three artillery and infantry
regiments and four troops of cavalry. They had three aeroplanes and a
few machine guns and in the harbor were four small gunboats in
addition to the _Kaiserin Elizabeth_.

Tsing-tau's principal points of defense were Mount Moltke, Mount
Bismarck and Mount Iltis. The rugged slopes of these positions
commanded the plain. Beyond the plain the important outer line of
defense was along the Litsum River, which flows into Kiao-chau Bay and
then through the mountains to the sea, a line about eight miles long
and about ten miles distant from the city. Preparations to oppose a
landing of hostile troops were made at points along the coast of the
leased territory for a distance of twenty miles. At the entrance of
the bay shore batteries and mines made a bombardment by the Japanese
fleet impracticable, except with the support of land forces.

The first line of defense comprised five forts connected by trenches
and barbed wire entanglements. The shore defenses consisted of five
forts, called respectively: "The Kaiser's," armed with two large guns
mounted upon unsheltered platforms and two cannon of medium caliber
sheltered; "August Point," a square closed fort with unsheltered gun
platforms, and two guns of large medium caliber; "Taisichen,"
unsheltered with four large cannon; "Kaiser Northeast," unsheltered
four cannon; "Yunuisan Point," two cannon of medium caliber. The main
line of defense was for both land and sea work; "Fort Moltke" at the
base of the German left wing had a shelter trench and guns of medium
caliber; "Fort Bismarck" had three heavy gun platforms in addition to
a platform for rapid fire guns of large caliber. From this the guns
could be turned in any direction. "Fort Iltis" mounted four heavy guns
of large and medium caliber besides mitrailleuse of large size. Two
heavy guns were mounted in the summit of Mount Iltis.

In command of the German forces was the Governor General of Kiao-chau,
Admiral Meyer-Waldeck, a naval officer of experience and reputation.
The defenses of both land and sea were under his control.

This entrance of Japan into the war introduced a factor fraught with
unknown possibilities. Unlike the other enemies of the Teutonic
alliance, Japan had nothing to fear for her home territory or her
possessions. Secure from attack, she was able to devote all her
energies to the task of driving the Germans out of the Far East. By
this accomplishment she not only fulfilled t