PLACES IN THE SUN.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 November 1918, Page 2

PLACES IN THE SUN.

• GERMANY'S LOST COLONIES, i ; NOT A VESTIGE LEFT.' - A ItECOBD OP .VANISHED HOPE. At the outbreak of war, Germany had. the following oversea possessions:— . Jn Africa: I. South-west Africa. 322,450 square miles, bordering upon the Union of South Africa on the south, Beehuanaland oil the east, and Portuguese Angola ou the north. 2. The Cameroous (191,130 square miles) lying between Nigeria, the Soudan, and Ereueh Equatorial Africa. 3. Togoland (33.700 square miles) west of Nigeria. 4. German East Africa (384,318 square miles) surrounded by British East Africa on the north, the Belgian Congo on tlie west, and lihodesia and Portuguese East Africa on the south.

In the Pacific: 1. The northern part of the eastern half of New Guinea (70,000 square miles) with the outlying islands of the Bismarck Archipelago. 2. The Ladrone or Marianne, Caroline, and Marshall Archipelagoes (about 500 square miles) lying north and north-east of Now Guinea. 3, 'Part of Samoa (1009 square mile 3).

In Asia: A small "concession" at Kiao Chau (200 square miles) on the coast of Shantung, leased for 99 years from the Chinese, but turned into an apparently permanent stronghold by the fortification of Tsingtau.

These colonies formed the skeleton of a future empire of much greater cohesion, and in Africa Germany hoped to establish a solid belt of colonial territory extending across the Continent, by tho acquisition of the Belgian Congo. Outside Africa her colonies must be regarded as chiefly valuaible as naval bases. Nowhere had the Germans shown any genius for the coloniastion of the acquired territories in the true , sense, and their efforts" were chiefly notable for their senseless brutality.

To-day not a vestige of tho late German colonies is in German hands.

011 29th August, the first force despatched from New Zealand landed in Samoa and took possession. German New Guinea, or Kaiser Wilhelm's Land, was occupied 'by an Australian force at tho end of September without serious opposition, and a branch force, after some fighting seized the Bismarck archipelago, Early in October the Japanese took possession of the chief islands of the Caroline, Ladrone, and "Marshall groups, and Germany's footholds in the Pacific were all gone. The fortress at Tsingtau enabled the German pied-a-terre in Asia to be stoutly defended, and its capture was quite a serious operation. A Japaneso ultimatum sent on 15th August demanded that the German warships (mostly small [vessels) should.be withdrawn from Chinese and Japanese waters and the whole TCiaochau given up to JTapan for eventual return to China. No reply was sent, and Japan declared war on 23rd August. Austria-Hungary, which had a cruiser ac. Kiaochau, declared war on Japan two days later. On the 27th the Japanese blockaded the harbor, and operating from adjacent islands which had 'been seized proceeded to the attack. On 18th September troops were landed, and a small British force joined them on the 24th. The fortress finally surrendered on 7th November, 1914. The Austrian cruiser and most of the German warships had been sunk .by the attackers or by their own crews. The first of the African colonies to fall was Togoland, which surrendered on August, 1914. The capital of the Cameroons, Daala, was occupied by Allied troops in September, hut the German forces continued guerilla warfare stubbornly and it was not till February, 1910, tlhat the conquest was completedGerman South-west Africa succumbed to a brilliant campaign conducted by General Botha, who by the end of Deember, 1914, had stamped out the South African rebellion and was free to take a share in the work of the Empire. Preliminary movements, including the occupation of Luderitz Bay, had -begun as early as September, but had been suspended by the rebellion. Walfisch Bay was taken on Xmas Day, and Swakopmund on the 11th January, 1915. The Germans' position was hopeless, but they compelled the South African forces to carry out the campaign to the bitter end. On 12th May Windhuk, the capital, was entered, and finally the Ge/ man forces surrendered unconditionally on flth July, IMS.

The East campaign was ever more drawn out. Whereas in South-west Africa the chief natural difficulties were those of the desert areas, in East Africa the jungle provided the greatest obstacles. The influence of these elements can lie realised when it is stated that South-west Africa and German East Africa are both larger than New South Wales. The East African campaign gradually eliminated the strong German forces which were originally organised, hut the dwindling remnant though herded about the vast country refused to surrender. It was December, 1917, before the conquest could be regarded as complete, and for manymonths after that the "British force's were still hunting the German troop about the fringes of the colony.