Life Before The World War
Although he was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, the counts von Spee belonged to the prominent families of the Rhenish nobility. He joined the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy) in 1878. In 1887–88 he commanded the Kamerun ports, in German West Africa. He was first officer of the battleship SMS Brandenburg when it was sent to East Asia in 1899 during the Boxer Rebellion. Before World War I he held a number of senior positions relating to weapons development, before being appointed Chief of Staff of the North Sea Command in 1908, rising to Rear Admiral on 27 January 1910.
He was given command of the German East Asia Squadron in 1912 with the rank of Vice-Admiral, based at Tsingtao within the German concession in China. The armored cruisers of his squadron were among the newest in the fleet. However, his ships would soon be made obsolete by the creation of the battlecruiser.
Read more about this topic: Maximilian Von Spee
Famous quotes containing the words life, world and/or war:
“What a life! True life is elsewhere. We are not in the world.”
—Arthur Rimbaud (1854–1891)
“In order for an individual to partake of the world and contribute to it in a healthy way, he first needs to view that world as a basically kind, friendly, and supportive place. Such an outlook begins to be formed during infancy. It’s essential that the baby establish a fundamental trust in his environment. The infant needs to learn that the world is a nurturing place where his needs will be met.”
—Saf Lerman (20th century)
“The remnant of Indians thereabout—all but exterminated in their recent and final war with regular white troops, a war waged by the Red Men for their native soil and natural rights—had been coerced into the occupancy of wilds not far beyond the Mississippi.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)