Description
PRUSSIA – POSTCARD – VIZEADMIRAL MAXIMILIAN GRAF VON SPEE – NAVY.
This postcard depicts one of WW I Germany’s great naval heroes, Vizeadmiral Maximilian Graf von Spee (1861-1914). He was serving as the commander of Germany’s East Asian Squadron when war broke out in August 1914. Knowing that his situation in China was untenable, von Spee decided to return the East Asian Squadron to Germany. As the Squadron made its way across the Pacific, it met up with the British 4th Cruiser Squadron off the coast of Chile in what became the Battle of Coronel. Von Spee and his Squadron were victorious in that encounter. After seeking shelter at Valparaiso, they rounded the tip of South America to enter the South Atlantic. In December 1914, the Squadron engaged a stronger British fleet in the Battle of the Falkland Islands, which ended disastrously for the Germans. Graf von Spee, along with his two young, junior-officer sons, Otto and Heinrich, and 2,200 German sailors, died during the lopsided battle.
This postcard depicts Graf von Spee from the chest up, wearing his visor cap. The postcard is in excellent condition and has never been mailed.
