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National Geographic : 1899 Feb
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MANILA AND THE PHILIPPINES By MAJOR A. FALKNER VON SONNENBURG, Imperial German Army, Late Military Attache at Manila After Admiral Dewey's splendid victory at Cavite, the neutral powers sent their ships as quickly as possible to Manila bay. It was expected that the quiet waters of the capital of the Phil ippines would become in the near future the scene of great military and naval activity, and that many still doubtful ques tions in modern warfare would there find a practical answer. It was only by chance that Germany had at that time a rela tively strong squadron at hand on the eastern station. The territory acquired in China only a few months before had made it necessary to assemble there two cruiser divisions, and as the news of the complete annihilation of the Spanish fleet became known, the admiral of one of these divisions had to go down from the Chinese and Japanese seas to the Philippines. The division was at that time engaged in drill and training in evo lutions and target practice, and so it is easily to be understood that the division commander would not wish to divide his squadron, but, on the contrary, would be glad of the opportu nity to make use of the trip down to Manila for training and evolutionary purposes. I do not believe that any order of the German government had been given to assemble a strong squad ron at Manila. I understand that the leader of the division, who is fully responsible for the training of his men, had in this regard an absolutely free hand, as is usual in our navy and army. But besides these purely technical reasons, it was to be consid ered that hundreds of our countrymen, who lived outside of Manila, scattered over the Philippine islands as traders, planters, or engineers, might be in a very dangerous position. The in surrection of the Filipinos against the Spanish rule had become general, and rumors were heard that all the small ports, like Iloilo, in the different islands, each of which contained a few of our countrymen, were besieged by the insurgents, and that their lives and property were in the greatest danger. Under these circumstances it was to be expected that after the arrival of the squadron in Manila bay ships had to be detached 5 65
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