Germany sends its Expeditionary Corps
Before...
With their traditional efficiency, the units destined to integrate the German Expeditionary Corps in the Far East were equipped and uniformed for the Chinese theater of war.
After....
General-Feldmarschall Graf von Waldersee Oberbefehlshaber in China 1900
China Boxerkrieg Deutsches Offizierskorps des II.Seebataillons von 1900 - China Boxer War German Officer Corps of the 2nd Sea Battalion from 1900
The "Hun Speech" was delivered on 27 July en Bremerhaven by Wilhelm II during a farewell ceremony for some of the troops belonging to the German East Asia Expeditionary Corps (Ostasiatisches Expeditionskorps). It was one of at least eight speeches made by the Emperor on the occasion of the embarkation of the troops.
Bremerhaven Lloyd Halle
July 27, 1900 - Bremerhaven speech
Germany sent only a small contingent to the relief of the foreign legions in Peking, but Kaiser Wilhelm II sent his men with this command: "Bear yourselves as Huns of Attila. For a thousand years, let the Chinese tremble at the approach of a German " The German imperial troops obeyed......
The Kaiser's not-so-fortunate speech to his troops remained in history and was the origin of the nickname that the Allies gave the Germans fourteen years later, during the First World War: Huns....
However, most of the German forces sent arrived too late to take part in any of the major actions of the conflict. Its first elements arrived in Taku on September 21, after the international legations had already been relieved....
Germany's cruiser squadron in northern China Boxer War graphic from 1900
Infantry training, casualty evacuation drill during the long journey
The Siege of the Foreign Legations
Defense of the German sector in Beijing
Barricade between the German embassy and the Pekin Hotel
In Beijing, the fortified legation complex remained besieged by Boxer forces from 20 June to 14 August.
American soldier on guard. He was apparently killed by a Boxer gunshot after this photograph was taken.
Fire within the defensive perimeter caused by a rebel projectile.
Under the command of the British minister to China, Claude Maxwell McDonald, the personnel of the legations and the defense troops of the different nations defended the complex with an old muzzle-loading cannon, some machine gun and with the individual weapons of the troop (rifles and revolvers).
Troops defending the legations handle a Colt machine gun
Betsy the makeshift cannon at the British legation
After the failure of the Seymour Expedition (June 10-28), the Allied nations realized that they would need a much more powerful force to break through to Peking and ending the siege of the legations.
Lieutenant-General Alfred Gaselee, commanding the British forces in China
Thus, the new international force, with British Lieutenant General Sir Alfred Gaselee a British officer in the Indian Army as commanding officer, which was called the Eight-Nations Alliance, reached 54,000 troops. It was composed of Japanese soldiers (20,840), Russians (13,150), British (12,020), French (3,520), Americans (3,420), Germans (900), Italians (80), Austro-Hungarians (75) and Chinese anti-boxer troops.
From left to right: English, American, French (navy), Indian, German, French (infantry), Austrian, Italian and Japanese.
Colored
Representative soldiers of the United Eight States from USA, India, France, Italy, UK, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Japan.
Foreingn invasion forces disenbark in Tai Ku
In response to this invasion, Empress Dowager Cixi (sometimes spelled Tzu Hsi) ordered her imperial forces to block Gaselee's advance toward Beijing....
Battle of Tientsin (Tianjin)
Tiensin - Tianjin
First of all, the Eight-Nation Invasion Force had to get through Tientsin. Few of them expected effective resistance from the Chinese forces arrayed against them.
The Battle of Tientsin would be the bloodiest of the Boxer Rebellion. In an unsettling preview of World War I, the foreign troops ran across open ground to attack the fortified Chinese positions and were simply mown down; the Chinese regulars on the city walls had Maxim guns, an early machine-gun, as well as cannons. Foreign casualties at Tientsin topped 750.
The international force finally captured Tientsin on 14 July, under the command of Japanese Colonel Kuriya, after a day of fighting. The resistance of Chinese troops in Tientsin forced the Allied armies to delay their final advance until August...
Gaselee Expedition map
The first step of progress had been taken....
The Siege Continues....
Marines defending the Legations in Peking
4th Infantry Regiment’s assault on the Tartar Wall at Peking, Aug. 14, 1900.
As the weeks passed, the situation of the international defenders of the legations perimeter became more delicate. Although provisions and water were still sufficient, ammunition was almost exhausted at the beginning of August and some Boxer assault had surpassed part of the defensive barricades, narrowing the ground for the defenders.
I suppose that in our popular culture this 1963 Nicholas Ray film (incidentally filmed entirely near Madrid) helps remember this story...
Walter Gottel with Smith & Wesson Model 10 as Capt. Hoffman in 55 Days at Peking movie
Last edited by TabsTabs1964; 03-06-2024 at 12:28 AM.
The Final Push, the Taking of Peking and the Release of the Siege
American troops in Tiensin
British troops in Tiensin
German troops marching
Reorganized after the Tientsin fighting, the Allies set out again on 4 August (there were about 120 kilometers left from Tiensin to Beijing) The march was not particularly hard, although along the way, in front of them were approximately 70,000 imperial soldiers and between 50,000 and 100,000 boxers.
Map of the two expeditions: Seymour's unsuccessful one and Gaselee's one that finally reached Beijing
The Chinese were defeated at Peitzang (Beicang) about 30 kilometers from Tiensin, where the U.S. 14th Infantry Regiment and British troops led the assault, and at Yangtsun (Yangcun) on August 5 and 6.
The race to take Peking first
Kampf der deutschen marinetruppen am Tschien Mien thor in Peking - Battle of the German naval troops at the Chien Mien Gate in Beijing
Despite its military successes, the international relief force suffered greatly from heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and disease. The weather was a major obstacle, as it was extremely humid, with temperatures occasionally reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius). By the time they reached Peking, the column's effective fighting strength had been reduced to about 10,000 men
Last edited by TabsTabs1964; 03-06-2024 at 12:40 PM.
The international force arrived and occupied Beijing on 14 August.
Boxer Prisoners Captured By 6th US Cavalry (Tientsin)
Last edited by TabsTabs1964; 03-06-2024 at 09:18 AM.
German Naval Officers Pose Behind a Chinese Cannon
Ostasiatisches Expeditionskorps
Ostasiatisches Regiment
Soldiers of the German 1st East Asian Infantry Regiment with the flags captured during the storming of the Peitang forts
Last edited by TabsTabs1964; 03-05-2024 at 10:10 PM.
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