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Description: | obverse design: Admiral Count Maximilian von Spee, bust, full face slightly inclined to right. The bust is centrally
positioned between those of his two sons, he has his arms around their shoulders. On the left Leutnant Heinrich von Spee, bust, full face
slightly inclined to right. On the right Leutnant Otto von Spee, bust, full face slightly inclined to left. Beneath the three busts, which
occupy slightly more than half of the design, nine lines of text. The whole design is surrounded by a narrow ornamental
border
obverse text: "HEINRICH" & "MAXI-MILIAN" & "OTTO" (around upper edge, adjacent to appropriate busts) & "GRAFEN VON SPEE AVF DER
'SCHARNHORST' DER VATER' ADMIRAL VNTER SEINEM KOMMANDO EIN GESCHWADER' - KLEIN AN DER ZAHL - DER AELTERE SOHN' AVF DER 'GNEISENAU' LEVTNANT
OTTO' ALS SOLCHER AVF DER 'NVERNBERG' STAND - BEI DEN FALKLANDS INSELN AVF HOHER SEE LIEGEN 'DEUTSCHE HELDEN' LIEGEN DREI GRAFEN
SPEE"
reverse design: eagle, flying, from right to left, low over the sea and holding in its talons a laurel branch, some leaves from which have
fallen on the waves. In the right and left background rock-like islands and around upper edge text
reverse text: "8.DEZEMBER 1914"
This early conventional narrative piece by Karl Goetz (1875-1950) pays homage to Admiral von Spee and his two sons, who
serving in the German East Asiatic Squadron, lost their lives off the Falkland Islands on 8 December 1914 in a naval engagement with
British warships under Admiral Sturdee. The rhyming doggerel on the obverse is translated as 'The father Admiral on the 'Scharnhorst',
under his command a squadron small in number. The elder son on the 'Gneisenau', a lieutenant Otto held the same post on the 'Nürnberg'.
Near the Falkland Islands, in the deep ocean, lie German heroes, like the three Counts Spee'. 2,1000 German sailors were killed in the
action. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Subjects: | Spee Battle of the & 8/12/1914 Atlantic & Falkland Islands Otto von Heinrich von Maximilian von portrait / personification DE.N & German East Asiatic Squadron & SMS Gneisenau DE.N & German East Asiatic Squadron & SMS Scharnhorst DE.N & German East Asiatic Squadron & SMS Nürnberg commemorative First World War | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Goetz, Karl | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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