On this day, 3 November 1918, a few days after the Wilhelmshaven revolt where German sailors refused to embark on a suicidal offensive against the British, thousands of sailors and civilian supporters marched in Kiel and marched on a military prison when mutineers were being held. Police and soldiers confronted the demonstrators and opened fire, killing at least nine and injuring many more. The incident marked the beginning of what is referred to as the Kiel mutiny, as thousands more sailors joined demonstrations the following day, and workers in the city went on strike. The local admiral, unsure of the loyalty of his own troops, agreed to release the imprisoned mutineers. By November 5, the red flag was flying over ships in Kiel harbour, while the mutiny spread, and the German revolution gathered momentum.
Learn more about the German revolution in this book: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/all-power-to-the-councils-a-documentary-history-of-the-german-revolution-of-1918-1919-gabriel-kuhn-ed
Pictured: rebel sailors on the march in Berlin https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1845341948984280/?type=3