TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Naval battle · 1914
The Black Sea raid was an Ottoman naval sortie against Russian ports in the Black Sea on 29 October 1914, supported by Germany, that led to the Ottoman entry into World War I. The attack was conceived by Ottoman War Minister Enver Pasha, German Admiral Wilhelm Souchon, and the German foreign ministry. The German government had been hoping that the Ottomans would enter the war to support them but the government in Istanbul was undecided. The Germanophile Ottoman War Minister, Enver Pasha, began conspiring with the German ambassador to bring the empire into the war. Attempts to secure widespread support in the government failed, so Enver decided to instigate conflict.
| Date | 29 October 1914 |
|---|---|
| Location | Black Sea, |
| Result | Ottoman victory · Ottoman entry into World War I |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Empire | Russian Empire |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Wilhelm Souchon | Andrei Eberhardt |
| Strength | 1 battlecruiser 1 light cruiser 1 protected cruiser 1 torpedo cruiser 4 destroyers 1 gunboat | Shore defences 1 pre-dreadnought 1 minelayer 1 gunboat 3 destroyers |
| Casualties | 1 battlecruiser damaged | 1 minelayer scuttled 1 gunboat sunk 1 destroyer damaged Numerous merchant vessels damaged or destroyed Unknown human losses |
On the afternoon following the raid, Souchon radioed Istanbul that Russian ships had "shadowed all movements of the Turkish fleet and systematically disrupted all exercises," and as such had "opened hostilities." The Russians attempted to but were unable to pursue the Ottoman fleet. The raiding force returned to Ottoman waters on 1 November. The Ottoman press reported the action on 31 October, claiming that the Russians had planned on mining the Bosphorus and destroying their fleet without a formal declaration of war, compelling the Ottoman navy to retaliate after an engagement at sea by bombarding the Russian coast.
Took place during the reign of Mehmed V (1909–1918). Mehmed V
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), adapted for the atlas.