now. Enjoy.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@CathodeRayNipplez I won't tell them that when I see them separately this weekend. You have a good weekend too 😊

[@mattbowden4996]

It's an interesting thought, but I don't think German success in the first battle of Riga would result in the complete collapse of Russian resistance that Operation Albion did in 1917. Whilst a successful land campaign around the gulf of Riga in 1915 would have be advantageous for the Germans, the Imperial Russian army still had plenty of fight left in it - the difference in 1917 was two additional years of bloody attrition and Germany releasing Lenin into the Russian Empire, turning collapsed Russian morale into a "revolutionary moment." Certainly the Battle of the Gulf of Riga was a valuable learning experience for the High Seas Fleet and the applied all the lessons and "did it right" on the second attempt at the Battle of Moon Sound.

[@Trebuchet48]

Riga was also besieged, but not taken, about 100 years earlier by Napoleon!

[@-jeff-]

Truely a battle that (as you aptly pointed out) could have changed history had Hipper's plans succeeded.

[@StevenTAbell]

Suggestion for a future episode: The Viking Age is said to begin with the Lindisfarne Raid in 793. This is usually presented as an event out of the blue. But look only a few years before at what Charlemagne did in 782, known today as the Massacre of Verden. We don't know for sure what the Heathen Norsemen were thinking at Lindisfarne because they didn't write about it like their Christian victims did. But it's not hard to guess. The Vikings were justifiably renowned as individual warriors. Go up against a Viking in one-on-one combat and you were probably going to die. But battles between Viking armies and those who inherited the Greco-Roman theory of war didn't always go so well for Team North. Charlemagne prevailed over a Saxon army in 782, then demanded that all remaining Saxon warriors convert to Christianity. 4500 didn't, and 4500 were beheaded in an assembly line. It is doubtful the Heathens forgave or forgot. So rather than go army-to-army against Christian hegemony, Viking raids were turned loose on lower Europe, with historic results.

[@legohistorysam]

Hey if you’re doing naval battles or even ships. I got two for you to do. First is the battle of Santiago de Cuba in the Spanish American war. One of the ships in it was USS Iowa BB-4. A pre-dreadnought. Another shift that you should do is one of my absolute favorite ships in the world. The destroyer USS Laffey DD 724. My absolute favorite Ellen M Sumner class destroyer. Also you should do the USS Juneau CL 52 with the five Sullivan boys from Waterloo Iowa.

[@johntabler349]

I also suggest the Naval Battle of Iowa Jima relatively small but my Dad was right in the middle of it aboard CV3 USS Saratoga

[@legohistorysam]

@@johntabler349 so he was on the Lexington class carriers?

[@johntabler349]

Yes, beautiful old ships I have a painting of the Sara that was his hanging in my bedroom

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

3:35 I often buy Baltic Avenue! It's been years since I last did!

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

What?

[@negativeindustrial]

I’m a big fan of Marvin’s Gardens

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@negativeindustrial I heard that he's Spacey. And he's an illegal alien 👽 from Mars!

[@davea6314]

You're all capitalist pigs! Lol 😆 hahaha

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

Back in the Saddle Again Naturally

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

Take medication as prescribed on the label.

[@Brian-----]

You ask a very good question at the end.

[@jake9705]

13:42 -- *Nice*

[@duanemiller5606]

That last question has other significance. Would the monarchy have survived. It was the long drawn out war that helped Lennon start the communist revolution so one could draw the conclusion that had Riga fallen two years earlier, and Russia sued for peace then, possibly the Civil War that brought about communist Russia may never have happened.

[@michaelbayer5094]

If Russia is out the war in Sept. 1915, then several things must follow: 1. There are 1 million more German soldiers on the Western Front in Spring 1916. 2. Austria can move more effectively against Serbia and Italy. 3. Germany doesn't give safe passage to Lenin. 4. If Germany does not humiliate Russia, then maybe the Kaiser makes up with his cousin the Tsar. 5. Maybe then Russia supports Germany, providing food and material. 6. The Russian Revolution never happens. 7. How do these events change German policy toward submarine warfare and to the US in 1916 and 1917? 8. The US probably does not enter the war.

[@ukulelemikeleii]

The "what-if" àquestions are always so intriguing, aren't they?

[@BasicDrumming]

I appreciate you, thank you for making content.

[@Zebred2001]

Fun fact: The world's oldest active navy ship is the Kommuna, of the Russian Navy - built in 1915!

[@The13inc]

umm no. HMS Victory, although in drydock, still carries her commission.

[@Zebred2001]

The operative word there is "active!"@@The13inc

[@The13inc]

Yeah, that's kind of what having a commission means.

[@zonarider673]

HMS Victory last floated in 1925. USS Constitution still floats & occasionally sails short distances but works, like the Victory, as a museum ship. The Komunna, was commissioned 10 years before Victory last simply floated😎Amazing to think that Kommuna’s keel was laid down almost 2 years before the First World War began & she’s still a fully functioning naval vessel!

[@rockfishmiller]

Very interesting point as usual History Guy, thanks for posting.

[@BeldansFire]

Glad I caught this.

[@mrmudcatslim1004]

I always enjoy this guys content.

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

We are so happy for you.

[@jeffbangkok]

Just finished Charlie Chan 22 Dead Men Tell when this popped up. A great pirate movie. Good night.

[@rsfaeges5298]

Very interesting and well done.

[@MarshOakDojoTimPruitt]

thanks

[@davelester5839]

Hey. you love pirate stories--have you done one on Henry Every, supposedly the 17th centuries greatest pirate--if not, see Steve Johnson's the ''Enemy of all Mankind" Fantastic story! Dave History Dude

[@Brian-----]

I watched this video again and gave the consequences of earlier Russian war exit, under an imperial regime, more thought. Earlier Central Powers Eastern victory also would have benefited Austria-Hungary and Turkey, likely blocking Entente efforts at Salonika and in Palestine and Mesopotamia. Probably, the Baltic States and Finland effectively are brought under German rule. The resources of Ukraine might have become accessible to the Central Powers while less depleted and damaged. Possibly a game changer.

[@mattgeorge90]

Missed you Monday. You sir bring joy to my week. God bless you.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

I was a bit under the weather over the weekend.

[@jliller]

I hate battles like this where one or both sides are more concerned with not losing than they are with winning. But it was par for the course considering Jutland, and German naval operations in general during WW1. What a waste of warships.

[@philhawley1219]

Very good video once again. Something wrong with the audio sadly.

[@domitiusseverus1]

Would love to see you follow up on this with the sequel - Operation Albion

[@Otokichi786]

2:07 End of Battleship Lake ad.

[@tonyindiana]

Good day my fellow friends

[@citizenoftheninthdivision]

Do the history of the ADL next.

[@clausewitz41_plus_1]

I think that if Germany had captured Riga in 1915 that it would have been very probable that Germany would have won the war. They could have moved all that manpower to the western front and w/o US involvement France would have fallen, and it is highly probable that the UK would have sued for peace

[@ScotterationRetard]

And the world would have (probably) been a far better place for it tbh. No garbage peace treaty at the end of WW1, no WW2 (the same way it went down, obviously. Something woulda happened I'm sure, just not that). No american military industrial complex, no US acting as world police. Wilhelm, though somewhat of a goober, was far better than any of what followed him. The rise of the USSR would've... still probably happened, but definately differently than how it did. Far, far, FAR fewer dead bodies from every side. The british empire would've staggered on a bit longer, at least changing the horrors of what happened upon their pullouts in most of their colonies. The german empire was pretty benign and wouldn't have lasted that much longer anyway war or no war. WW1 going how it did (and happening at all) was a mistake.

[@currawongee1]

Doubt it.

[@metyyl13]

Just a small correction. At 6 min you mention russian owned Lithuania and Latvia, did you mean Estonia and Latvia? The coast that Lithuania has today was part of Germany at that time. Maybe russia had small strip of land that today belongs to Lithuania and it would be nice if someone more info can comment. It was a very nice episode, thank you. Royal Navy had very big influence on the baltic sea after the end of the war and during the independence wars of Latvia and Estonia. Worthy of episode, wink wink.

[@armoredspain7053]

8:41 interestign than in this map it says Kief and Kharkof, instead of Kiev and Kharkov

[@TheMormonPower]

Shoulda coulda woulda...😢 The story of many a lost empire. 😮😮😮

[@heikkiremes5661]

One of the great what ifs. Might have saved us from the horror of Soviet Union.

[@vbscript2]

If Russia had indeed been knocked out of the war in 1915, I wonder if the Bolshevik Revolution would have even happened or, on the flip side, if it would have been accelerated. The former possibility is especially interesting, considering its impact on the next 108 years and counting of history.

[@jamesstrang9483]

Closing music WAY to loud.

[@herpsderps9205]

Feedback: audio levels are quite low in this one

[@thehellyousay]

St. Petersburg. Petrograd was a Soviet renaming.

[@ralphbennett8575]

Why would I want to start over from scratch in World of Warships

[@jkilby27able]

👍👍👍

[@jefferylarson3218]

Hmmm ... methinks you need clearer maps that fit clearly with your discussion.

[@donnyboon2896]

Yes

[@kevinkoepke8311]

Would there have been an October revolution?

[@dougjb7848]

1:20 Above Tier9, it’s all vapor-ships.

[@grahamstrouse1165]

Yamato was real. That’s basically it for battleships. There are RL cruisers and destroyers at TX that are very real, and one or two carriers.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

Hey History Guy,🤓👋 Do you still have the same mailing address?

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Yup. PO Box 1473, O'Fallon, IL 62269

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel OK good Ot will be a welcomed addition to the scenery 😊

[@grahamstrouse1165]

I would’ve thunk that The History Guy would take exception to WoW’s paper ships. That’s history the devs pulled out of their asses…😁

[@mattblom3990]

Just came from World of Warships to this video, have already spent $6000 there since 2015, I've definitely done my part to support your sponsor lol.

[@grahamstrouse1165]

That’s wild, man! I’d never be able to afford the cocaine & hookers if I developed a crazy video game addiction…

[@mattblom3990]

@@grahamstrouse1165 Hahaha, that's awesome. I guess it's kind of weird but to be honest I don't live large and basically directed most of my entertainment budget to it. But it was budgeted, just took a huge proportion of it certain months.

[@ashergoney]

First Piece Of Local, Lighter Than The Usual One ..from

[@ashergoney]

Slider v2 first piece

[@ashergoney]

Solid Since 1995 onwards, Metal Picks Missing From The Set. Only 2 Plastic Types Remain On My Side..

[@merlinwizard1000]

52nd, 18 August 2023

[@FraChris]

Can't hear a thing.

[@curtiscroulet8715]

The History Guy and I share an interest in naval warfare. But THG needs to work on his pronunciation of German words and names.

[@bryantsemenza38]

Interesting. Maybe the Revolution in Russia may have never occurred.

[@grahamstrouse1165]

It was coming in some form no matter what. It was mostly a question of when.

[@burrito-town]

Why is the audio in this video so quiet? I can't hear you without blasting the volume. You need to learn how to properly export your videos for KZbin.

[@saucelessbones5872]

Why dont you talk about ss liberty

[@PhilEbel]

Why the f**king bow tie? I have heritage in Buffalo Gap S Dak.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

What is your problem with a bow tie? I grew up in Hot Springs…

[@PhilEbel]

Do you remember Evans plunge and Buffalo Gap.Grandparents buried in Custer. @@TheHistoryGuyChannel

[@grahamstrouse1165]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannelBow ties are cool…

[@Brian-----]

🙂 So I looked at the history... ...this naval battle happened in August 1915, at the same time that the Central Powers were overrunning Warsaw and the rest of Congress Poland, plus the lands now comprising the modern country of Lithuania, and just before the Tsar, opposed by the whole cabinet, sacked the Grand Duke and took personal command of the Russian military. The Tsar was incompetent and had no command experience, and indeed this was an idiotic choice directly exposing the Tsar to popular criticism. Historically, Germany captured Riga in September 1917, six months into the Russian Republican government. By then the Russian people had turned against the war. Germany followed up on the capture of Riga by launching successful sea landings on the Estonian islands north of the Gulf of Riga (Operation Albion) which honestly by then was a complete waste of Germany's time but it shows what the Germans were thinking. My guess is that if Germany wins this naval battle, the Tsar's decision does not change, but Germany captures Riga a lot sooner than September 1917, even if maybe not necessarily immediately in August 1915 as German armies just had completed a lengthy advance to get to the Daugava River and still had to cross it and face larger Russian armies which had retreated behind it. Germany might then have been in a position to use early Baltic domination to intervene in Finland (which historically Germany did late), land by sea in Estonia when it would have mattered, and/or drive on Petrograd (which historically Germany never did). This indeed might have ended Russia's war considerably earlier, which among other consequences might have forestalled Romanian entry in August 1916 (preserving Romanian food exports to the Central Powers), and/or might have changed how the Russian Revolution transpired if at all (instead of imploding, maybe Imperial Russia just loses directly, cedes land, and exits as a destabilized intact empire; Germany likely would not have sent Lenin from Switzerland to Russia if Russia already had lost and quit). Accelerated Central Powers success also helps boost Austria-Hungary and maybe forestalls American entry by preventing the events that drove it. All of this is much to the Central Powers' advantage. The combined results might have enabled the Central Powers to shift forces westward earlier while mitigating the serious cumulative damage of the British-led blockade. Historically Germany didn't use its navy well, and this winnable battle probably was key.

[@steveshoemaker6347]

🇺🇸👍👍👍👀

[@ashergoney]

Again.. patched Up Almost, !! Again

[@ashergoney]

Son of Service from Bookships, Say It's All Logical To Go Back Up Upon.. 1908 Tunguska, Version 3.0

[@ashergoney]

Same Gin Bottle Applied as Good Clean Drinking Water In The Region Still Somewhat Of A Scarcity.

[@randyherbrechtsmeier4796]

Where my Grandmorhers family's from there. East and West Prussian. Ran away to Iowa to Plant Corn and Raise Hogs. Enough of that War Crap!!!

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

Russian Navy 🤣🤣🤣

[@flashgordon6670]

“If the Russians hadn’t held out at Riga and prevented the German army from defeating Russia two years earlier, (1915) would that have changed the outcome of the war? - Probably not, assuming that the USA still joined in the war, perhaps even sooner than in 1917. Worst case scenario, Germany conquers France and the war drags on for another 5 - 10 years. Eventually Germany would’ve been forced into starvation and Communist uprisings a bit later than 1918. Perhaps a revolution similar to the Russian one would’ve happened and WW2 avoided. One of the knock on affects of WW2, was ex Nazis helping the reestablishment of Israel. If that didn’t happen on this alternate timeline, would Israel have survived and overcome its neighbours trying to resist the restoration?

[@mikeseier4449]

That recruiting poster on the wall behind you makes me wonder if nowadays the woman would ask her doctor for testosterone and start calling herself Harvey to join the Navy?!!..😮

[@Stinky.Stickleback]

How can anyone accept sponsorships from Wargaming (World of Warships) when the company actively refuses to condemn Russias war against Ukraine ?

[@jasonshade2656]

Three words: Made in China

[@jamesjohnson3756]

freind me up in game AirMail

[@davea6314]

You wrote "freind". Did you mean Faux and Fiends on the Faux (Fox) Propaganda Channel via AirMail?