 He took part in the bloody Battle of Jutland and, like his comrades, suffered from poor catering and harassments on the part of the naval officers.In the summer of 1917, Reichpietsch became one of the leaders of a revolutionary movement among the sailors in the Imperial fleet whose complaints about food and other conditions soon developed into agitation against the war.He was arrested and condemned to death by a court martial in Wilhelmshaven on 26 August 1917 as the "main ringleader", along with Albin Köbis and three other sailors.