Jiaozhou Bay, Shandong Peninsula
Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory, City of Tsingtao
German Empire
September 1914/June 1812
Officially, 1st Lieutenant Jack Evans was just another American tourist on a trip through China. One where he indulged himself in the pleasures to be found in the various westernized cities of said country, and generally just having a good time. And if he was being honest with himself, he was having a good time.
Unofficially though, he was sent to reconnoiter various ports and military installations across this region of China, specifically the Japanese port of Riojun, and the German port of Tsingtao. While the United States wasn't at war with either nation, the two aforementioned nations were rivals to the United States, and posed a threat to America's Pacific holdings. The United States needed to be prepared for the eventuality of war with either nation, and that's how Evans found himself in Tsingtao in the first place.
Not long after arriving in the city, war had broken out between the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance, and Japan, in accordance with the Anglo-Japanese, had joined Britain in its war against Germany. Japan then gave Germany an ultimatum to withdraw from its holdings in China, or face consequences. The Kaiser, who had stated that the fall of Tsingtao to Japan would be worse than Berlin falling to the Russians. Thus, he had ordered his soldiers and sailors to defend the city.
Before long, the city and port was under siege by forces of the British and Japanese Empires, and Lieutenant Evans was stuck right in the middle of it. A few days later, British and Japanese ships had been sighted off the coast, and German coastal batteries opened fire on them. What few German ships were present dared not sortie in the face of the overwhelming superiority of the British and Japanese fleets. Then, on September 2nd, a bright flash of light overtook the city, and everything changed.
A bright flash of light, which Evans first took for a massive explosion, reflexively made him hit the ground, and shield himself from any potential shrapnel. Everyone around him had done the same thing. But there was no sound, no explosion, no shaking of the Earth. Nothing. When he got up and dusted himself off, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, nothing seemed to have changed at all.
The only thing that seemed to have changed was the site of a Japanese destroyer that ran aground in the bay, which soon found itself being shelled by the German gunboats, who promptly sank her. It was then that Evans noticed something was wrong. As he looked out into the bay, most of the British and Japanese ships were gone, and everything outside the city looked…different. Settlements and towns that were once outside the territory controlled by the Germans were either gone, or weren't the same as before.
The German defenders rejoiced at what seemed to be an act of god favoring the Germans, as what few ships remained in the bay soon withdrew further out, and the yellow skinned hordes of Japanese troops they had expected, didn't come. The Germans had won before the siege had even started. Or so it had seemed.
A few days later, a group of strange looking and very fast planes flew over the port, obviously performing reconnaissance, but otherwise not attacking. It was then that the Germans sent up planes of their own, two Etrich Taube monoplanes, to try and investigate. That was a mistake. One of the strange planes swooped down onto the German planes, lights began to wink on its wings, followed by the booming sound of cannon fire, and the German planes practically disintegrated mid air.
Some of the Germans fired on the planes, which also proved to be a fatal mistake. Two of the planes dove down towards the ground and opened fire on groups of German soldiers. Evans watched in horror as the green colored planes, guns firing away all the while, turned large groups of men into bloody chunks of meat all across the street and walls of the city. But what terrified Evans even more was the sight of the Rising Sun on the wings of the planes, identifying them as Japanese planes.
But that wasn't possible! Not even Britain, Germany, or the United States had planes that fast, or that well armed! How could a bunch of yellow skinned, slant eyed savages create such things? Then he thought back to the Russo-Japanese War, where the Russians had been utterly humiliated repeatedly by the Japanese Empire, and had been defeated by Japan. Such a victory had stunned the world, and made many reevaluate their opinions on Japan, and what they were capable of.
But what Evans had seen shouldn't have been possible. The planes he'd seen looked nothing like anything anyone had! None of this made any sense. Luckily, things were quiet for the next few days, with the eerie silence of the streets punctuated only by the droning of plane engines overhead. Planes that were larger than the ones before, and in far greater numbers.
A single Japanese battleship, one cruiser, and one British battleship, with two destroyers still remained just off the coast, well out of the range of German guns. Despite this, the ships present in port did not attempt to sortie, as they were still hopelessly outgunned. Then, many smoke trails became visible over the horizon, and by the following day, a massive fleet, one much larger than had been present previously, took up positions outside the bay, effectively blockading it.
Then there was the Japanese division which landed the day of the bright flash, and which was also surrounding the city. Things looked bleak for the German and Austro-Hungarian defenders of Tsingtao.
Then, two days later, three boats, under flag of truce, rowed to port. One boat was all British sailors, while the other two were mostly Japanese, with a few white faces mixed in with them. Faces he didn't recognize, and one which wore a uniform that looked German, but clearly wasn't. Some were even Americans.
Evans followed the group as inconspicuously as he could until they reached the administrative building, at which point he couldn't follow. What he could do was hang around and watch the building. After about an hour, some of the men who escorted the Japanese and British inside, walked out of the building, and looked pale. The expressions on their faces were a mixture of disbelief, shock, anger, and fear. It was then that Evans decided he could afford to get a little bit closer, and as subtly as he could, approached a street vendor that was nearby, and pretended to browse while listening in on the conversation between a group of German soldiers.
"They say they are from the year 1941 and that this city belongs to them in that year, and that they want it back!" One of them said.
"That's impossible! How could they be from the future? Those slant eyed savages are obviously lying." A second replied. "Those yellow skinned bastards just want us to surrender without a siege! Look at the fleet they had off our shores and how it disappeared! They are desperate!"
"He's not lying Günter!" A third voice protested. "They brought British, German, and even Americans with them. Ones who also claim to come from the future, and ones who don't wish to see us slaughtered by the Japanese. They say that Germany and Japan are allies against Britain in the future, and that they wish to avoid further bloodshed!"
This made Evans raise an eyebrow and briefly turn his head towards the Germans, who were too focused on each other to notice him. Future Americans?
"You saw what their planes did to Johan's squad!" The first voice added. "They pulverized them and nothing we fired at them did a damn thing! They have a fleet larger than any we've ever seen just off the coast, and you know full well help isn't coming!"
"They are even in contact with Berlin right now!" The third voice said. "They are trying to work out a solution so they don't have to take this port by force."
"And if we refuse to surrender the city?" Günter asked, a smug expression on his face clearly visible as Evans looked back once more. "What will they do then, Josef?"
Josef swallowed and let out a ragged sigh before answering.
"Our own future consulate staff, as well as the British and Americans, told us about what the Japanese Army did in its war against China in the future. They acted like pure savages, raping, murdering, and burning whole cities, and they said if we didn't give them the city, and force them to take it, they'll brutalize it while taking it!" Josef explained, his fists tightening around the sling of his rifle. "Take a look out there, Günter! Look at those ships, those planes that fly over our heads every day! If we try to defend this city, we will lose!"
As if on cue, a dozen planes flew overhead, the roar of their engines drowning out all sound below them. The smaller of the planes flew downward, flying overhead at rooftop height far faster than anything they'd ever seen before. The Japanese were taunting the Germans, and showing them they couldn't fight back. Even Günter looked uncomfortable as he looked up at the planes, as if finally realizing the futility of resistance.
"You said they are in contact with Berlin?" Günter asked, and the other man nodded. "What makes you think the Kaiser will believe what he's told? Maybe he'll just order us to hold this city anyway, and then we'll all die."
"That's…the other thing. There are panicked reports coming from Berlin. Something about a large French Army armed with muskets and cannon on the border of Alsace and Poland. And something about the year 1812." Josef said, and Günter looked at him as if he were mad. But before he could say something, the first man picked up where Josef left off.
"And something about the United States we only heard bits and pieces of. Point is Günter, something very bad has happened! We all saw that light, and then this all happened! We are needed back home to defend The Reich, not lording over some slant eyed Chinese peasants in this shithole! If the Japanese want it, let them have it!"
Once more, engines droned overhead as yet another flight, this time much larger than the previous, flew overhead. Most of the planes were larger ones, with a few smaller ones escorting it along the side. They flew further inland, over the nearby villages and towns that surrounded the city and its port.
"What the hell!" Evans exclaimed as he watched men begin to jump out of the large planes, white parachutes opening after them as they slowly floated down to the ground. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of soldiers were landing all around the base. Within minutes, they'd have the base surrounded, and would begin to dig in. If they kept this up, they'd outnumber the defending Germans in a few days. And if that fleet, and all those planes were any indication of what the Japanese could do…things looked bleak for the defenders of Tsingtao. Come to think of it, things didn't look good for him either, or any of the white people residing in the city.
"Maybe you're right, Ludwig," Günter said, letting out a tired sigh, his face showing a degree of hopelessness as he looked up at the planes. "But what's to stop the Japanese from demanding Samoa or New Guinea next? We took these lands at great cost to us, and we need them for our empire! Our navy especially needs the coaling stations we've set up on them!"
"None of that will matter if the Japanese take the city by force!" Ludwig argued. "We can't rely on help from Germany, nor our navy! Or do you not recall what happened to the Russians in 1905?"
Günter winced at the thought. He was a little boy when the Russians sent their Baltic Fleet to fight the Japanese Navy in the Tsushima Strait. The battle had been a one sided massacre that saw nearly the entire Russian fleet destroyed or captured, including all its battleships. Granted, most Germans viewed the Russians as little more than barbarians, but they were still white men, and a great power in Europe to boot. The defeat of the Russian Navy forced serious changes in how the German Empire viewed and dealt with the Japanese from then on.
"Yeah, I remember," Günter grudgingly replied. "But we've already lost Samoa to the Australians and New Zealanders, and they should have already invaded New Guinea. This is our last colony in the Pacific that we still control!" Again, Ludwig shook his head.
"No, Günter, it's not!" Ludwig insisted. "Yes, the New Zealanders have landed on Samoa, and the Australians have attacked New Guinea, but no invasion force has taken New Guinea, and there never will be!"
"What do you mean?"
"We are still in contact with Germany, as well as New Guinea, and even Samoa! That same flash of light we saw here happened there too! All over the Empire! They've reported the same things we have here! Everything outside of Germany looks completely different! No fortifications on the French border, no Royal Navy in the North Sea, nothing. Our planes even flew unmolested over France, and not even the Eiffel Tower could be seen in Paris!"
"How is that possible?" Günter said incredulously.
"God has smiled on us, Günter!" Josef added with a wide smile. "In all his wisdom, he has sent The Reich back in time! Back in time to a Europe where Napoleon's Army is the strongest force in the land, and the French soldiers we've captured have said as such!"
"As hard as it is to believe, one needs only look outside the walls of this city to see the truth," Ludwig said. "This is not the China we knew only a few days ago. This is not the world we knew a few days ago. This is a world where we can have the empire we've dreamed of having! An empire that spans all across Europe, and even across Africa and the Americas!"
"But not Asia," Günter grumbled. "And what of the Americans? You said they are still around, right?"
"Bah!" Ludwig waved a hand at the question. "The Americans are nothing but farmers and mechanics, not soldiers! If we choose to take Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Panama, what could they do? Their pitiful little army and inexperienced navy is no match for our own!"
Evans scowled as he overhead the Germans insulting his nation's military. Sure, America had a small army compared to the major European empires, but the United States Navy was first class! They had proven this in 1907 with the launch of the Great White Fleet and the subsequent two year voyage they made around the world. The German Navy had no such feat under its belt, it hadn't even fired a shot in anger in all its young existence.
"Besides, what we're getting via the transatlantic cables keep saying it's the year 1907 over and over again, with some smatterings of obvious lies, or exaggerations. The Americans seem to be in complete disarray right now, and are in no position to oppose us." Josef said. And after all, it was the British who enforced the Monroe Doctrine, not the United States. If the Americans try to oppose us, they will be swept aside."
Evans didn't care to listen anymore. He stood up straight and began walking down the street back to the small room he rented in the tourist quarter. He needed some time alone, time to think about what had happened. What the Germans had said wasn't making any sense. French Musketeers and no Eiffel Tower? The United States in the year 1907? Japan from decades in the future? Just what was happening? He had a feeling he'd find out soon enough.
—-----------
Two days after the envoys left the city the bombardment began. Destroyers, cruisers, and battleships unleashed a hellish bombardment upon the port city while dozens of planes soured across the sky, dropping impossibly large bombs, and raking the defenders with machine gun and cannon fire. Explosion after explosion shook the city as Japanese forces pounded the city. From where Evans stood, he could see out into the bay, where the massive Japanese Fleet stood.
Flashes of light blinked in the distance as explosive shells were lobbed into the city from many miles offshore, laying the various fortifications in the city to waste. The first of such fortifications to be targeted was the battery of two 9.4 inch guns in Fort Moltke, located on the left wing of the city. The battery got off but a single volley before the replying naval gunfire impacted in and around the fort, detonating the stores of ammunition, and creating a massive explosion.
Next was the fortifications atop Hill Iltis and its battery of 9.4 inch guns. Guns which fired on Japanese landing boats who began to swarm onto the beaches. Two of the shells found their mark, and the landing craft disintegrated from the hits. However, a flight of Japanese planes roared overhead, dropping large bombs onto the fortification, and silencing the defenses of Fort Iltis.
The last of the major forts was Fort Bismarck, which held four 11 inch howitzers that had been firing nonstop since the bombardment began. The guns of Fort Bismarck were perhaps the luckiest of the German artillery, as they had managed to land several hits on Japanese warships out in the bay in support of the handful of ships the German defenders had. But the guns of Fort Bismarck would quickly draw the ire of Japanese battleships in the bay, as well as from Japanese aircraft.
After 20 minutes, the guns of Fort Bismarck fired for the last time, as two 11 inch shells landed atop a Japanese cruiser, the IJN Takachiho, which was loaded with 120 naval mines meant to be laid around the port's entrance. The initial explosion of the shells set off a chain reaction which would rip the ship apart, and sink her minutes later with all hands lost.
With the forts now reduced to ruins, the Japanese pressed the attack. All that was left to stand in the way of the horde of Japanese landing craft approaching the city were the smaller batteries and redoubts, some with obsolete pieces of Chinese artillery, and a handful of small vessels in the harbor.
Unfortunately for the Germans, since the Austro-Hungarian cruiser had departed with the British ships, and the single cruiser they did have was unfit for combat, what ships they did have consisted of a single torpedo boat and four Iltis Class gunboats. The five ships steamed out of the harbor while under heavy air attack, and maneuvered to confront the Japanese.
The sailors aboard the ships put up a stiff and valiant resistance, but were heavily outnumbered, and outmatched by nearly 30 years of technological progress. Over and over again, Japanese planes strafed and shot up the gunboats, who desperately fired their machine guns up at their attackers. They had even managed to shoot down two Japanese planes over the course of the engagement, but the writing was on the wall.
First to sink was the SMS Iltis herself, after a Japanese plane that was crippled by fire from the SMS Luchs, crashed into her midships into her smokestacks. Fires burned uncontrollably before she suddenly exploded, the fires having reached her ammunition magazine. Next to go was Luchs herself, having finally succumbed to over a dozen planes simultaneously strafing her, and sending her down to the bottom of the bay.
SMS Jaguar was hit directly by two 10 inch shells from the IJN Suwo, flagship of Vice Admiral Kato Sadakichi. One moment she was there, the next she was gone, the shells of the once Russia, but now Japanese battleship atomizing her. The last gunboat, SMS Tiger, managed to get directly in front of, and into the massive force of landing craft, and exacted a heavy price of men and equipment on the Japanese attackers.
Post battle analysis would later show that Tiger had claimed nine separate landing craft, two of which were carrying a Type 95 and Type 97 tank respectively. Ultimately, SMS Tiger would be sunk by the combined efforts of the Japanese naval air forces, as a 550 pound bomb was dropped directly atop her stern, destroying the propeller, and leaving her dead in the water. Minutes later, she would sink.
The single torpedo boat, SMS S90 had fared no better than her compatriots in the gunboats. She had three torpedo tubes and a total of five torpedoes. Her crew, knowing they were already dead men, fired them in a wide spread towards the enemy, managing to quickly reload the last two before multiple shells from Japanese destroyers and cruisers sunk her. The Whitehead torpedoes were ancient compared to what the Japanese Navy had, they were still deadly in the tightly packed waters off Tsingtao.
One of the torpedoes struck a Japanese destroyer, inflicting minor damage, and forcing the ship to withdraw. Another impacted directly into a Soukoutei Class Gunboat, which obliterated the craft upon contact. The other three however, hit nothing. The Japanese ships either maneuvered around them, or simply lay beyond the reach of the torpedoes.
Japanese pilots and sailors would go on to talk about the courage and valor of the men aboard those ships, how they stood and fought against impossible odds, and Vice Admiral Sadakichi himself ordered that all the survivors from those boats be taken directly to his flagship, and to be treated humanely.
Because with the last of the German's major defenses destroyed, they could now press on unabated. Inside the city, German soldiers and citizens alike looked on in abject horror as what fortifications they had left were torn asunder, massive holes were blown open in the city walls, and planes strafed and bombed as they pleased.
Evans watched in horror and amazement as Japanese troops poured into the city from all sides. Strange vehicles with tracks and equipped with what he assumed were light cannon accompanied them, and blew apart any infantry or machine gun nest that dared stand in their way. In places where German defenders inflicted heavy losses, Japanese troops continued to charge forward, letting out ear splitting cries of;
BANZAI!
BANZAI!
BANZAI!
As they went along. Some Japanese officers even charged with swords, and slashed soldiers and civilians alike in a bloody fervor. He saw Japanese soldiers butcher surrendering soldiers and innocent civilians, even bayonetting women who tried to fight off being raped. It was a sickening and gruesome sight.
He and the other foreign citizens in the city could gaze at the utter carnage before them, fearing just what the Japanese would do if they came across them. They did their best to hide, but Japanese forces were overrunning the city, and pushing the beleaguered German defenders into a smaller and smaller perimeter. Before long, they had them pushed back around the administrative quarter of the city, and German soldiers carrying white flags came forward to the Japanese lines.
The two sides talked back and forth for some time, but it was clear by the expressions on the face of the Germans what was being said. From the first shots fired by the Japanese Navy, to the landing of Japanese Marines and soldiers on the beaches around the city, it had taken less than a day for the city to fall. Soon, scores of tired, angry, wounded, and miserable looking German troops were paraded through the streets of Tsingtao, while joyous Japanese soldiers stood guard around them, cheering, throwing curses, or even kicking and punching the downtrodden Germans.
Everyone thought it was over. Vice Admiral Waldeck and his forces had surrendered, and the Japanese Empire was victorious. The Japanese would add another city to their expanding empire, and before long they'd be repatriated to some neutral nation until things could be settled. But they were wrong.
The horrors and atrocities that awaited many of them, what would be inflicted upon the city's inhabitants, and what would be inflicted upon him, would stay with Lieutenant Evans for the rest of his life.
