Battle of Tsingtao
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The Battle of Tsingtao was the attack on the German-controlled port of Tsingtao (now Qingdao) in China during World War I by Imperial Japan and United Kingdom.
It took place between October 31-7 November 1914 and was fought by Imperial Japan and the United Kingdom against Germany. It was the first encounter between Japanese and German forces and the first British-Japanese operation in WWI.
Background
Throughout the late 19th Century the German Empire became increasingly imperialist and sought to expand its influence across the world, acquiring a number of territories in the process. In China, like many world powers, the Germans began to interfere in Chinese affairs. After two German missionaries were killed in 1897, the Chinese were forced to transfer Kiaochow in Shandong to Germany in 1898 on a 99-year lease. The Germans then began to assert their influence across the rest of the province of Shandong and built the port of Tsingtao. The port became the home base of the Kaiserliche Marine's East Asiatic Squadron, which primarily operated in support of German territories in the Pacific Ocean.
The United Kingdom perceived the German presence in China as a threat to British interests and leased Weihaiwei in Shandong in response, while Russia and France leased their own at Port Arthur (now Lüshunkou) and Kwang-Chou-Wan respectively. The British also began to forge close ties with the Japanese.
Japan's developments in the late 19th Century also mirrored that of Germany, acquiring colonial possessions, including on the Asian mainland. Unlike Germany, however, Japan and Britain relations became closer and the Anglo-Japanese treaty was signed on 30 January 1902 to form an alliance between the two nations. This was seen as a necessity by both powers, especially by Japan who saw it as a further step to being recognized as a world power. Japan demonstrated its potential of being a rival to the British Empire after its victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, though the alliance was further strengthened and remained strong into World War I.
The First World War began in early August 1914. Britain soon requested Japanese assistance. The Japanese civil government, led by Prime Minister Okuma Shigenobu, feared growing military power, which was an even greater role in Japanese politics. The Government believed that maintaining a strong alliance with Britain would help maintain control over the military. Pressure also came from the competing Imperial Japanese Navy (whose structure was closely based on the British Royal Navy) and Imperial Japanese Army (which felt that it had lost prestige during the Russo-Japanese War) and growing desires to expand the Japanese Empire.
The Japanese Government decided to side with Britain in the war. On 15 August, Japan issued an ultimatum to Germany, stating that Germany needed to withdraw all their warships from Chinese and Japanese waters and transfer control of Tsingtao to Japan. The following day, Major-General Mitsuomi Kamio, commanding officer (CO) of the 18th Infantry Division, was told to begin preparations for an invasion of Tsingtao. When the ultimatum expired on 23 August, Japan declared war on Germany.
By this time, the East Asiatic Squadron, under the command of Maximilian von Spee, had left Tsingtao for the friendly base of Pagan in the Marianas. From there Von Spee's squadron, with the exception of SMS Emden which headed for the Indian Ocean, made their way to the west coast of South America. There, the squadron destroyed a mostly obsolete Royal Navy squadron at the Battle of Coronel before itself being destroyed at the Battle of the Falkland Islands.
Build-up
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) first sent ships under Vice-Admiral Sadakichi Kato, flying his flag in the pre-dreadnought Suwo, to blockade the coast of German-controlled Kiaochow, beginning on 27 August. During the course of the naval operations off Tsingtao, the British Royal Navy (RN) attached the China Station's pre-dreadnought HMS Triumph and the destroyer HMS Usk to the IJN. The British warships were integrated into the Second Squadron with few problems. The Japanese squadron consisted of mostly obsolete warships, though did briefly possess a number of more modern vessels. These included the seaplane carrier Wakamiya. dreadnoughts Kawachi and Settsu, and the battlecruiser Kongo.
The 18th Infantry Division was the primary Japanese Army formation that took part in the initial landings, numbering 23,000 soldiers with support from 142 artillery pieces. They began to land on 2 September at Lungkow, Shandong, which was experiencing heavy floods at the time, and later at Laoshan Bay on 18 September, about 18 miles east of Tsingtao. The German garrison, commanded by Captain-Governor Alfred Meyer-Waldeck, consisted of 3,000 German marines and a bit less than 1,000 other soldiers (Chinese and Austrian). He also had a small complement of vessels, such as the obsolete Austro-Hungarian protected cruiser Kaiserin Elizabeth, whose crew would fight as part of the German land forces.
The British Government — and the international community as a whole — were concerned about Japanese intentions in the region and decided to send a small symbolic British contingent from Tientsin in an effort to allay their fears. The 1,500 contingent was commanded by Brigadier-General Nathaniel Walter Barnardiston and consisted of 1,000 soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, The South Wales Borderers later followed by 500 soldiers of the 36th Sikhs.
The Attack
As the Japanese approached his position, the German Commander, Captain Mayer-Waldeck, withdrew his forces from the two outer defensive lines and concentrated his troops on the innermost line of defence. On October 31, the Japanese began their bombardment of the fort and began digging parallel lines of trenches just as they had done at the Siege of Port Arthur nine years earlier. The Japanese used very large 11 inch howitzers from the land in addition to the firing by their naval guns. The bombardment continued for seven days.On the night of November 6, the Japanese infantry attacked into the third line of defences and drove the defenders out of them. The next morning, the Germans surrendered.
See also
- Japan during World War I
- Keegan, John The First World War, (1998). pg 206.
- Falls, Cyril The Great War, (1960). pgs. 98-99.
- Tsingtao Campaign [link]
- Tsingtao map of city with its siege works 1914[link]
- The siege of Tsingtao[link]
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