So many books, so few shelves... "It was known for being the only First World War battle in the Far East and crushed Germany's dreams of empire. But little is said today about the Siege of Tsingtao, which saw 1,500 British troops sent in to ally with Japan to take German territories in the Shandong province of eastern China in November 1914, shortly after the war began. However, despite the crucial battle, its location is perhaps more commonly referenced nowadays in relation to the beer of the same name, which was first produced by the Tsingtao brewery founded by German settlers in 1903. The Germania-Brauerei was established with funding from German and British investors, six years after Germany established a foothold in Tsingtao, and the beer is still drunk around the world - including in Britain and the US. Now, a new book has shed light on the Siege of Tsingtao more than a century ago, with rare photographs showing Japanese forces as they led siege to Tsingtao - now known as Qingdao - in order to wrest it from German control. Other pictures show the German and Chinese naval men who tried to defend Tsingtau, and Kapitanleutnant Gunther Pluschow whose Rumpler Taube plane was the only viable source of airpower available to the defenders. Charles Stephenson, who wrote The Siege of Tsingtau, said: 'The book demonstrates that Japan, Britain's only formal ally at the time, entered the First World War out of naked self-interest. 'The outbreak of war in Europe gave Japan a "one in a million chance" both to secure her existing position in China and the Pacific and extend her economic and political influence by taking control of Germany's possessions and investments." Siege of Tsingtao: How Britain sent 1,500 Tommies to China | Daily Mail Online
