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Why did the Germans colonize Samoa?
At the outbreak of war, Samoa was of moderate strategic importance to Germany. The radio transmitter located in the hills above Apia was capable of sending long-range Morse signals to Berlin. It could also communicate with the 90 warships in Germany’s naval fleet. Britain wanted this threat neutralised.
Did the Germans go to Samoa?
The Occupation of Samoa was the takeover – and subsequent administration – of the Pacific colony of German Samoa by New Zealand during World War I. It started in late August 1914 with landings by the Samoa Expeditionary Force from New Zealand….Occupation of German Samoa.
| Date | 29–30 August 1914 |
|---|---|
| Location | German Samoa |
| Result | Allied victory |
Why did Western Samoa change its name?
After World War I, New Zealand took over the administration of what had been German Samoa, and the area was renamed the Western Samoa Trust Territory. This area became independent in 1962 and was renamed Samoa.
What was Samoa called before 1997?
Samoa gained its independence from New Zealand in 1962 after more than a century of foreign influence and domination, but it remains a member of the Commonwealth. The country was known as Western Samoa until 1997. Its capital and main commercial centre is Apia, on the island of Upolu.
Why did New Zealand invade Samoa?
When war broke out in Europe in August 1914, Britain asked New Zealand to seize German Samoa as a ‘great and urgent Imperial service’. New Zealand’s response was swift. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Logan, the 1400-strong Samoa Advance Party of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force landed at Apia on 29 August.
Why was Samoa divided?
In 1899 after years of civil war, the islands of the Samoan archipelago were divided – the Germans taking the islands to the west and the Americans taking the islands to the east, now known as American Samoa.
Why did New Zealand want Samoa?
In August 1914, during World War I, an expeditionary force from New Zealand took control of German Samoa unopposed. In 1919, the League of Nations granted New Zealand mandate to administer Western Samoa under a League of Nation mandate.
Where did the Samoans come from originally?
He says the study also found that modern Samoans come largely from the Austronesian lineage (people in Taiwan, Island Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar) and share only 24 percent of their ancestry with Papuans, the descendants of the people who settled Papua/New …
Did Samoa fight in ww2?
American Samoa was touched by enemy fire only once. On January 11, 1942, the Naval Station was shelled by a Japanese submarine. This was the only enemy attack in American Samoa. On January 20, 1942, the Marine Brigade arrived with 5,600 officers and enlisted men with their heavy artillery to defend the island.