An Italian postcard map of central and southern Africa with insets for New Guinea and Kiautschau, China, with the colonies of Italy, Britain, France, Portugal, Spain, Germany, and Belgium.

Il tramonto dell'impero coloniale tedesco

The sunset of the German colonial empire



Reverse:

Censura sottoprefettura Terni del 25-5-17 Censorship of the Terni sub-prefecture 25/05/17



Logo: IPA CT Gromo

130



Added stamped text:

Sammlung J. Thomas, Sachrang/Obb.

Collection of J. Thomas, Sachrang / Bavaria.

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In the Far East, Germany had seized Tsingtao and Kiaochow from China in 1898. When war began, Japan offered to help Britain take Tsingtao. The city fell to the allies on November 7, 1914.

Germany's East Asiatic Squadron under von Spee escaped from Tsingtao. Emden broke off for the Indian Ocean, but the rest of the fleet continued east as the South Seas Squadron, but could not rely on safe harbor in German colonies.

The New Zealand Expeditionary Force seized the German protectorate of Samoa on August 29. On September 11, Australian naval and military forces attacked the wireless station at Bita Paku in German Guinea, losing six dead and four wounded, Australia's first casualties in the war. German forces in the colony surrendered to the Australians on September 21.

The five German ships left Easter Island in October 18. On October 30, 30 British ships were hunting von Spee. On November 1, he engaged the British South Atlantic Squadron off the coast of Chile in the Battle of Coronel. The British ships were obsolete and hopelessly outmatched, as von Spee's ships were faster, with more powerful guns of greater range. The victorious German Squadron used much of its ammunition in the battle and could not replace it.

The South Seas Squadron continued around the Horn to the South Atlantic where it lost the Battle of the Falklands on December 8, 1914.

In 1918 Americans, Japanese, and British used Russia's Pacific port of Vladivostok as a base for their anti-Bolshevik campaign. The Czech Legion, 45,000 strong, former Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war who had fought with the Russians, crossed Russia to the city in their long journey home.

Pacific Ocean is an ocean.