Signal flags in WWI

[GazzaS]

I've looked around the web and not found a lot of useful information.  I'm looking for information on the Kaiserliche Marine signals in particular.  I have images of most of the flags used.  But little on the codes that made them make sense.  Does anyone have an insight into this area?

[Bob Cleek]

 

There seems to be two sources. One, the original, in the British National Archives at Kew and the other, the same captured code book, in copy form from the Dreadnaught Project website. (Apparently, you have to sign up for that forum to get access to it.)

 

Signal code book (Signalbuch der Kaiserlichen Marine (SKM) copy no 151) captured from... | The National Archives

 

Imperial German Navy Code Books - The Dreadnought Project

 

Hope this helps. 

[wefalck]

It appears the German National Archives/Military Archives have a copy of a draft of  1913:

 

https://www.archivportal-d.de/item/WEHKZZSMAUE3JZGYZHVH4HNR33ZNBEON?lang=en

 

As well as a copy of the 1911 version:

 

https://www.archivportal-d.de/item/QZXZLRGQESUACWL5IDGVTJYGXRXXYPYN

 

An overview over the different German siganl codes since 1800 is given in this (German only) publication, for which an overview is available in PDF:

 

https://dmkn.de/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Signalflaggen.pdf

 

I didn't see (so far) any digital copy of the code-books themselves.

 

P.S. The code-book in the British National Archives presumably is the one offered to the British on 31 October 1914. It was found on board of SMS MAGDEBURG which ran aground at the coast of Estland. The crew attempted to blow her up, but were only partially successful. Two code-books were found on her, after the remaining crew were taken POW, and a third one that was thrown overboard with some lead attached to it was recovered by Russian divers. These code-books allowed to the Russians and the Western Allies to read the naval communication throughout WWI I think - the loss of the code-books must not have been reported properly to the Admiralty, as all the officers were taken POW (Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Magdeburg_(1911)). 

Edited May 9, 2023 by wefalck

[GazzaS]

19 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

 

There seems to be two sources. One, the original, in the British National Archives at Kew and the other, the same captured code book, in copy form from the Dreadnaught Project website. (Apparently, you have to sign up for that forum to get access to it.)

 

Signal code book (Signalbuch der Kaiserlichen Marine (SKM) copy no 151) captured from... | The National Archives

 

Imperial German Navy Code Books - The Dreadnought Project

 

Hope this helps. 

Thank you!  I'll check out those links.

[GazzaS]

19 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

 

There seems to be two sources. One, the original, in the British National Archives at Kew and the other, the same captured code book, in copy form from the Dreadnaught Project website. (Apparently, you have to sign up for that forum to get access to it.)

 

Signal code book (Signalbuch der Kaiserlichen Marine (SKM) copy no 151) captured from... | The National Archives

 

Imperial German Navy Code Books - The Dreadnought Project

 

Hope this helps. 

Thank you!  I'll have a look and see what I can learn.

[GazzaS]

15 hours ago, wefalck said:

It appears the German National Archives/Military Archives have a copy of a draft of  1913:

 

https://www.archivportal-d.de/item/WEHKZZSMAUE3JZGYZHVH4HNR33ZNBEON?lang=en

 

As well as a copy of the 1911 version:

 

https://www.archivportal-d.de/item/QZXZLRGQESUACWL5IDGVTJYGXRXXYPYN

 

An overview over the different German siganl codes since 1800 is given in this (German only) publication, for which an overview is available in PDF:

 

https://dmkn.de/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Signalflaggen.pdf

 

I didn't see (so far) any digital copy of the code-books themselves.

 

P.S. The code-book in the British National Archives presumably is the one offered to the British on 31 October 1914. It was found on board of SMS MAGDEBURG which ran aground at the coast of Estland. The crew attempted to blow her up, but were only partially successful. Two code-book were found on her, after remaining crew were taken POW and a third one that was thrown overboard with some lead attached to it was recovered by Russian divers. These code-book allowed to the Russians and the Western Allies to read the naval communication throughout WWI I think - the loss of the code-books must not have been reported properly to the Admiralty, as all the officers were taken POW (Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Magdeburg_(1911)). 

Thank you!  I knew that the Russians had gotten the code books from SMS Magdeburg.  But I didn't know if there was anything useful about it in print.