An Uncivilized Assassination Attempt by the World’s Most Civilized Government
The mystery of the failed assassination attempt of German Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1918.
Germany’s Spring Offensive
Friedrich Wilhelm Victor Albert, more prominently known as Wilhelm II, was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. While he served as Kaiser, Wilhelm II would strengthen the German Empire. He would antagonize the international community.
In 1918, as World War I raged on, Great Britain had tired of Wilhelm II. Germany had launched a series of major new attacks against the Allies. The Spring Offensive was wildly successful.
During the onslaught German pushed the Allies back over forty miles. A bright spot for the Allies was the capture of several German soldiers. French Intelligence officials set to work interrogating the troops. Revelations set into motion a plan for a secret mission to assassinate the German Kaiser.
Secret Hideout No Longer A Secret
French officials learned that the Kaiser had settled into a chateau outside of Trelon in France. Trelon was a small village nestled a few miles from the Belgian frontier. Ironically, one of the Allied interrogator owned the chateau.
The interrogator was a French officer named Frederic de Merode. He stress tested the information. Once confirmed, he reported it to the French general Philippe Petain. By the end of April of 1918, the French were sure.
They reached out to their British allies in May. The two parties' initial discussions advanced from informational to tactical. It was decided that they would try to assassinate the Kaiser. The method of choice - a secret mission to bomb the chateau.
After seeking permission from De Merode, the chateau’s owner, the planning accelerated. They pressed the German POWs for more information. They obtained dates that Kaiser had stayed at the chateau, looking for patterns.
British intelligence officers stationed in neutral Holland used their underground network in Belgium and northern France. Though both were German occupied, the espionage network was successful.
The network, known as the La Dame Blanche (French for ‘The White Lady’), had established agents in the Trelon area. They filtered information back back to the British HQ in London.
An Act of Desperation or Long Awaited Opportunity?
In May, the Allies were finally able to pinpoint the Kaiser’s location. At the same time, the Germans had captured 45,000 Allied troops and 400 field guns at the battle of Chemin das Dames.
The loss was catastrophic for the Allies. Furthermore, it provided the Germans momentum. The Allies still feared that the Germans could win the war. On the heels of this massive defeat, the British and French agreed to take out the German emperor.
Just before 5 a.m. on Sunday, June 2nd, 12 Royal Air Force bombers left the Ruisseauville Airfield. Within 30 minutes, they were at the chateau in Trelon. By 5:30 a.m. the bombers had dropped nearly 1,000 kg of bombs.
Choosing to attack in a single file formation at an altitude of 500 feet, smoke from the initial bombs obscured the target for the trailing bombardiers. As a result, the chateau itself was largely unscathed.
As they departed the target, the British planes stumbled upon a German Imperial train. It was traveling at high speed along a private railway that led to the chateau’s private station. The British emptied nearly 1,000 rounds into the train’s five carriages.
A Missed Opportunity
Feeling confident that between the bombing and train attack they got their man, the British planes returned to base. Unbeknownst to the bombers and British Intelligence, Kaiser Wilhelm II had left the chateau nineteen hours before the attack.
Though it took a few days, Wilhelm II learned of the attack on the chateau in Trelon. Knowing that the Allies were aware he based himself there, he opted not to return.
As for the assassination mission, it remained largely secret for years. It is believed neither the Allies or the Germans were keen on advertising the failed attack. For the Allies, it was obvious to not inform the world of a golden opportunity missed. And for Germany, little confidence could come from learning their emperor was alive by sheer luck.
An Anomaly to Britain’s Rules of War
One aspect of the attack that still remains a mystery involves its authorization. Who approved the assassination of the Kaiser. Kaiser Wilhelm II was not just Germany’s head of state, he was a royal one. He was a first cousin to the British king.
Britain prided itself on its civilized approach. Assassinating an enemy head of state was viewed as an uncivilized tactic. There is no evidence of Britain ever trying to assassinate a major enemy’s head of state. Including throughout their empirical dynasty.
During wars in the 18th century, the heated Napoleonic Wars, and even World War II, there is no evidence of approved assassination plots against an enemy head of state. Even a British plot to kill Adolf Hitler was vetoed by Winston Churchill.
The bombing raid at Trelon in 1918 stands not only as a failed mission by the British Royal Air Force. It is a stark aberration from their political and military norms.
History for the Hurried:
March 25, 1911: A raging fire erupted inside a garment factory in New York City killing 123 young women employed as low-paid seamstresses, along with 23 men. This spurred much needed attention on the status and treatment of working women.
March 30, 1981: Newly elected President Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest while walking toward his limousine in Washington, D.C., following a speech inside a hotel. He’d survive and joke later that he “should have ducked.”