_Triumph_, a British battleship of nearly 12,000 tons displacement,
19-1/2 knots speed, and four 10-inch guns primary armament, joined the
Japanese squadron off Tsing-tao. A spasmodic bombardment had been
maintained during the preceding weeks, and seaplanes had been busy,
bombing and range-finding. The wireless station, the electric-power
station, and several ships in harbour were damaged by explosive
missiles. Little could be done, however, from the sea alone, and the
attack by land, owing largely to transport difficulties, had still to
develop. But the weather was now improving considerably. Another
set-back to Japanese military ardour was, indeed, constituted by the
marked reluctance of the Germans to form a line of resistance. German
outposts, upon encountering hostile patrols, invariably retired after
offering faint opposition. When the British troops, after a circuitous
march of 40 miles, much hampered by bad roads, came up in the rear of
the Japanese, then preparing to assault the enemy's advanced positions
on high ground between the rivers Pai-sha and Li-tsun, the part that it
had been arranged they should take in the Japanese attack, on September
26, fell through owing to a disinclination of the Germans to fight.
Their resistance was so meagre that the Allies were hardly engaged, and
next day gained without difficulty the easterly banks of the Li-tsun and
Chang-tsun rivers, only seven miles north-east of Tsing-tao. The enemy
at all points fell back, and the advance upon the town continued. The
Japanese had now drawn their lines across the neck of the narrow
peninsula upon which Tsing-tao stands. There were indications that the
main forces were now in contact. The only obstacle, but a formidable
one, between the invaders and the forts themselves was constituted by
the dominating height of Prince Heinrich Hill, from whose crest, rising
some five miles from the town, all the forts could be bombarded. General
Kamio estimated that three days of fighting would be required for its
capture: it was as all-important to the defence as to the attack, and
was sure to be strongly held. The forts themselves, of the latest type,
were elaborately constructed, and equipped with concrete and steel
cupolas, mounting high calibre pieces. They commanded both landward and
seaward approaches to the town, those nearest the invading Japanese
being situated upon, and named Moltke Berg, Bismarck Berg, and Iltis
Berg. Earth redoubts and trenches between formed the German line of
defence. Plans for the most considerable engagement, the assault of
Prince Heinrich Hill, that had so far taken place, to begin on Sunday,
September 27, were made by the Japanese General. It developed more
speedily than had been expected. German artillery opened a terrific
cannonade upon the Japanese lines, while three warships shelled the
attacking right wing from the bay. The German fire was heavy and
accurate. Japanese warships and aeroplanes, and also the British
battleship _Triumph_, however, created a diversion that relieved the
assaulting forces. Two of the forts were shelled from the sea, and
suffered serious injury, a barrack-house and other buildings being,
moreover, damaged. For many hours the great guns, thundering their
challenges from sea and land and estuary, maintained continual uproar.
Darkness began to gather. Fighting continued into the night, and early
next morning was renewed. But the defenders seemed to lack enthusiasm.
It is doubtful, indeed, whether their forces were sufficiently numerous
to hold with strength their advanced positions, and at the same time to
man adequately their main fortified positions. During the morning of the
28th the Germans withdrew from Prince Heinrich Hill, leaving fifty of
their number and four machine-guns in Japanese hands, and many dead upon
the slopes. The Japanese casualties numbered 150. By noon the whole
position was in the attackers' hands, and the beleaguered town, visible
from the height, was now face to face with siege. German officers who
knew all the points, weak and strong, of the defences, could not but
realize their inability to withstand the siege guns which Japan would
sooner or later bring to the attack. But the heavy artillery was yet far
away. A month was to elapse before the pieces could be dragged across
the difficult country, and emplaced in prepared positions on Prince
Heinrich Hill.
[Sidenote: The siege continues.]
[Sidenote: Gunboats sunk.]
This month, which covered the whole of October, saw many interesting
incidents, and betrayed no signs of idleness on the part of besiegers or
besieged. The Germans, indeed, proved extraordinarily prodigal in
ammunition, firing on an average 1,000 to 1,500 shells daily, a fact
which lent support to the current view that, while undesirous of
incurring their emperor's displeasure, they realized the hopelessness,
so far as Tsing-tao was concerned, of their emperor's cause. Warships in
the bay assisted the cannonade from the forts, and Lieutenant von
Pluschow, the airman of the single aeroplane the town possessed,
ventured forth at intervals to reconnoitre or to bomb. Life in the town
itself continued to be quite normal. Japanese and British, meanwhile,
drew their lines closer and closer to the fortress by sap and mine,
though hindered greatly by terrible weather, and occasionally having
slight encounters with the enemy. In one of these, on October 5, a
German night-attack was heavily repulsed, forty-seven dead being left
behind by the attackers. At sea the operations were also spasmodic. At
the end of September a landing force occupied Lao-she harbour, in the
vicinity of Tsing-tao, where four abandoned field-guns were taken
possession of. Mine-sweeping had constantly to be maintained, under fire
from the shore, and proved a dangerous task. Several vessels thus
engaged were sunk or damaged, though with comparatively few casualties,
through coming into contact with mines. Some German gunboats, however,
among them the _Cormoran_ and the _Iltis_, were apparently sunk about
this time, either deliberately by the Germans, or from the fire of the
Japanese guns. A torpedo flotilla bombarded one of the barracks,
moreover, to some effect, while Japanese aeroplanes were also active.
Von Pluschow twice attempted to attack vessels of the blockading
squadron, but unsuccessfully, and on one occasion a Japanese aeroplane
pursuing him gave a German balloon, floating captive above the town,
some critical moments before it could be hauled to safety. A few days
later, about October 7, the rope which held this balloon was, during the
spasmodic firing, severed by a shot, and the great bag floated away,
apparently across the bay in the direction of Kiao-chau town and the
railway line inland. In this quarter, indeed, over the line itself,
serious friction had arisen between the Japanese and the Chinese
authorities.
[Sidenote: Railway seized.]
[Sidenote: China protests.]
The line ran from Tsing-tao and Kiao-chau to the junction of Tsi-nan, a
distance of about 250 miles, passing through the towns of Wei-hsien and
Tsing-chau. It was German built and almost wholly German owned. From
some points of view it might reasonably be said to constitute an
adjunct, if not a part, of the leased territory itself. In any case the
Japanese claimed that, since the outbreak of war, the line had been
consistently utilized to bring reservists, supplies, and ammunition to
the town. The Austrian crew of the disarmed _Kaiserin Elizabeth_, both
when they left and later returned to Tsing-tao, had used this means of
transit. The railway, being still under German control, constituted a
menace in the Japanese rear, which the latter, upon consolidating their
position towards the end of September, took measures to remove. After
occupying Wei-hsien, they began to arrange for the seizure of the whole
line as far as Tsi-nan itself. Hints of such action drew forth protests
from China, whose Government, however, adopted too compromising an
attitude. The Japanese Government was firm. China's right to formal
protest was admitted, but the occupation was stated to be an urgent
military necessity, and without any prejudice to Chinese claims after
the war. Since China was unable to enforce the neutrality of the line,
flagrantly violated by the Germans, the Japanese had no alternative but
to bring it under their own control. The Chino-German Treaty of 1898 and
the German Government's charter clearly proved that the railway was
essentially German. A compromise, hastened by the unhesitating and
thorough measures taken by the Japanese to effect the occupation, was
arrived at. The Japanese were temporarily to control the administration,
while the Chinese conducted the traffic, of the railway. Its fate, since
China did not admit the contention that it was purely German, was to be
decided after the war. A bellicose attitude noticeable in Chinese
military circles became very marked when, three days later, on October
6, unquestionably in breach of the arrangement, Japanese soldiers
arrived at Tsi-nan, and took over the control of the rolling stock on
the Shantung line. It was alleged at Peking that this force had declared
martial law in the town, which contained, indeed, many German
sympathizers who, rumour added, had destroyed several collieries there
in their anxiety to obstruct the Allies. But the Chinese Government
submitted under further strong protest, and with a request that the
troops should be withdrawn. The Japanese action occasioned, however,
further distrust among British residents in the Orient. Meanwhile, a
second British force, consisting of 500 Sikhs, was being prepared to
reinforce General Barnardiston.
[Sidenote: Non-combatants depart.]
[Sidenote: Heavy weather.]
[Sidenote: Difficulties on land.]
[Sidenote: Bombardment on Mikado's birthday.]
At one o'clock on October 12, Captain Meyer-Waldeck, the Governor of
Tsing-tao, received a joint wireless message from the commanders of the
besieging troops and the blockading squadron, offering a safe escort out
of the town of Tientsin of neutrals and non-combatants. He at once
assented. Delegates met next day at ten o'clock to discuss details, and
on the 15th the American consul, accompanied by German women and
children and Chinese subjects, left the town. On the previous day there
had been a combined sea and air attack upon forts Iltis and Kaiser, in
which the _Triumph_ participated and suffered the only Allied
casualties. It is recorded that, before reopening bombardment after the
departure of the non-combatants, the Japanese, ever polite, signalled
'Are you now quite ready, gentlemen?' For reply a German sniper, taking
careful but faulty aim, sent a bullet which removed three out of the
eleven hairs on the signalman's moustache. Two days later, days notable
for torrential rains, which intensified the discomforts of the troops
ashore, the Japanese suffered a severe naval loss. The _Takachiho_, an
old cruiser of some 3,000 tons, which had seen service in the
Chino-Japanese War, was on patrol duty on Saturday night, October 17,
when she fouled a mine, released by and adrift in the rough seas.
Destroyers hastened to her aid, but rescue work was difficult in the
darkness and the heavy weather. The cruiser sank rapidly. Two hundred
and seventy-one officers and seamen lost their lives. The rough weather
which contributed to the disaster continued with little break, and
hindered operations, till the end of the month. The landing of the Sikh
contingent at Laoshan Bay on October 21 was, indeed, attended by great
difficulties and some loss of life. A strong southerly gale had raised
high seas, and enormous lighters and sampans, employed for
disembarkation, were thrown high and dry upon the beach. Sixteen
Japanese were drowned in trying to save other boats that broke loose.
The Sikhs got safely ashore, but next morning again the winds blew and
the rains descended, and the camping-ground was soon a miry pool.
Circumstances other than the weather, however, helped to put the British
officers out of humour. Trouble ahead threatened in connexion with
transport arrangements. While the Chinese carts and drivers, brought
hurriedly from Tientsin, were doubtfully reliable, many of the mules
were raw and quite unused to harness. When a start for the front was
preparing on the morning of the 23rd, it was found that the best of the
harness, which had been purchased from peasants in the locality, had
been stolen in the night by the people who had brought it in, and that
what was left was tied up with string. The column, however, at length
set off, and made a march memorable for hardship and difficulty. From
Laoshan to Lutin, where a metalled road began, was 30 miles, crossed by
a track formed at one time by quagmire, at another by slippery boulders.
During eleven hours 6 miles were covered, by which time the Sikhs were
completely exhausted with digging carts or mules out of the mud, hauling
them out with drag-ropes, reloading overturned carts, or unloading those
immovable. Next day the column was on the road at seven o'clock, and
covered 13 miles. So deep was the mud in parts that when, owing to the
rotten harness giving way, a mule would occasionally lurch forward
suddenly and walk away by itself, the body of the cart would be left
floating on the surface. One cart was pulled completely off its axles by
a squad of men, and slid along admirably for a considerable distance.
Seventy Chinese wheelbarrows, however, obtained from a Japanese depot,
rendered invaluable aid on this day. Tsimo, the halting-place, was
reached in the evening, and next day, after the first ten miles, saw
plain sailing. A few days later, on October 30, after the Sikhs had
rested and recovered, the whole British force, now some 1,500 strong,
moved up to the front in readiness for the bombardment of Tsing-tao,
which had been arranged to begin next morning in celebration of the
birthday of the Mikado. Siege artillery, 150 pieces, including six
28-cm. howitzers and some heavy naval guns, had now been brought up and
placed in position. The shelling was timed to start, in royal salute, at
dawn.
[Sidenote: Oil-tanks blaze.]
Men who, stationed upon Prince Heinrich Hill, could look below upon the
doomed town, athwart the narrowing peninsula, with the sea, studded with
grey warships, surrounding, had before them a wonderful spectacle as the
morning sun, rising from the Pacific, slowly dispersed the darkness. The
thunder of the great guns broke suddenly upon that stillness which only
dawn knows, and their discharges flashed redly on the darkling slopes.
The Japanese shooting, it is related, displayed remarkable accuracy,
some of the first projectiles bursting upon the enormous oil-tanks of
the Standard Oil Company and the Asiatic Petroleum Company. A blaze
roared skywards, and for many hours the heavens were darkened by an
immense cloud of black petroleum smoke which hung like a pall over the
town. Shells passing over these fires drew up columns of flame to a
great height. Chinese coolies could be seen running before the spreading
and burning oil. Fires broke out also on the wharves of the outer
harbour, in which during the day a gunboat, apparently damaged fatally
by a shot which carried away her funnel, disappeared. The redoubts and
infantry works particularly were heavily bombarded. On the left of the
German line 100 Chinese in the village of Tao-tung-chien were
unfortunately caught by shell-fire directed on the redoubt close at
hand, while the fort of Siao-chau-shan, near by, was set afire. The tops
of several of the forts were soon concealed by clouds of dust and smoke.
A heavy fusillade was concentrated upon an observation point which the
defenders had constructed on a hill in the town, and had considerable
effect. The Germans did not on this first day of general bombardment
reply strongly, two only of the forts persistently firing. At length the
sun sank and night obscured the conflict. It had been a bad day for the
besieged: and dismantled guns, shattered concrete platforms and
entrenchments, devastated barbed-wire entanglements, augured the town's
approaching fate.
[Sidenote: Aeroplanes direct guns.]
[Sidenote: The _Triumph_ attacks Fort Bismarck.]
[Sidenote: _Kaiserin Elizabeth_ sinks.]
[Sidenote: Night activity.]
The bombardment continued for a week. During that period the Japanese
and British guns, directed from land and sea by a balloon, by
aeroplanes, or by observation stations on the hills, in daytime
thundered incessantly. The German shelling, though severe, was far less
heavy, because, it is said, the men in the forts, sheltering most of
the time in bomb-proof caverns, issued forth only at night, and during
pauses of the Japanese to return the fire. The airman von Pluschow
actively directed the replies. The latter seemed not, indeed,
impartially distributed. The marked attention paid to British troops and
ships afforded an illustration of that attitude of peculiar malevolence
which Germans have adopted towards the British nation and name. The
German airman singled out the British camp, recognizable by its white
tents, for his bombs, while for the German artillery it had an
inordinate attraction. Officers on board the _Triumph_, moreover,
observed that the largest German guns, of 12-inch calibre, were
consistently directed upon their vessel. But of many projectiles one
only, which struck the mast, being fired from Hui-tchien-huk, proved
effective. This hit, however, caused rejoicing in Tsing-tao which, it is
asserted, would not have been equalled by the sinking of a Japanese
Dreadnought. The _Triumph_ singled out for attack Fort Bismarck
especially, and two of the German 6-inch guns were early put out of
action. The British gunners adopted the ingenious plan of heeling their
ship by five degrees, and bombarding the enemy, from sight strips
specially calculated, without exposing themselves or their weapons. It
became customary aboard to call the bombardment 'pressing the enemy'
from an exhortation sent by the Japanese Crown Prince to 'press the
enemy, braving all hardships'. Ashore, indeed, the pressure on the enemy
developed steadily as the days passed. On November 2 the Austrian
cruiser _Kaiserin Elizabeth_, which had, with the German gunboats still
afloat, been engaging vigorously in the fighting, sank, having probably
been blown up deliberately, and the floating dock also disappeared.
Iltis Fort, moreover, was silenced, two guns being smashed and
ammunition giving out, and Japanese infantry advanced and captured an
eminence in German hands. On another ridge, however, hard by the
silenced fort, some German naval gunners carried out a ruse which saved
for the present both their position and their battery, composed of naval
9-cm. pieces, which were exposed dangerously to fire from sea and land.
Lieutenant von Trendel, in command, during the night constructed wooden
models of cannon, which he placed in position 200 yards from his real
guns. Next morning he exploded powder near by, and drew the fire of the
besiegers, attracted by the flashes, upon the dummies. That day the
wireless and electric power stations were wrecked, and large attacking
forces crept further forward, despite severe fire, and entrenched closer
to the enemy's lines. In the evening and night the latter showed special
activity, star rockets and other fireworks being used to illumine the
opposing positions, which were heavily fusilladed. A German night-attack
was delivered, but was repulsed. Next day, the 4th, and on the two
following days, progress was maintained. The Allied trenches were pushed
forward until they were right up to and almost half round the nearest
German forts. Many casualties were suffered, but the German fire was
kept down by the Japanese guns, whose accuracy was remarkable. The
weather conditions were unfavourable, high winds and heavy rains
prevailing, and the troops in the trenches had to endure hard
privations. So effective was the bombardment, however, that during
November 5 and 6 plans were prepared for the final assault. It was
arranged that a general infantry attack should be made as soon as
practicable. The garrisons in the forts, meanwhile, were beginning to
exhaust their ammunition, of which they had been, during the
preliminary operations, strangely prodigal. Guns lay silent for other
reasons than structural injury, though the latter cause, indeed, was
frequent, a single shot, in one case, from the _Suwo_, the Japanese
flagship, having destroyed a 24-cm. gun and killed eight men on Fort
Hui-tchien-huk. In the town itself the streets, not immune from falling
projectiles, were deserted, and the only centre of social intercourse
and conviviality was the German Club, where regularly officers or
non-combatants slipped in for dinner, luncheon, or a glass of beer. But
it was realized that the end was not far distant.
[Sidenote: Central redoubt taken.]
[Sidenote: Mass attack on forts.]
[Sidenote: The white flag.]
Early in the morning of November 6 the airman von Pluschow flew away
across Kiao-chau Bay, and did not return. He escaped with the Governor's
last dispatches into Chinese territory, where his machine was interned.
That day and night saw no cessation of the firing, the guns of the
defenders still roaring at intervals. About an hour after midnight the
first impulse of the general attack took effect. While a particularly
heavy artillery fire kept the Germans in their bomb-proof shelters, the
central redoubt of the first line of defence, which had been badly
shattered by the bombardment, was rushed by a storming party headed by
General Yoshimi Yamada. Engineers had in the darkness sapped right up to
the barbed-wire entanglements, which being cut provided way for the
infantry, who, while part held the enemy in front, rushed the redoubt on
both flanks. Two hundred prisoners were taken, and the Japanese flag was
hoisted. The besiegers were through the German line, but the position
had to be consolidated, or disaster would follow. Danger from the flank
was, however, soon obviated by advances in other parts of the line. Just
after five o'clock a battery on Shao-tan Hill was captured; half an hour
later another battery in Tao-tung-chien redoubt was taken, and Fort
Chung-shan-wa, the base of the German right wing, fell. The shadows were
still dense, and the final phase of the siege, viewed from Prince
Heinrich Hill, presented a sight brilliant with many flashes and flaming
fireworks, and a sound dominated by the thunder of the batteries. But
dawn, as the besiegers began in mass to close in upon the main line of
forts Iltis, Moltke, and Bismarck, was breaking. It was decided to storm
these positions forthwith, since the German fire, owing to exhaustion of
the ammunition, was dying away. Governor Meyer-Waldeck, who had been
wounded, realized now that further resistance was futile. Shortly before
six o'clock he sent Major von Kayser, his adjutant, accompanied by
another officer and a trumpeter, from the staff headquarters bearing the
white flag: at the same time a signal of surrender was made from the
Observatory. This was not, however, observed, while von Kayser's party,
coming under fire, was dispersed by a shell which killed the trumpeter
and the adjutant's horse. Meanwhile, Japanese and British were closing
in, and were tensely awaiting the final assault. It was never made. Soon
after seven o'clock a welcome sight relaxed the tension of the troops,
torn, dirty, and weary, calling forth cheers from the British, and
shouts of 'Banzai!' from the Japanese. The campaign was over: Tsing-tao
had fallen. White flags were fluttering from the forts.
[Sidenote: Terms of capitulation.]
[Sidenote: War material taken.]
[Sidenote: Cost of victory.]
That evening delegates from the two armies met and signed the terms of
capitulation, which were unconditional. Honours of war were accorded the
defenders, the Governor and his officers being permitted to retain their
swords. The Allies marched into the town, and on November 10 the
garrison was formally transferred. Over 4,000 Germans were sent to
Japan as prisoners, and large quantities of war material were
confiscated. The captures included 30 field-guns, 100 machine-guns,
2,500 rifles, 40 motor-cars, L1,200 in bullion, and 15,000 tons of coal.
All ships in harbour, and also the floating dock, had been destroyed,
but it seemed probable that the _Kaiserin Elizabeth_ could be
successfully raised. Sufficient provisions were found to feed 5,000
persons for three months, and the victors were able to regale their
appetites with luxuries such as butter, crab, or salmon, which were
plentiful. Looting, however, was strictly forbidden. For fastidious
persons the bath, after many weeks, was again available, and proved,
indeed, in view of steady accumulations of mud, a salutary course.
Measures, meanwhile, were at once taken to restore the town to its
normal condition. The troops and sailors were employed in removing
debris or undischarged land and sea mines. Another Japanese gunboat was
sunk, and several officers and men lost their lives, while engaged in
this dangerous work. The victory had to be paid for, indeed, with a
heavy toll of life and limb. The Japanese casualties numbered 236 killed
and 1,282 wounded; the British, 12 killed and 53 wounded. On November 16
the Allies formally took possession of Tsing-tao; and a memorial service
was held for the dead.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: Plan for Dardanelles campaign.]
The plan of breaking through the Straits of the Dardanelles, and thus
clearing the way to Constantinople, is believed to have been conceived
by Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the British Admiralty. After
careful consideration it was approved by the military and naval
authorities, and plans were made to carry out the project. The initial
steps are described in the following chapter.
GALLIPOLI
A. JOHN GALLISHAW
Copyright, Century Magazine, July, 1916.
[Sidenote: The Newfoundlanders in the War.]