100 years ago today, December 16, 1914, the German Navy raided the British seaside towns of Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby, resulting in 137 fatalities, many of whom were civilians. A month earlier, a German U-boat had scouted the area to investigate its coastal defenses. The U-boat reported very little onshore defenses, and no mines within 12 miles of shore. The area was seen as a rich target with considerable shipping.
Unbeknownst to the Germans, the British had obtained copies of codebooks from sunken ships, and was aware of the ships’ leaving port, but not of the scope of the attack.
The attack on British civilians served as a rallying cry for recruitment, and was also condemned in American editorials.
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