Japan In WW1?????? Does anyone have info?

[Hunter]

So in my never ending thirst for military history I found some thing interesting. References to Japans involvement in WW1. Now my high school teachers never mentioned them nor did any text books. Now years later and maybe I missed that class but why were we not taught about it. Dose anyone have any info: Books, websites, general info.

Most interesting thing I have found thus far is an image of a gun turret on a German fort, destroyed by Japanese shelling at Tsing-tau. And the attached propaganda image from WW1.

 

[napoleon526]

I think that the Japanese bombed some of the German-owned islands in the Pacific. Other than that, I don't know.

 

[napoleon526]

I found out that Japan declared war on Germany on August 23 1914, but that's all.

edit: Japan mobilized only 75,000 troops and suffered 3314 casualties.

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

They were scarfing up German Colonies in the Pacific.

 

[napoleon526]

Here's some more specific info:

Britain, by signing a mutual defence treaty with Japan in 1902 gave Japan main responsibility for Far Eastern waters. Japan then declared war on the 23rd August 1914, partly with the aim of capturing the German base of Tsingtao on mainland China and occupying the German Marshall and Caroline Island groups in the Western Pacific. Tsingtao was besieged and taken on the 7th November 1914 by a largely Japanese naval and land force with a token Western Allied presence.

By then, the German island groups had been occupied by ships of the First Fleet. Japanese warships of the Third Fleet also helped escort ANZAC troopships across the Indian Ocean and others took part in the hunt for German light cruiser 'Emden' in the East Indies and Indian Ocean, and for Adm von Spee’s East Asiatic Squadron in the Pacific Ocean - the latter leading to the Battle of Coronel and ending with the Battle of the Falklands. Until 1917, the Navy stayed in the Far East, for example helping British forces to put down a mutiny in Singapore in February 1915. Then from April 1917, an eventual total of 14 destroyers with cruiser flagships were based at Malta playing an important and efficient part in anti-submarine convoy escort.

Most Japanese wartime losses apart from the Tsingtau operation, were due to accidents, but in the Mediterranean, one destroyer was torpedoed and badly damaged.

After the war, Japan joined the Allies in Far East operations against the Bolsheviks.

 

[joespaniel]

I like Montenegro's flag. It says "hi".

They must be very friendly.

 

[napoleon526]

Naval losses by year:

1914 - destroyer 'Shirotaye', protected cruiser 'Takachio'
1916 - protected cruiser 'Kasagi'
1917 - 2nd class battlecruiser 'Tsukuba', protected cruiser 'Otowa'
1918 - dreadnought 'Kawachi'

 

[napoleon526]

Originally posted by joespaniel
I like Montenegro's flag. It says "hi".

They must be very friendly.

They're like Russians, but friendlier!

 

[Hunter]

Thank you. I wonder why Japan is a forgotten member in the Great War their roll seems at least equal to many other smaller nations. As well I had no Idea they helped with the Bolsheviks (a battle I am still learning about). Where did you find this info?

 

[Knight-Dragon]

A note on why Japan was embroiled in WW1.

They're interested in expanding their colonial holdings, at the expense of the Germans. Were esp eyeing the German holdings at Qingdao.

The Japanese were also embroiled with the Bolsheviks with an eye for possible new territories. I believe their forces occupied Vladivostok at one point.

 

[Shady]

Originally posted by joespaniel
I like Montenegro's flag. It says "hi".

They must be very friendly.

lol

Funny thing is 4.5 of those allies going forward got suckerpunched in the war.

 

[redtom]

Was Montenegro invaded, or just:
"I know what I'm a tiny country I want a bit of the action, I might gain concessions".- The Germans must have been quaking in their thigh length boots

I kinda reminds of the film "The mouse that roared"

 

[MajorGeneral2]

Japan basically entered so they could snatch up the German colonies in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The real focus in the war was the Western front. That was where the war would be decided, not by Russia, Italy, Africa, etc. Obviously, Japan didn't do anything there. In fact, Japan did very little at all during the war, IIRC. At least, not anything that would greatly harm the German war effort.