Automedon incident

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The auxiliary cruiser Atlantis

As a result of the Automedon incident in 1940 , Japan came into the possession of the current Chiefs of Staff Appreciation of Far Eastern Strategy , the Far East situation and strategy assessment of the planning division of the British General Staff . The information contained in the document on the strength and plans of the British armed forces in the Far East in the event of an attack by the Japanese army was of great use in planning and conducting the Japanese conquest of the resource-rich colonies of Malaysia , Singapore , Burma and the Dutch East Indies during the Second World War .

Transportation and loss

The Automedon

In August 1940, the British General Staff updated their assessment of the Far East situation. A revision had become necessary because the events of World War II, particularly the fall of France in 1940, had massively changed the strategic situation of the British Empire . Due to the multiple demands on the army and the Royal Navy in the Atlantic battle , in the Mediterranean and North Africa , the previous plans to defend Malaysia and Singapore against a possible Japanese attack had become impracticable. A full copy of this document should be sent to the British Commander in Chief Far East in Singapore.

The Automedon was a cargo ship on the Blue Funnel Line . She left Liverpool on September 2, 1940 with a load of machine parts, groceries and 120 mail bags on the Singapore , Hong Kong , Shanghai route . Arrival in Singapore was expected in mid to late November 1940. There was also a copy of the Far Eastern Strategy Appreciation on board, in a separate green bag. To prevent the bag from floating in the water, it had brass openings through which water should enter. In the event of a sinking or if someone threw the bag overboard, it would have perished.

It is unclear why this insecure way of sending a document with the highest level of confidentiality was chosen. Transport on a warship or by plane would have been much safer and faster. There has been some speculation that the choice of slow means of transport should prevent the contents from being discussed at the Defense Conference of the British Colonies and Dominions that took place in Singapore in October 1940. Australia and New Zealand provided large contingents of troops for the war in Africa ; the pessimistic assessment of the General Staff could have led them to demand that parts of their troops be relocated. So far, both countries had only received summaries that showed the situation in a slightly better light. At the same time, however, the document would have been on site in time for the staff conference of the British and Dutch Far East Commanders from November 26 to 29, 1940, at which no representatives of the Dominions took part.

It would have been even better if the document had been handed directly to the new Commander in Chief Far East Air Chief Marshal Robert Brooke-Popham . He left Great Britain in mid-October 1940 to take up his new post in Singapore on October 27. In this way Brooke-Popham could have familiarized himself with the document, which he did not yet know, on his two-week trip. In addition, Brooke-Popham was supposed to take part in the staff conference of the British and Dutch Far East Commanders from November 26th to 29th, the scheduled arrival of the Automedon would have left him considerably less time to look through it.

Auxiliary cruiser Atlantis

On the morning of November 11, 1940, the Automedon came across an unknown ship 250 nautical miles west of Sumatra , which finally revealed itself to be the German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis . The Automedon tried to flee, but was stopped by several hits from the Atlantis . The radio operator still managed to send "RRR Automedon" ("Von Automedon, am attacked by enemy warship"), but the radio system failed due to impact before he could send a complete position information. Six crew members were killed and twelve others injured. The chaos of the attack prevented the Automedon crew from destroying any secret documents. In addition to assessing the situation, the German boarding command also got their hands on 15 bags of secret mail and the current code tables of the British merchant fleet - according to sources, only when they were looking for a passenger's luggage with a valuable tea set at the request of a passenger . The green bag was immediately noticeable through the brass openings and was brought to the commandant of the Atlantis , Captain Bernhard Rogge . The badly damaged Automedon was then sunk by explosive charges .

After reading through the document and realizing its significance, Rogge sent it to the German embassy in Japan on board the Norwegian tanker Ole Jacob, which had been captured the day before , where it arrived on December 4, 1940. From there a summary was broadcast to Berlin, and the document itself was sent by courier through the still neutral USSR to Berlin, where a copy was handed over to the Japanese military attaché on December 12th . He in turn sent the copy to Tokyo by courier.

Rogge's actual intention to use the offered documents to make an exchange deal palatable for the Japanese was also fulfilled: The aircraft fuel on board the Ole Jacob was exchanged for the diesel fuel required by the Atlantis at a secret meeting at the Mariana Islands .

Effects

At first the Japanese questioned the authenticity of the document, as the way the Germans got it seemed too improbable. They considered the possibility that it was a German forgery with the aim of persuading Japan to enter the war on the German side. However, after the behavior of the British in the Far East matched the content, they changed their minds and saw the information as authentic. This allowed them to be more aggressive in Southeast Asia without fear of war with Britain, knowing how far they could safely go. The bases that were gained mainly by the invasion of Indochina made the conquest of Malaysia and Singapore much easier when Japan entered the war. The detailed information on the British armed forces revealed a comprehensive view of British capabilities in Southeast Asia, far less than Japan had suspected. According to the Japanese admiral Nobutake Kondo , such a massive weakening of the British Empire would never have been recognized by external observation alone. The information obtained in this way may also have played an important role in Japan's decision to enter the war.

Captain Rogge was awarded a samurai sword by the Japanese Emperor Hirohito as an award . Besides him, only two other foreigners received this award, namely Goering and Rommel .

No significant action was taken on the British side after learning of the fate of the Automedon . Apparently it was believed that the bag had been thrown overboard and the copy of the Far Eastern Strategy Appreciation destroyed with it.

Content of the situation assessment

The core content of the Far Eastern Strategy Appreciation as sent to Germany by the German military attaché on December 4th:

  1. According to British estimates, a fleet of at least eight battleships is necessary to stop Japan in the event of war. Great Britain is currently (1940) unable to send a fleet of this size to the Far East.
  2. Japan seeks to take control of Singapore .
  3. Japan is unlikely to risk a break with the UK or the US while the situation in Europe is unclear.
  4. Britain must avoid an open clash with Japan and buy time.
  5. Unless a strong fleet is available, British interests cannot be adequately protected. The existing fleet units should retreat to a base from which they can later counterattack, e.g. B. Trincomalee .
  6. Japan could advance in four different ways:
  7. Japan's first step would be to invade Indochina or Siam, then the Dutch East Indies before attacking Singapore.
  8. In the current situation, Britain will not declare war on Japan if a Japanese invades Indochina.
  9. If Japan attacks the Dutch East Indies and the Dutch do not fight back, Great Britain will not declare war on Japan. However, if the Dutch resist, Britain will provide full military assistance.
  10. Hong Kong is of little importance and cannot be successfully defended without the support of a strong fleet. In the event of war, however, it should be held as long as possible.
  11. Strategy in case of war:
    • It is not possible to prevent Japan from gaining access to the Indian Ocean .
    • It is not possible to maintain sea ​​connections to northern Malaysia .
    • It is hoped that the sea link between Suez and Australia can be maintained.
    • Apart from a few fleet advances, a Japanese attack on Australia is unlikely until Singapore is captured.
    • Presumably Japan will try to conquer Suva and Fiji in order to establish a base there.
    • It is necessary to defend all of Malaysia and not just Singapore.
    • The Dutch are probably ready to work out a joint defense plan for the Dutch East Indies. Given the limited British forces in the area, it is unlikely that they will, in turn, provide military assistance in an attack on British territory.
    • As long as no powerful fleet is available, the air force has to take over its duties at sea. But even here only limited funds are available. Therefore, strong army forces are needed in Malaysia. Troop reinforcements there have top priority.
    • Borneo cannot be defended. Only a few aircraft are available to protect shipping in the Indian Ocean.
    • Since the British fleet cannot fight Germany , Italy and Japan at the same time , the only hope of assembling a fleet for the Far East is a swift and devastating blow against the Italian fleet in the Mediterranean .
  12. British goals and measures for the Far East:
    • Relocation of a Commonwealth division to Malaysia.
    • Relocation of two squadrons of fighter and two squadrons of long-haul aircraft to the Far East by the end of 1940.
    • Acceleration of the naval construction program.
    • Withdrawal of the garrisons from northern China and mostly from Hong Kong.
    • New Zealand has to send a brigade to Fiji.
    • Start of staff meetings with the Dutch as soon as the situation in Malaysia has improved.
  13. Detailed information on British land, sea and air forces in the Far East.

literature

  • Eiji Seiki: Mrs Ferguson's Tea-Set, Japan and The Second World War: The Global Consequences Following Germany's Sinking of the SS Automedon in 1940. Global Oriental 2006, ISBN 978-1-905246-28-1 (English)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sir Hugh Cortazzi: Mrs Ferguson's Tea-Set, Japan and The Second World War: The Global Consequences Following Germany's Sinking of the SS Automedon in 1940 - Review on japansociety.org.uk, accessed on December 30, 2014 (English).