Karl von Muller, Emden’s skipper, believed that such raids would not be worthwhile. He expressed the belief that it would be best for the squadron to continue sailing to the west coast of South America and raid British merchant ships. There, the admiral called a conference of his captains. When Britain entered the war against Germany, Spee ordered all his ships to meet him in the Mariana Islands. We must therefore regard all English ships as enemy ships.” England’s attitude is still uncertain, although hostile. “At the moment,” the Admiral added, “only Russia and France are our enemies. They must be faithful to their oath to the Kaiser, he reminded them.

The 53-year-old commander of the East Asiatic Squadron, Maximilian Graf von Spee, personally climbed atop the turret of an 8.2-inch gun aboard the cruiser Gneisenau and addressed his crew. When World War I broke out in August 1914, the captains of the various German warships called their men together to give three cheers for the Kaiser.

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