The Cattaro mutiny occurred during World War I. Sailors of the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the Adriatic Bay of Cattaro (today: Kotor, Montenegro), which at that time belonged to Austria-Hungary, started it on 1 February 1918. The mutiny remained isolated and had to be abandoned after three days due to the arrival of loyal troops. Four sailors were subsequently executed according to naval law. The naval historian Halpern portrays this event as the last victory of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy over the social forces that would eventually overwhelm it.Paul, G. Halpern: The Cattaro Mutiny, 1918. In: Christopher, M. Bell/Bruce A. Elleman (Ed.): Naval mutinies of the twentieth century. An international perspective. London 2003, pp. 54–79, here p. 54. Available at: , free registration required.
Historical background At the beginning of 1918, dissatisfaction with the food situation, with the political conditions, as well as war fatigue had increased further. After the Russian October Revolution of 1917 and the peace offer of the Bolsheviks, wide circles, especially of the working class, feared that the German Supreme Army Command could jeopardise the hoped-for peace on the Eastern Front by making excessive demands. In protest, the Jännerstreik occurred with over 700,000 participants throughout Austria-Hungary. Workers' councils were formed, which also demanded better supplies, the abolition of censorship, the end of martial law and the introduction of the eight-hour day. The strike wave also reached the naval arsenal in Pola. After the strikes in the Monarchy ended for the most part on 21 January, work was also resumed in Pola on 28 January.Peter Fitl: Meuterei und Standgericht. Die Matrosenrevolte im Kriegshafen Cattaro vom Februar 1918 und ihr kriegsgerichtliches Nachspiel. Wien 2018, S. 76 ff. Presumably unaware of the end of the actions, the sailors of the warships anchored in Cattaro decided to hold a demonstration, which they hoped would give the movement further impetus.Richard Georg Plaschka: Cattaro – Prag. Revolte und Revolution. Kriegsmarine und Heer Österreich-Ungarns im Feuer der Aufstandsbewegungen vom 1. Februar und 28. Oktober 1918. Graz 1963, S. 15–19.
The base of Cattaro in the south of Austria-Hungary became of special strategic importance when the Lovćen, located on Montenegrin territory and overlooking the bay, was conquered in 1916 during the occupation of Montenegro and Northern Albania. Cattaro now became an important base of operations against the Otranto barrier, a base for the submarine warfare in the Mediterranean, and for supplies to the Balkan front. For this purpose, besides destroyers, torpedo boats and submarines (also German ones), the whole Cruiser Flotilla under the flagship (Austrian: Flaggenschiff) "SMS Sankt Georg" as well as the V. Ship Division was deployed there.Richard G. Plaschka/Horst Haselsteiner/Arnold Suppan: Innere Front. Militärassistenz, Widerstand und Umsturz in der Donaumonarchie 1918. vol. 1: Zwischen Streik und Meuterei. Vienna 1974, S. 108.
Destroyers, torpedo boats and submarines as well as the modern Rapidkreuzer (fast cruisers) carried the main load of the naval warfare, while the large ships were mostly idly at anchor, because - as in the German Empire - the risk of the fleet getting destroyed seemed too great (fleet in being). This was also an important reason for increasing tensions between officers and crews aboard these units.Plaschka/Haselsteiner/Suppan, Innere Front, p. 109.Halpern, Cattaro, p. 73 f. The crews felt unjustly and roughly treated by their superiors. They complained about senseless drill, about strict punishment for nullity, about insults, humiliations by often young officers, about the poor rations in contrast to the officers, about torn off uniforms, about the little home leave. Many crew members were trained metalworkers and had come into contact with the ideas of the social democratic workers movement. They demanded democratic reforms. The perceived privileged position of the officers also fed the suspicion that they were not interested in peace, but wanted to prolong the war, while the ordinary soldiers and their families had to suffer great privations.Plaschka, Cattaro – Prag, p. 29 ff.Bruno Frei: Die Matrosen von Cattaro. Eine Episode aus dem Revolutionsjahr 1918. (The Cattaro sailors. An episode from the revolutionary year 1918). New edition Berlin 1963, pp. 25 ff., 35 ff.
Course of events The first day of the uprising, 1 February 1918 The uprising, which apparently had been prepared by various loose groups,Jindřich Veselý mentions in his book Povstání v Boce Kotorské (see under Literature) on p. 34 - unfortunately without any evidence (one can only assume that he based his statement on interviews with contemporary witnesses mentioned in the appendix) - the following persons who would have organised the action: "Nobody asked, but everyone suspected that the warm-blooded Croatian sailors Matulovič, Uidor, Marusič, Sužek, Grabar and Berničevič, as well as the well-known impetuous Italians Baldini, Pachor, Galigari and Scaramuza were very close to the organisers of the rebellion. There was no doubt that they included a number of Czechs: the serious and brilliant František Rasch, the conscious social democrats, the Prague Rudolf Kreibich and Tomas Nitka of "St. Georg", Petr Páral, Viennese Czech from "Gäa", Zahálka from "Monarch", Franta Srbek from "Franz Joseph", Josef Děd from "Karl VI", Šmahel from "Gäa", Bittner from "Novara", Janousek from "Helgoland", Vošmik from "Balaton" and Mývalt from "Orjen" as well as Pribyl and Fr. Malý from the flight station and from the submarine base Ruda Krčmář, Jíša and Valášek and many others. There were also the Polish Gustav Stonawski, a socialist who had organised a hunger strike at the Naval School in Pola as early as 1912 and the airman Grabowiecki." Frei mentions similar names, unfortunately without citing a verifiable source (report by sailor Ujdor) (Frei, Cattaro, p. 42). Plaschka and colleagues, referring to Stulli, describe these statements as problematic. (Plaschka/Haselsteiner/Suppan, Innere Front, p. 117). started from the flagship "SMS Sankt Georg" on 1 February 1918 at about 12 noon.
The officers had lunch in their mess. The crew armed themselves, fired a cannon shot and raised a red flag. The chief officer (Austrian: Gesamt Detail Offizier) Zipperer,Egon Zipperer von Arbach held the rank of Korvettenkapitän (lieutenant commander). Sondhaus describes Zipperer wrongly as “Captain” (see under Literature, p. 199) probably giving rise to the claim in some wikipedia articles that Zipperer was the commander of “St. Georg”. The commanding officer was Fregattenkapitän (commander) Huber Edler von Scheibenhain. See Plaschka/Haselsteiner/Suppan, Innere Front, p. 114 ff. who rushed on deck, received a shot to the temporal bone. Medical assistance was initially prevented before he could be taken to the ship's hospital. In addition, a non-commissioned officer was shot through the chest and a sailor was injured by a ricocheting bullet. There were also shots fired at the ship's commander, but without hitting him. At the request of the crew, the ship's commander brought Rear Admiral Hansa, the commander of the Cruiser Flotilla, on deck. Anton Grabar demanded the immediate end of the war according to the Fourteen Points of Woodrow Wilson and he complained about the bad treatment especially by the young cadets and the insufficient rations. The officers were now ordered to eat the same food as the crew.Plaschka, Cattaro-Prag, p. 41.
Another centre of action was aboard SMS Gäa. Gäa was a depot and workshop ship with a large number of older workers on board, who had come into contact with social democratic ideas more intensively.
The movement spread quickly. The red flag was hoisted on all larger ships. Only on the ships that were more frequently sent out for warfare, on which therefore the crews were treated much better by the officers, it encountered discomfort (on the fast cruisers) or resistance (on the destroyers, torpedo boats and submarines). Under the threat from the armored cruisers that the ships would be taken under fire, some of the smaller units, partly with the agreement of their commanders, hoisted the red flag.Plaschka/Haselsteiner/Suppan, Innere Front, p. 117 ff.
The destroyer Csepel had earlier received a sailing order for 15 o'clock, to escort a convoy to Durazzo. The commander had the boilers fired up. Thereupon Gäa signalled that in case of leaving the bay fire would be opened. The commander of the Csepel, however, ordered the ship to be cast off and threatened to torpedo the Sankt Georg. The Sankt Georg and the Gäa then fired one cannon shot each. When the Csepel drew nevertheless nearer, the chief of staff on Sankt Georg ordered the Csepel back to the berth.Fitl, Cattaro, p. 94.Halpern, Cattaro, p. 61.
Altogether about 30 warships and about 3,000–4,000 men, out of a total of 5,000 naval personnel in Cattaro, took part in the uprising. Also the submarine base, the telegraph magazine, the naval mine command and the naval air station in Kumbor as well as the back-up battery in Gjenović (today: Đenovići) and the naval station Caballa were involved.Fitl, Cattaro, p. 268, 270-273.
In place of the officers, sailors’ councils or crew committees, usually designated by acclamation, took over, and continued to organise the service in the normal way. A central committee was formed on SMS Sankt Georg. In the evening the committee handed over a note with the demands of the crews to the cruiser flotilla commander Rear Admiral Alexander Hansa, which contained both general political and crew-specific points:
"What we want Measures to initiate an immediate general peace. Complete political independence from other powers. Peace based on the Russian democratic proposal, 'without annexation etc.' Complete disarmament (demobilisation) and establishment of the voluntary militia. Right of self-determination of the peoples. An answer in good faith to Wilson's note. Greater support and adequate food and clothing for the relatives of the conscripted. Democratisation of the government.
Due to malnutrition, omitting all unnecessary work and drill. For KorveesThis term described work on shore by crews. These were particularly unpopular because they did not fall within the actual scope of duties, were associated with great physical effort and were sometimes connected with improvements in the lives of superiors; e.g. sports facilities set up for officers. separate food allowance. More shore leave and of longer duration. Home leave strictly within 6 months once in the duration of 21 days without travel days. Same conditions for staff. Introduction of a humane, faster transport for those on leave, increase of the boarding allowance for home leave and possibly delivery of the food in kind. Equitable distribution of the ship's food. Same food for staff and crew. Better supply of smoking materials, the same for staff and crew. Abolition of censorship of letters. Consideration of special requirements of individual ships and boats. No consequences of any type for this demonstration.
Sailors' delegations of all units."Plaschka, Cattaro-Prag, p. 59.