Mutiny at Cattaro 1918
‘We don’t want cinemas, we want peace.’ David Woodward introduces a little-known First World War insurrection in the Austro-Hungarian fleet, framing it within the context of that empire’s multicultural makeup and the revolutionary spirit of the times.
At midday on February 1st, 1918, in the fiord at Cattaro (now called Kotor) the officers of the Austro-Hungarian cruiser Sankt Georg, flagship of the Fifth Division, sat down to lunch in the wardroom. In the lobby outside the ship’s orchestra began to play, according to custom; suddenly there was a disturbance on deck, and the ship’s Gesamtdetailoffizier, or second in command, hurried out to investigate and was almost immediately shot and seriously wounded. For some time he lay unconscious on the deck, the mutineers refusing to let the ship’s doctor attend to him.
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.