The Pursuit of the Light Cruisers - Falklands 1914 

Hi there! This video is unmonetised for me because I felt I needed to include proper music at the end (any ads you see are for the copyright holders benefit). If you'd like to support me being able to make more videos that don't need to rely on commercial revenue, I'd appreciate if you checked out my Patreon www.patreon.com/historigraph or bought a poster teespring.com/stores/historigraph But ultimately of course I am happy if this video doesn't turn out to have been financially worth it- it was something I wanted to do regardless. We should never stop remembering the terrible sacrifice of so many, and always work for what is to me the central message of remembrance- never again.

Its very easy to read numbers like "2000 men died that day" or "16000 tonnes of shipping were lost this last week" and to not grasp how many lives that actually is, since seeing a number dehumanizes the event. Its only when you see each person lost listed out that the real impact starts to become hauntingly comprehensible. We shall remember them.

A very nice touch at the end. Very sombre and entirely appropriate.

And these aren't just names, behind each and everyone of them there is a man, with a loving mother, a father, siblings, maybe he himself has a family and children. The all waited for their loved one's return - which never came.

The sheer number of the dead in these two battles is staggering. When the ending started, I thought it would maybe be one page per ship, given the microscopic font size. But the pages kept coming and coming just for the HMS Good Hope, and then went on and on for the other ships as well. God the carnage. Lest we forget.

So many of those sailors, washed away in the freezing South Atlantic, signed up thinking it was all going to be just a grand adventure. Lest we forget

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them When you go home, tell them of us and say For your tomorrow, we gave our today

Sir, you have really done these guys proud with your respectful commentary and sympathetic tone. Well done, and thank you. What a tragedy it is all is. Terrible.

The Story with Leipzig made my heart melt, the tragedy due to misinterpretation caused the death of so many proud German sailors.

A very touching end, and a sobering thought comes to mind: Every one of those men represented hope for the future and left family and loved ones behind. Caught up in a war that they would never see the end of. Let us remember and respect them. Lest we forget.

I’m not going to lie, I cried when I saw the first slide of casualties. It makes you realise the cost. WW1 never needed to happen

Each of those names represents a person, who's life was stolen before their time, in waters far from home, In a metal tomb they now lie, leaving a family behind. And now through time, each of their lives has been forgotten.

The final part gave me chills. And the military march "Ich hatte einen Kamerade" when the list of the fallen German sailors started was touching.

The ending makes it so much more powerful than just an educational yt video. Thank you.

Lest we forget

It's interesting that there has always seemed to be a camaraderie between sailors not shared between infantry. Maybe because the infantry have to dehumanize each other, maybe because sailors feel like they're fighting against the ocean more than each other (an infantryman is killed by someone else, a sailor's ship is sunk and killed by the ocean)

I spent 40 years in the US Navy. Your listing of the names of the dead served to remind us all of their sacrifice for their flag and that some of us still remember them. There is an Anglo-Saxon saying that says that you are not truly dead until nobody speaks your name. You have extended their "lives".

Nice with with Coronel to here Historiograph. Well done. Hope you are well.

Another video that shows how senseless war is. Love from germany.

Even though by itself, this series of battles is a relatively small and insignificant part of World War One as a whole, the massive death toll gives an idea of what a brutal war this would be. May all who died rest in peace.

Glasgow had been at Coronel, and would be there when Dresden was finally caught as well. The Crews of Glasgow and Dresden were the lucky ones surviving their respective fleets destruction.

Such an eye opener to the courage and seamanship of These sailors on both sides in a theater of the war that's mostly overlooked.

We should remember their sacrifice. Each and every man on board of those ships, British and German, have families to take care of. They fought miles away from home, and it seemed that they have no business doing there at all. I'm sure each and every one of them just wanted to see their homeland again. May they all rest in peace.

I've just watched a most marvellous presentation of naval history. Your attention to detail is thorough and concise. The final scenes with all those who gave their lives in service of their respective countries being listed in full, was central in reminding us all that real people, with real names, with real familes back at home is something rarely, if ever, seen for battles of this magnitude. My highest thanks in producing material of this highest calibre. I'm now a subscriber with a lot of back catalogue uploads to enjoy.

Lets salute to all who have passed in service to their country, whichever it may be

Well done, you’ve given these people the level of respect and sympathy that they deserve and in doing so you have truly earned my respect. Remembering these deaths and the stories behind them is as important now as ever and I want to thank you for doing your part in showing the true face of war, instead of glorifying it and thus learning from history. Lest we forget! May all these souls rest in peace.

Thank you for your Upload Perfect uploading Day. In Germany today is Memorial Day (Volkstrauertag).

Bravo. Finishing with Nimrod to commemorate the RN losses and then a German slow March that I don’t know (but should: I spent 27 years as a musician in a military band) to commemorate the SMS losses is such a nice touch. I knew about the battle of coronel and the revenge delivered by the British battlecruisers off the Falkland Islands but not the subsequent cruiser action, a story of bravery and dogged persistence, in some ways the saddest and most moving part of this campaign.

Lest we forget. The bravery shown by the British Officers & Sailors and by the German East Asia Squadrons Officers & Sailors is / was incredible. Even a ship of the East Asia squadron that had parted ways with the squadron months earlier showed a similar amount of bravery. This ship was the Emden, Dresden’s sister, who was ran aground 8 days after the battle of coronel, after a 2 month long raiding career, Emden was alone, and unsupported, she only had herself and some coalers. I respect all the men who served in the East Asia Squadron, the South American Squadron & Cradock’s force.

It is clear that there has been put much effort in this video. Very informative and with a touching ending. Bravo!

5:11 I don’t know why but that hit different

Very well done for including a tribute to the sailors who lost their lives in the battles. The respect shown is all too rare, even in the most serious war documentaries. My father served in the Royal Navy in WW2 and my Grandfather before and during WW1. In fact, he served in the East Indies and I'm now wondering whether he may have come across any of the German ships involved in these battles? Its instructive perhaps (and I haven't researched this so I may be wrong) that the ships which survived the battles apparently suffered few fatalities among their crews, despite the terrible bombardments that they endured? It seems that, in capital ships of the time, armour and design must have provided a signifcant degree of protection for crews, unless and until the ships suffered either catastrophic damage, such as a magazine explosion, or actually sank. Notwithstanding the confusion in the case of the Dresden, it's terrible that captains did not surrender their ships sooner, even though the ultimate outcome must have been certain. It's probably testament to the awful, fatalistic - though extremely brave and, how shall I put it, honourable - attitude to war that men displayed in those days. The same attitude that saw commanders, officers and men charge headlong into machine guns.

Ironic really, they fought for their empires in the great wars and ended up destroying them through their warfare

Very Honouring, it felt like being there and the twist and turns of battle draw you in, but behind every decision and impact real cost, and bravery and tragedy. Thank you. The sacredness of their memory lives on. ❤

Great video and a honourable touch to put the list of casualties in the end. Good job again! Thank you

A fantastic video and a very sobering ending. Lest we forget.

The fact that it takes over two and a half minutes of hundreds of names every page to pass shows the massive amounts of life lost in this series of events, although it is only a tiny fraction of the total death toll from the war. Also, I can not even begin to comprehend how a nation recovers from such a loss.

Most excellent video, specially for naval history lovers such as me.

Brave men fighting a pointless war against friends

What I had not realized until recently was how the sailors from the British and German fleets were friends and in 1914, felt like they were killing comrades and friends. Like when the British opened fire on the French navy at Mers-el-Kébir in world war II- some of them had only a short time prior been having celebrations together. The respect to the sailors of these battles and telling their story was top notch. Thank you for sharing with us their story and a little bit of their lives.

Some say we die twice. Once when they put us in the ground/sea and once when someone last says our name. I like to think this applies to when they are read. Thanks for keeping all those memories alive awesome work.

Really well done series covering these 2 battles, I very much enjoyed your presentations of all the events. I also appreciate the level of respect you have for the fighting men on both sides and the terrible place they were in. Craddock & his men were totally screwed over by Churchill and the Admiralty at Coronel but still faced certain death with honor & courage. Von Spee was equally as gallant at the Falklands, facing overwhelming odds to try and save a doomed ship.

There is one ship from the German East Asian Squadron that you haven't yet covered in this run. SMS Emden. She was detached from the EAS before the Squadron tried to run home. She caused a heap of trouble in the Pacific and Indian oceans... Until Sydney caught her.

Very nice series! They were all people with hopes and dream and thy were scarified for some political causes. All sailors have a common enemy which is the sea ... I feel so sad for lose of them all.

For some reason, once the casualty lists started scrolling, something told me to read the names. Much to my surprise, I then saw my own name listed among the German dead on the Nurnberg albeit with my given name spelled in the German way. That made it really hit home all the more.

I think this is one of history's most tragic stories. Truly... A tale. Many worse things happen and happened, but this one is truly a story.

9:58 chills and it gave me tears when I first saw the list

Thank you so much for this series. Especially thank you for the memorial at the end. It was perfect.

So many names. Brings tears to the eyes.

i really appreciate, that you give all the fallen sailors a face again. Or at least a Name to remember. To many Names are already lost in time. Thank you.

nice thanks for making these

Got to be in the top 3 history channels on yt

Just sublime.. Thank you, we lost our grandad age 31, 1944 on the Flower Class HMS CELENDINE. 🙏⚓

What a lovely memorial for incredibly brave and valiant people. So many died in these unfortunately little remembered sea battles. War is such a waste and one wonders if humanity will ever learn tbis lesson

Amazing video!! Also is this why you asked for the casualty lists?

Never forget .

Another great video!!!

Great storytelling, and way to respect the dead.

Cracking history, and very well retold! Do not stop here!

OMG! I had to turn away at the end. The thought of all those men dying was just too much for me to take...

WW1 is a subject not heavily discussed in American schooling, I had no idea that there were naval engagements outside of the north Atlantic waters. What a pleasant surprise, more theaters to learn about.

Nice vid! Heads up, at around 1:07 you say that they possess 8 inch guns, but the grafic says that they carry 6 inch unless I'm missing something. Thanks!

Very well done may all those past rest easy and may we never have another world war

Excellent video! Your content is getting better and better. Thank you!

That ending was good. Can you please do that to every video involving casualties, so that people can comprehend why war is terrible?

The names at the end bring the horror home to you. Outstanding monument.

🙏💜🙏By sharing in this tragedy we share the courage of these young men and ALL their Living Loving Eternal JOY💜🙏

thank you for this amazing tribute

Excellent video. I’m happy that the sacrifices of these brave men, forced to fight in a remote part of the world, is still recognized 100 years later

This is an awesome series, well done!!!

The ending hit hardest. So many men.

4:30, This is like giving a blind, deaf, and tongueless man until 3 to surrender

@Historigraph that outro was classy 👏🏻

Excellent work !! greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina

Nice tribute to the fighting men at the end of this video

Thank you for this fine work. I really enjoyed these three about this part of the war.

lest we forget .

Each man in ww1 who died left something valuable maybe family a artifact or what every man did a loving heart and soul Alot of people dont see past they were loving people courageous and brave but what they are Is a soldier a man a husband a father and a grandfather

He graphics are a great visual aid.

This is the best video series on this channel! And the music! Is! Incredible!

Leipzig's story is really tragic. And to think everyone could have gotten along just months earlier

Could you do a Story of the SMS Emden? It was part of the Asia Squadron as well but was detached early on, sank about 30 freight ships in the indian ocean, and about 50 of its crew made it home in a rather extraordinary manner on a sailing boat, a freightship and using camels to cross the arabian dessert

I hope you will make a video about the Battle of Heligoland Bight (1914) next :D

This channel is amazing so gripped better than any movie big love ❤️

Harry Ancill, stoker 1st class was my great Uncle.

An excellent video as ever and a part of the battle often forgotten. The ending is superb and poignant :)

Thank you for this wonderfully made video.

I would like to say thank you for sacrificing monetization on this video to get the best and most appropriate music possible for what is one of your best videos yet.

Seriously salute to all of them. Especially the east asian squadron. True meaning of never surrender

If I would make a movie about this I would do the same things at the end with the names and music

so so so many names from one battle, from one fight in one foot note from one front in a war :(

Thank you

VERY well done!

death ................... hard to ignore 1,000,000 lost 5 months into the war

Great work, thank you

Nice work and very decent sentiment expressed without being mawkish. Well done.

I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom. November 21st, 1864 Abraham Lincoln

Very touching indeed. Good work.

Both Coronel and later the Falkland Sea Battles reflected the very best in bravery, courage in the face of overwhelming odds. There was fast and accurate loading & firing by the Germans in all the ships in Von Spee's Squadron. There was the "super-human" effort by the British sailors on HMS Kent to catch up with Nurnberg. Their coal was gone, not enough time in the beginning of the chase to coal. Kent left Port Stanley at her top speed to participate in the up-coming battle. As things developed, Kent would chase down, if possible, Nurnberg and destroy her. Little chance of catching the fast German light cruiser with their old 1902-era armored cruiser, whose top speed when new was 23-knots. Not enough coal in Kent to sustain a lengthy chase. Those brilliant sailors came up with a make-shift solution. They started throwing everything wood, and not vital, in the hard pressed engine furnaces. Anything and everything that could be used was. Decking, chairs, desks, and doors were used for fuel. It worked! They got that old girl (Kent) booking! They reached 24-knots, which was astounding, because this armored cruiser had a design speed of 23-knots. She was old in WW 1 warships. At the time of this battle (Dec. 1914) HMS Kent was 12+years old. Not that old today, but ancient in ww 1 times. But this was a confrontation that this model cruiser was designed for, and that was chasing down enemy light cruisers and overpower them with her arsenal of 6-inch rifles. She had 14-six inch guns, good speed, and well armored for fighting light cruisers.In the early stages of the battle, the German light cruiser really mauled Kent. I mean the Germans 4.1 inch shell outranged the British 6-inch shells. Since Kent was well armored she just off these hits

My grandfather's brother, Frederick Lovering, was lost on HMS Monmouth. I am sad and disgusted in equal measures at the diffident attitude of the Command that sent these poor sailors into this slaughter. As a veteran who served for 37 years, and having served in Northern Ireland, The Falklands in 1982, Iraq and Afghanistan; I know about following orders. But to squander life like this is hard to justify.