Editing Reinhard Scheer (section)

==Early career==
Scheer was born in [[Obernkirchen]], present-day [[Lower Saxony]].<ref name=S389>Sweetman, p. 389</ref> He came from a middle-class background, which initially hampered his naval career, as the Kaiserliche Marine was dominated by wealthy families.<ref>Tarrant, p. 49</ref>

Reinhard Scheer entered the navy on  22 April 1879 aged 15 as a cadet. His first sea assignment was aboard the sail-frigate {{SMS|Niobe|1849|6}}. His first cruise aboard ''Niobe'' lasted from June to September 1879. During the cruise he was trained in navigation and engineering. Following his return to Germany in September, Scheer was assigned to the Naval School in [[Kiel]] to continue his officer training. He received only a "satisfactory" rating on his cadet evaluation in 1879, but received the second highest grade in his class for the Sea Cadet's Exam the following year. Following his graduation from the Naval School, Scheer embarked on a six-month-long special training program for gunnery, torpedo warfare, and infantry training. Afterward, he was assigned to the gunnery training ship {{SMS|Renown}}.<ref name=S389/> Scheer was for a short time assigned to the armored [[frigate]] {{SMS|Friedrich Carl|1867|6}}. For his last year in cadet training, he was assigned to the frigate {{SMS|Hertha|1864|6}}, which conducted a world tour. The ship sailed to [[Melbourne]], Australia, [[Yokohama]], [[Kobe]], and [[Nagasaki]] in Japan, and [[Shanghai]], China during the trip.<ref name=S390>Sweetman, p. 390</ref>

Following his commission into the German navy, he was transferred to the [[German East Africa Squadron|East Africa Squadron]]; his first tour with the unit lasted from 1884 to 1886. He was assigned to the crew of the frigate {{SMS|Bismarck|1877|6}}. Here he was promoted to {{Lang|de|[[Leutnant]]}}. He also made important connections in Africa; among those he befriended was ''Leutnant'' [[Henning von Holtzendorff]], who would later serve as commander of the High Seas Fleet.<ref name=S390/> During the assignment, in December 1884, Scheer participated in a landing party that suppressed a pro-British indigenous chieftain in [[Kamerun]].<ref>Sandler, p. 318</ref>

After his return to Germany in 1886, Scheer took part in torpedo training aboard {{SMS|Blücher|1877|6}}, from January to May 1888. In May 1888, Scheer returned to the East Africa Squadron as a torpedo officer aboard the [[corvette]] {{SMS|Sophie}}. This tour lasted until early summer 1890, at which point Scheer returned to Germany, where he was made an instructor at the Torpedo Research Command in Kiel. Thus far in his career, Scheer had made a strong reputation for himself as a torpedo specialist. While stationed in Kiel, Scheer met [[Alfred von Tirpitz]], who took note of his expertise. In 1897, following Tirpitz's promotion to State Secretary of the Imperial Navy Office, he transferred Scheer to the ''Reichsmarineamt'' (RMA) to work in the Torpedo Section.<ref name=S390/>

After promotion to ''[[Korvettenkapitän]]'', Scheer commanded the light cruiser {{SMS|Gazelle}}.<ref name=Herwig139>Herwig, p. 139</ref> Scheer was promoted to ''[[Kapitän zur See]]'' in 1905 and took command of the battleship {{SMS|Elsass}} in 1907, a command he held for two years.<ref>Sweetman, pp. 391–392</ref> A report dated 1 December 1909 recommended Scheer for promotion; he became chief of staff to the commanding officer of the High Seas Fleet, Admiral Holtzendorff,<ref name=S392>Sweetman, p. 392</ref> under whom Scheer had served on the cruiser SMS ''Prinzess Wilhelm''.<ref name="Massie, p. 554">Massie, p. 554</ref> Scheer reached [[flag rank]] less than six months after taking his post on Holtzendorff's staff, at the age of 47. He held the Chief of Staff position until late 1911, when he was transferred back to the RMA under Tirpitz. Here, he held the position of Chief of the General Naval Department through 1912.<ref name=S392/> Following this appointment, Scheer returned to a sea command, in the form of squadron commander for the six battleships of the [[II Battle Squadron]] of the High Seas Fleet in January 1913.<ref>Sweetman, pp. 392–393</ref>