A larger Far Eastern[ Asian] Front WW1 introduction

[ghappy1000]

Introduction:
The pod is in 1641, when the Dutch ceeded Malacca to the Johor Sultanate. In the next year, a treaty was signed in which the Dutch would promise not to invade Malaysian kingdoms. As this is mostly about Malaysia, the effects on history in Europe is not too much. The Dutch made agreements with other Malay states and traded with them. In 1670, a Dutch trading centre was set up in Perak and over the years, several other trading centres were also set up in the Malay kingdoms.
The first butterflies arrive around the time of the Napoleonic Wars, when the Brtish, instead of taking Malacca [in otl Dutch colonized], take Java and ruled there for about 20 years before being returned to the Netherlands.
In 1803, this meant that the expedition of Linois never stopped at Java and captured a slightly higher amount of British merchant ships. Linios operated out of Pondicherry.
In the meantime, the British took Penang in 1786 and Singapore in 1819.
In the 19th century, the friendly relations between Johor and Holland resulted in an alliance. As a result, the Aceh colonization attempt never occurred. The father of Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor, realizing that his kingdom would be colonized, suggested that he modernize his sultanate. He sent his son on a trip to Holland to learn about European politics, weapons and culture and he made an agreement with other Malay kingdoms to unite Malaysia. He made his country more like western Europe and Japan, but without undermining the traditional culture and Islam. His son signed an alliance with Germany to modernize its military and alliances with Japan, China and the Ottomans.
In the meantime, the modernization began when Abu Bakar took power. In 1870, the Malaysian navy got its first steamship and 5 gunboats. It received its first corvette in 1872. For many years, it was commandered by a Dutch, Pels Rijcken, who earlier taught the Japanese the principles of a modern navy [navigation, cannon and measurements] to Baifuku officers such as Katsu Kaishu. With his country being friendly to the Malays as well, he decided to impliment the same naval teachings to Malaysia. In 1875, it received two ironclads and by the end of the decade, it had some 15 warships in total, excluding gunboats and sailing vessels.
The first steam powered ships of the Malaysian navy

Just to tell you, these warships are named KD Johor and KD Melaka.

 

[ghappy1000]

Enter the Game

In 1888, Kaiser Frederick took control of Germany after his father's death and ruled for 99 days. His son Wilhelm ii succeeded him onto the throne. With a dream of imitating the colonial empires and a huge navy, this resulted in the Anglo German navy race as per otl.
One butterfly of this is that, with Germany friendly to Malaysia, there is no occupation of Tsingtao after 1907. The Germans agreed to respect Chinese rights, but they suggested that protection of their own citizens there was more important and the government relucantly agreed to this proposal.
German Philippines:
On 25 April 1898, the Spanish American War started. The Germans sent a squardon of 4 cruisers and an ironclad to occupy the islands if the Americans abandoned them. They cause tensions that rose to a high point. With the inteference of the Malaysian navy, with 3 protected cruisers and 3 ironclads, the Americans were outnumbered and were afraid. As the USS Oregon was under way from the Pacific to Cuba, there were no ships able to deal with the force and Otto Von Diederichs was warned by Admiral Dewey that if Germany wanted war, they would prepare and be ready for it.
''when all five ships arrived[June 1898}..they represented a stronger force than that available to Dewey until August...the unneccessary strength of the German squadron and Diederichs insistence of his rights under Dewey's blockade...caused potentially serious misunderstandings that still echoed three decades later.'' by Michael Lind in the American Way Of Strategy.
The German squardon involved also had 2 transports.
One transport alone, the Darmstadt, carried 1,400 men, nearly the number of Dewey’s men. The Germans violated Dewey’s blockade of Manila by supplying flour to the trapped Spaniards and Spanish ladies and residents were treated aboard the German vessels. German officers also visited Spanish and Filipino outposts. At one time the German warship Irene interfered with the landing of Filipino troops on Grande Island in Zambales that Dewey had to send the cruiser Concord. On seeing the American warship the German vessel quietly left Subic Bay.

At that time Germany was looking for new territories to colonize. It had acquired the eastern half of New Guinea in 1873 and half of Samoa in 1889. In 1876 a German resident of Jolo, Captain Hermann Leopold Schuck, asked Germany to intervene on behalf of the Sultan of Sulu. The sultanate at that time was being attacked by Spanish forces.

The Germans continued to violate the blockade. They took soundings off Malabon and at the mouth of the Pasig River. Von Diederichs himself landed at Manila and occupied one of the quarters of the Spanish officers. The German soldiers occupied the lighthouse of Manila and some of them landed in Mariveles and conducted drills.

They also irritated Dewey by sending a launch one night at 11 p.m. to deliver an unimportant message.

The breaking point came when the German gunboat Cormoran refused to acknowledge signals from the Americans to be boarded for inspection. The boat had to be stopped by firing a shot across its bow. Von Diederichs then sent an officer to complain about Dewey’s provocative acts.

While listening to the German officer, Dewey’s complexion changed from white to red. He then asked: “Does his Excellency [von Diederichs] know that it is my force and not his is that is blockading this port [Manila]?

The officer answered yes.

Dewey continued: “And is he aware that he has no rights except as I choose to allow him and does he realize that he cannot communicate with that city without my permission?”

“One can imagine, sir, that you were conducting this blockade,” was the reply.

Dewey then bluntly asked, “Do you want war with us?”

“Certainly not!” was the officer’s curt reply

“Well, it looks like it, and you are very near it, and . . . you can have it as soon as you like!” replied Dewey with his voice raised so that he could be heard by officers below deck.

The German officer backed in consternation and whispered to Dewey’s flag lieutenant: “Your admiral seems to be much in earnest.” The flag lieutenant replied: “You can be certain that he means every word he says.”

 

[ghappy1000]

Anybody else now? I think this is interesting. Considering the pod, this is under this section of the board, but the main events will be in another thread.