| I Scouting Group I. Aufklärungsgruppe | |
|---|---|
 Seydlitz with aZeppelin overhead | |
| Country | Germany |
| Branch | Kaiserliche Marine |
| Type | Reconnaissance unit |
| Engagements | Battle of Dogger Bank Battle of Jutland |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Hugo von Pohl Franz von Hipper |
TheI Scouting Group (German:I. Aufklärungsgruppe) was a special reconnaissance unit within the GermanKaiserliche Marine. The unit was famously commanded by AdmiralFranz von Hipper duringWorld War I. The I Scouting Group was one of the most active formations in theHigh Seas Fleet during the war; the unit took part in every major fleet operation in the North Sea, including the battles ofDogger Bank andJutland. The unit also saw limited action in theBaltic Sea, including theBattle of the Gulf of Riga.
Von der Tann was the firstbattlecruiser assigned to the I Scouting group. The ship joined the unit on 8 May 1911.[1] On 30 September,Moltke was commissioned into the I Scouting Group, and replaced the oldarmored cruiserRoon.[2]Seydlitz joined the unit after she was commissioned on 22 May 1913.[3]Blücher was attached to the unit from August 1914.Derfflinger was slated to be assigned to the unit by the end of October 1914, but turbine damage delayed the ship from joining the I Scouting Group until 16 November of that year.[4]Derfflinger's sistershipLützow joined the unit on 20 March 1916.[5] The thirdDerfflinger-class battlecruiser, and final ship to join the I Scouting Group,Hindenburg, was assigned to the unit on 6 November 1917.[6] Of the seven true battlecruisers built by theKaiserliche Marine, onlyGoeben was not attached to the I Scouting Group, as she was made the flagship of theMittelmeerdivision in October 1912.[7]
In preparation of the fleet advance on 18–19 August 1916, the I Scouting Group was to bombard the coastal town ofSunderland, but only two remaining German battlecruisers were still in fighting condition (Moltke andVon der Tann ) so three dreadnoughts were assigned to the Group for the operation:Markgraf,Grosser Kurfürst, and the newly commissionedBayern.[8]
The I Scouting Group was one of the most active units in theHigh Seas Fleet during World War I. The ships were used a number of times in attempts to lure out a portion of the BritishGrand Fleet, where it could be defeated by the whole German battle fleet. Several of these operations called for the ships of the I Scouting Group to bombard the English coast; these included theraid on Yarmouth, theraid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby, and thebombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft. The unit also participated in raids against British naval forces, including the operations that resulted in theBattle of Dogger Bank and theBattle of Jutland.