Translations:Revolution in Kiel/2/en

"On November 3, 1918, mutinous sailors from SMS (Seiner Majestät Schiff – His Majesty’s Ship) Markgraf were supposed to be arrested and taken to Fort Stosch. This task had been assigned to the sea battalion, of which only two companies were left, but the crews had already refused to obey the company commanders the previous day. As a result, they fell back upon me, even though I was actually indispensable as the commander’s adjutant. This mission seemed very tricky. During my speech, when I announced the mission and its reasons in the presence of Kiel’s commander, some people grumbled; upon my question, a sailor of the second company stepped forward and declared: ›We do not shoot at our comrades.‹ I asked the sailors who refused to obey to step out on the left and then had the satisfaction that the whole of my old company, the third, followed my order of ›load and put the safety catch on‹ and went aboard the cargo steamer with me, in order to take charge of the approximately 100 mutinous sailors of the Markgraf. … My wife was informed about my mission and fearfully watched everything through field glasses from Bellevue bridge."