Operation Albion



Operation Albion was a World War I German air, land and naval operation against the Russian forces in October 1917 to occupy the West Estonian Archipelago. The land campaign opened with German landings at the Tagalaht (Tagga) bay on the island of Saaremaa (Ösel), on 12 October, after extensive naval operations to clear mines and subdue coastal artillery batteries. German forces secured the island by 16 October and the Russian army evacuated Muhu (Moon) on 20 October.

After two failed attempts, the German army landed on Hiiumaa (Dagö) on 12 October, capturing the island on the following day. The Russian Baltic Fleet had to withdraw from the Suur Strait after its losses at the Battle of Moon Sound. The Germans claimed 20,000 prisoners and 100 guns captured during Operation Albion from 12 to 20 October 1917.

Strategic significance
At the beginning of World War I the islands were of little importance to the Russian Empire or Germany. After the revolutionary turmoil in Russia during the early part of 1917, the German high command believed capturing the islands would outflank Russian defences and lay Petrograd (St. Petersburg) vulnerable to attack.

German units

 * Naval Forces (Sonderverband): Vice Admiral Ehrhard Schmidt
 * Battlecruiser: SMS Moltke (flagship)
 * III Battle Squadron (III. Geschwader) (Vice Admiral Paul Behncke) dreadnought battleships: SMS König (flagship), SMS Bayern, SMS Grosser Kurfürst (1913), SMS Kronprinz, SMS Markgraf
 * IV Battle Squadron (IV. Geschwader) (Vice Admiral Wilhelm Souchon) dreadnought battleships: SMS Friedrich der Grosse (1911) (flagship), SMS König Albert, SMS Kaiserin, SMS Prinzregent Luitpold, SMS Kaiser (1911)
 * II Scouting Group (II. Aufklärungsgruppe) (Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter) light cruisers: SMS Königsberg (1915) (flagship), SMS Karlsruhe (1916), SMS Nürnberg (1916), SMS Frankfurt, SMS Danzig (1905)
 * IV Scouting Group (VI. Aufklärungsgruppe) (Rear Admiral Albert Hopman) light cruisers: SMS Kolberg (flagship), SMS Strassburg, SMS Augsburg; minelayer: SMS Nautilus; tender: SMS Blitz
 * Torpedo Boats (Commodore Paul Heinrich) cruiser: SMS Emden (1916) (flagship)
 * II Torpedo Boat Flotilla: B 98; 3rd Half-Flotilla: G 101, V 100, G 103, G 104; 4th Half-Flotilla: B 109, B 110, B 111, B 97, B 112
 * VI Torpedo Boat Flotilla: V 69; 12th Half-Flotilla: V 43, S 50, V 44, V 45, V 46; 13th Half-Flotilla: V 82, S 64, S 61, S 63, V 74
 * VIII Torpedo Boat Flotilla: V 180; 15th Half-Flotilla: V 183, V 185, V 181, V 184, V 182; 16th Half-Flotilla: S 176, S 178, G 174, S 179, V 186
 * X Torpedo Boat Flotilla:: S 56; 19th Half-Flotilla: T 170, T 169, T 172, G 175, T 165; 20th Half-Flotilla: V 78, V 77, G 89, S 65, S 66
 * VII Half-Flotilla: T 154, T 158, T 157, T 151, T 160, T 145, T 140, T 139
 * Courland Submarine Flotilla (U-BootsFlottille Kurland): UC 56, UC 57, UC 58, UC 59, UC 60, UC 78
 * Minesweepers (Minensuchdienst)
 * II Minesweeper Flotilla: A 62; 3rd Half-Flotilla: T 136, M 67, M 68, M 75, M 76, M 77, T 59, T 65, T 68, T 82, T 85; 4th Half-Flotilla: T 104, T 53, T 54, T 55, T 56, T 60, T 61, T 62, T 66, T 67, T 69; 8th Half-Flotilla: M 64, M 11, M 31, M 32, M 39, A 35
 * III Half-Flotilla of the Search Flotilla: T 141, 15 motor-boats
 * Mine-Searcher Group of the Outpost Half-Flotilla East: 6 fishing vessels
 * I Minesweeper Division (Riga): 11 motor-boats
 * II Minesweeper Division: 12 motor-boats
 * III Minesweeper Division: 12 motor-boats
 * IV Minesweeper Division: 10 motor-boats; outpost boat O 2
 * Mine-barrage Breaker group (Sperrbrechergruppe): Rio Parbo, Lothar, Schwaben, Elass
 * Anti-Submarine Forces (U-Bootsabwehr)
 * Baltic Search Flotilla: T 144; 1st half-flotilla: T 142, A 32, A 28, A 30, 32 fishing vessels; 2nd half-flotilla: T 130, A 31, A 27, A 29, 24 fishing vessels
 * Ground Forces: Generalleutnant Ludwig von Estorff
 * 42nd Division
 * 2nd Infanterie Cyclist Brigade

Russian units

 * 425th, 426th and 472nd Infantry Regiments
 * Battleships: RUSSIAN BATTLESHIP Tsesarevich, RUSSIAN BATTLESHIP Slava
 * Armored cruisers: RUSSIAN CRUISER Admiral Makarov, RUSSIAN CRUISER Bayan
 * Destroyers: RUSSIAN DESTROYER Desna, RUSSIAN DESTROYER Novik, RUSSIAN DESTROYER Pobeditel, RUSSIAN DESTROYER Zabijaka, RUSSIAN DESTROYER Grom, RUSSIAN DESTROYER Konstantin
 * Gunboats: RUSSIAN GUNBOAT Chivinetz, RUSSIAN GUNBOAT Grozyashchi
 * Blockship: Lavwija
 * Minelayer: RUSSIAN MINELAYER Pripyat

British units

 * Submarines: HMS C26, HMS C27, HMS C32