Battle of the Falkland Islands

Overview

The Battle of the Falkland Islands was a First World War naval action between the British Royal Navy and Imperial German Navy on 8 December 1914 in the South Atlantic. The British, after their defeat at the Battle of Coronel on 1 November, sent a large force to track down and destroy the German cruiser squadron. The battle is commemorated every year on 8 December in the Falkland Islands as a public holiday.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of the Falkland Islands was a South Atlantic naval engagement fought between the British Royal Navy and the Imperial German Navy on 8 December 1914. It followed directly from the British defeat at the Battle of Coronel on 1 November 1914, which had prompted the Royal Navy to dispatch a large force specifically to locate and destroy the German cruiser squadron under Maximilian von Spee. German casualties totaled 1,871. The battle effectively eliminated the threat posed by von Spee's squadron to British naval operations in the South Atlantic. Its place in the wider war is marked by its annual commemoration as a public holiday in the Falkland Islands on 8 December.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)