The Bombardment of Papeete occurred in
French Polynesia
)Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze")
, anthem =
, song_type = Regional anthem
, song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui"
, image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of Frenc ...
when
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
warships attacked on 22 September 1914, during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The German
armoured cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...
s and entered the port of
Papeete
Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The Communes of France, commune of Papeete is located on the isl ...
on the island of
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
and sank the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
gunboat and freighter ''Walküre'' before bombarding the town's fortifications. French
shore batteries
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to faci ...
and a gunboat resisted the German intrusion but were greatly outgunned. The main German objective was to seize the coal piles stored on the island, but these were destroyed by the French at the start of the action.
The German vessels were largely undamaged but the French lost their
gunboat. Several of Papeete's buildings were destroyed and the town's economy was severely disrupted. The main strategic consequence of the engagement was the disclosure of the cruisers' positions to the
British Admiralty
The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...
, which led to the
Battle of Coronel where the entire
German East Asia Squadron
The German East Asia Squadron (german: Kreuzergeschwader / Ostasiengeschwader) was an Imperial German Navy cruiser squadron which operated mainly in the Pacific Ocean between the mid-1890s until 1914, when it was destroyed at the Battle of the Fa ...
defeated a
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
squadron. The depletion of ''Scharnhorst''s and ''Gneisenau''s ammunition at Papeete also contributed to their subsequent destruction at the
Battle of the Falklands
The Battle of the Falkland Islands was a First World War naval action between the British Royal Navy and Imperial German Navy on 8 December 1914 in the South Atlantic. The British, after their defeat at the Battle of Coronel on 1 November, sen ...
.
Background
Word of war reached Admiral
Maximilian von Spee
Maximilian Johannes Maria Hubert Reichsgraf von Spee (22 June 1861 – 8 December 1914) was a naval officer of the German ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy), who commanded the East Asia Squadron during World War I. Spee entered the navy in ...
—of the German East Asia Squadron—while at
Ponape
Ponape may refer to:
* Pohnpei, an island in the Federated States of Micronesia
* ''Ponape'' (barque), a German sailing ship
{{disambiguation ...
(17 July – 6 August). He concentrated the majority of his squadron at
Pagan Island
Pagan is a volcanic island in the Marianas archipelago in the northwest Pacific Ocean, under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It lies midway between Alamagan to the south, and Agrihan to the north. The islan ...
in the nearby Mariana Islands, and then steamed off into the Pacific with the
''Scharnhorst''-class armored cruisers and , the
''Königsberg''-class light cruiser , the
auxiliary cruiser SMS ''Titania'', and several
colliers at his disposal. ''Nürnberg'' and ''Titania'' were sent to gather intelligence at
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
and
raid the cable station at Fanning Island. Von Spee then learned that Australian and New Zealand forces had
captured German Samoa, and he sailed off in his flagship ''Scharnhorst''—along with her
sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
''Gneisenau''—to engage what Allied forces they could find there. Failing to catch the
Samoa Expeditionary Force
The Samoa Expeditionary Force (SEF) was a small volunteer force of approximately 1,400 men raised in New Zealand shortly after the outbreak of World War I to seize and destroy the German wireless station in German Samoa in the south-west Pacific ...
at
Apia
Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...
and having seen no action at all since leaving Pagan Island, the men of Admiral von Spee's armored cruisers were eager to meet the enemy in battle.
Von Spee decided to raid
Papeete
Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The Communes of France, commune of Papeete is located on the isl ...
in
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
on his way to rendezvous with the rest of his squadron at
Easter Island
Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...
. The French held over of high-quality
Cardiff coal at the port, and von Spee hoped to seize the coal piles to replenish his squadron's supply. Additionally, von Spee aimed at destroying what allied shipping he could find in the harbour, and thought the raid might help raise his men's morale. Von Spee intended to coal at
Suwarrow Atoll before sailing to Papeete, but was prevented by foul weather.
Instead, von Spee decided to take ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau'' and attempt to resupply at
Bora Bora while ''Nürnberg'' and ''Titania'' were dispatched to
Nuku Hiva to guard the fleet's colliers. The German admiral intended to keep his vessels' identities secret by disguising them as French ships, flying French flags, and only allowing French- and English-speaking members of his crew contact with the Frenchmen present there.
Von Spee managed to replenish his food stores using gold seized by ''Titania'' and ''Nürnberg'' during their raid of Fanning, and was able to discover the strength of the French military in the region as well as the exact size and positions of the coal piles at Papeete.
[Jose, p. 558]
The French had no heavy defenses at Papeete but had been warned that von Spee's squadron might raid Tahiti and that a German squadron had been sighted off Samoa. Although Papeete was the capital of the
French Settlements in Oceania
)Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze")
, anthem =
, song_type = Regional anthem
, song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui"
, image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of Frenc ...
, by 1914 it had become a colonial backwater, lacking a
wireless station and having a garrison of only 25 colonial infantry and 20
gendarme
Wrong info! -->
A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "Man-at-arms, men-at-arms" ...
s.
In order to bolster the town's defenses,
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
Maxime Destremau—commander of the old wooden gunboat and the ranking officer at Papeete—had his ship's stern gun and all of her and guns removed from his vessel and placed ashore to be used in place of Papeete's antiquated
land batteries.
Several
Ford trucks were turned into impromptu
armored cars by mounting them with ''Zélée''s 37-mm guns and 160 sailors and marines drilled in preparation to repel any German attempt at landing.
''Zélée'' retained only her 100-mm bow gun and 10 men under the ship's second in command.
In addition to the gunboat and harbor fortifications, the French also had at Papeete the unarmed German
freighter ''Walküre'', which had been captured by ''Zélée'' at the start of the war. Despite the French preparations, the two German cruisers were more than a match for the forces Destremau commanded at Papeete. Both ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau'' heavily outgunned ''Zélée'', each being armed with eight guns, six guns, eighteen guns, and four torpedo tubes. Von Spee's forces also outnumbered the French with over 1,500 sailors aboard their vessels, more than enough to form a landing party and overwhelm the forces Destremau had to oppose them.
Battle
![Le lieutenant de vaisseau Destremau et son état major à Papeete en 1914](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Le_lieutenant_de_vaisseau_Destremau_et_son_%C3%A9tat_major_%C3%A0_Papeete_en_1914.jpg)
At 07:00 on 22 September 1914, the French sighted two unidentified cruisers approaching the harbor of Papeete. The alarm was raised, the harbor's signal beacons destroyed, and three
warning shot
In military and police contexts, a warning shot is an intentionally harmless artillery shot or gunshot with intent to enact direct compliance and order to a hostile perpetrator or enemy forces. It is recognized as signalling intended confronta ...
s were fired by the French batteries to signal the approaching cruisers that they must identify themselves.
The cruisers replied with a shot of their own and raised the
German colors, signaling the town to
surrender. The French refused the German demands, and von Spee's vessels began to shell the shore batteries and town from a distance of . The land batteries and the gunboat in the harbor returned fire but scored no hits on the armored cruisers. Having difficulty in discovering the exact position of the French batteries, the German cruisers soon turned their attention to the French shipping in the harbor.
[Hough, p. 48]
The French commander—Destremau—had ordered the coal piles burned at the start of the action and now smoke began billowing over the town. ''Zélée'' and ''Walküre'' were sighted and fired upon by the Germans. The French had begun to
scuttle their vessels when the action had begun, but both were still afloat when ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau'' began firing upon them and finished the two ships off. By now, most of the Papeete's inhabitants had fled and the town had caught fire from the German shelling, with two
blocks of Papeete set alight.
[American Forestry, p. 554] With the coal piles destroyed and the threat of
mine
Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to:
Extraction or digging
* Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging
*Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine
Grammar
*Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun
...
s in the harbor, von Spee saw no meaningful purpose in making a landing. Accordingly, the German admiral withdrew his ships from Papeete's harbor by 11:00.
After leaving Papeete, the ships steamed out towards Nuku Hiva to meet ''Nürnberg'', ''Titania'', and colliers waiting there.
Aftermath
![WalkureSunk](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/WalkureSunk.jpg)
By the time von Spee withdrew his ships, large portions of the town had been destroyed. Two entire blocks of Papeete had burnt to the ground before the fires were finally put out. A
copra
Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from copr ...
store, a market, and several other buildings and residences were among those destroyed by the shellfire and resulting inferno. While the majority of Papeete's civilians fled to the interior of the island as soon as the fighting began, a Japanese civilian and a
Polynesian boy were both killed by German shellfire. Although the two French vessels in the harbor had been sunk, there were no military casualties on either side and the German vessels took no damage. Overall, the bombardment was estimated in 1915 to have caused over 2 million
francs' worth of property damage, some of which was recouped through the seizure of a German store on the island.
In addition to the seizure of their property, several local Germans were
interned
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
and forced to repair the damage von Spee's squadron had caused. Perhaps the most lasting effect of the bombardment on the French was the dramatic fall of copra prices in the region, as local suppliers had previously sold a majority of their produce to German merchants in the area who were now interned. Further havoc and distress spread throughout the island 18 days after von Spee's squadron had left when rumors started to spread that a second German bombardment was about to begin.
After withdrawing, ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau'' rendezvoused with ''Nürnberg'' and ''Titania'' at Nuku Hiva, where they resupplied and their crews took
shore leave before moving on to meet the rest of the squadron at Easter Island.
Although the Germans had destroyed the shipping at Papeete and wreaked havoc in the town, they had been denied their primary objective of seizing the French coal piles and replenishing their own stocks. Von Spee's raid allowed the British Admiralty to receive word on his position and heading, allowing them to inform Rear Admiral
Christopher Cradock of the German intentions thus leading to the
Battle of Coronel. Another effect was the reduction of ammunition available to the two German cruisers. The hundreds of shells fired by von Spee's ships at Papeete were irreplaceable. The depletion of ammunition as a result of the action at Papeete contributed to the German East Asia Squadron's failure to adequately defend itself at the
Battle of the Falkland Islands against British
battlecruiser
The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of attr ...
s.
[Freeman, p. 274] Lieutenant Destremau was chastised by his misinformed superior officer for his actions during the defense of Papeete and for the loss of the gunboat ''Zélée''. He was summoned back to Toulon under arrest to be court-martialled but died of illness in 1915 before the trial. In 1918, Destremau was finally recognized for his actions at Papeete and was posthumously awarded the ''
Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
''.
Citations
References
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Further reading
*
* Heinz Burmester
''Die Beschießung von Papeete durch deutsche Panzerkreuzer – ein neutraler Bericht'' Deutsches Schiffahrtsarchiv 7, 1984, pp. 147–152.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Papeete, Bombardment of
1914 in France
Conflicts in 1914
History of French Polynesia
1914 in French Polynesia
Naval battles of the Asian and Pacific Theatre (World War I)
Naval battles of World War I involving France
Naval battles of World War I involving Germany
September 1914 events