Germany fitted out just a handful of auxiliary cruisers according to the Dutch newspaper Het nieus van den dag dated 13 August 1914

An item reported that Germany hardly fitted out auxiliary cruisers and that the available ones until then were not sighted. The German merchant marine numbered between 50-60 ships with a minimum speed of more as 14 knots suitable to be converted into auxiliary cruisers. The United Kingdom could at least tripled that number.