At the outbreak of war in August 1914, "Augsburg" was deployed to the Baltic, while "Kolberg", "Mainz", and "Cöln" remained in the North Sea. The three ships were assigned to patrol duty in the Heligoland Bight; on 28 August 1914, they were attacked during the Battle of Heligoland Bight. "Mainz" and "Cöln" were both sunk in the battle. "Kolberg" saw action at the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915, and joined "Augsburg" for the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in August 1915. Both ships also saw service during Operation Albion in October 1917. Both ships survived the war; "Kolberg" was ceded to France, where she was renamed "Colmar" and served in the French Navy until 1927. "Augsburg" was surrendered to Japan and was then sold for scrap.