German attacks on Nauru facts for kids
Quick facts for kids German attacks on Nauru |
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| Part of World War II | |||||||
 Damaged phosphate cantilever loading equipment following the German bombardment of Nauru on 27 December 1940 |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Germany |
 Australia United Kingdom Norway |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Robert Eyssen |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 2 auxiliary cruisers 1 oiler |
No military presence | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | 5 merchant ships sunk Damage to phosphate loading facilities |
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The German attacks on Nauru were two surprise attacks on the island of Nauru in December 1940. Nauru is a small island country in the Pacific Ocean. During World War II, German warships called auxiliary cruisers attacked Nauru. These ships looked like regular merchant ships but were secretly armed.
The attacks happened between December 6-8 and again on December 27, 1940. The German ships sank five Allied merchant ships. They also badly damaged Nauru's important phosphate-loading equipment. Phosphate was very important for making fertilizer in Australia and New Zealand. Even though Nauru was vital for these countries, it had no military defenses. The German forces did not lose any ships or soldiers.
These attacks were the most successful operations by German raiders in the Pacific during the war. They stopped the supply of phosphate to Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. This caused problems for farming in those countries. After the attacks, Allied navies sent ships to protect Nauru and nearby Ocean Island. They also guarded other ships in the South Pacific. Small groups of soldiers were also sent to protect the islands.
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Why Nauru Was Important
Nauru and Ocean Island were key places for getting phosphate. This mineral was used to make fertilizer for farms in Australia and New Zealand. The British Phosphate Commission (BPC) was a company that managed the mining and shipping of phosphate. It controlled almost everything on Nauru.
In the year leading up to June 1940, the BPC shipped nearly a million tons of phosphate from Nauru. They also shipped about half that amount from Ocean Island. They used their own four ships and other rented merchant ships.
Nauru and Ocean Island do not have natural harbours. Phosphate ships had to tie up to deep moorings far from shore. They loaded the phosphate using special cantilever jetties that reached out over the water. Sometimes, strong winds from November to March made it impossible to load ships. The ships would have to leave the island and wait for better weather. Often, these ships would just drift to save fuel. This meant many ships were often waiting near Nauru.
Even though Nauru was very important for Australia and New Zealand, it was not well-protected. There were not many military resources available to defend the area. So, Nauru and Ocean Island had no defenses in December 1940. However, Australia had stored extra phosphate just in case of an attack.
In late October 1940, two German raider ships met up. These were the Orion and the Komet. They also met their supply ship, the Kulmerland. Captain Robert Eyssen, who commanded Komet, was in charge of all three ships.
These ships operated near New Zealand's east coast in November. They sank two Allied ships without being noticed. After these attacks, the raiders took their prisoners to another island. Then, the three ships headed to Nauru. They knew many ships were usually there and wanted to attack the island's phosphate industry.
First Attacks on Nauru: December 6-8, 1940
The German ships found their first target on the way to Nauru. On December 6, the ship Triona (4,413 tons) was attacked northeast of the Solomon Islands. The Germans chased it and fired their guns, killing three crew members. The Triona was then sunk with torpedoes. All 68 survivors were captured.
The German captains planned to land soldiers and bomb Nauru's buildings on December 8. But bad weather made them focus on the ships near the island instead. On the evening of December 7, Komet went ahead to scout. It was disguised as a Japanese merchant ship called Manyo Maru. Komet sank the Norwegian ship Vinni (5,181 tons) about 9 kilometers south of Nauru. People on shore saw the raider, but its disguise worked. They thought it was just a merchant ship going to Japan.
Orion joined Komet near Nauru early on December 8. Orion attacked and damaged the ship Triadic (6,378 tons). It also sank Triaster (6,032 tons). Komet then tried to sink Triadic with explosives, but it didn't work. So, Orion sank Triadic with its guns. Later, Komet sank the British ship Komata (3,900 tons).
After these attacks, the two raiders and Kulmerland moved away. They gathered about 20 nautical miles east of Nauru. The weather was still too bad to land on the island. So, they decided that Komet and Kulmerland would go to Ailinglaplap Atoll to refuel. Orion would operate northwest of Nauru. Then, they would meet again near Nauru to try another landing.
When the German ships met again near Nauru on December 15, the weather was still too bad for a landing. So, the attack on Nauru was called off. Further attacks on ships were also difficult. The raiders had heard radio messages telling ships heading for Nauru and Ocean Island to spread out.
Instead, the three German ships went to Emirau island. There, they let go 675 prisoners they had captured. The captain of Orion did not want to release any European prisoners. He thought that "trained officers and crews are as much a problem for Britain as shipping itself." But they did release 343 Europeans and 171 Chinese and South Pacific people. The prisoners from Orion were taken back to Germany and held in prison camps.
Luckily for the Germans, Emirau was one of the few islands in the area without a radio. The two European families on the island gave supplies to the released prisoners. They sent a canoe to Kavieng to tell the Australian government what happened. A small ship was sent to bring more supplies to Emirau. It arrived on December 24. The leader of New Britain and more supplies were also flown to Emirau.
The released prisoners got on a ship called Nellore on December 29. They were taken to Townsville in Queensland, Australia. They arrived on January 1, 1941. They gave useful information about the German raiders. Because of this, the German navy later ordered that no more prisoners should be released.
The three German ships separated after leaving Emirau on December 21. Orion went to fix its engines. Kulmerland went to Japan. Only Komet continued to operate in the South Pacific. It tried to lay mines near Rabaul on December 24. But the plan failed when the motor boat's engines broke down.
Second Attack on Nauru: December 27, 1940
Komet returned to Nauru after failing to lay mines near Rabaul. It arrived near the island at 5:45 AM on December 27. The ship warned people on shore not to use their radios. It also signaled its plan to destroy the phosphate loading plant. At 6:40 AM, Komet began firing its guns.
The bombing lasted for about an hour. During this time, the raider destroyed the loading plant, oil tanks, boats, buildings, and mooring buoys. After the attack, Komet sailed southeast. Nauru then sent news of the attack to Australia. This was the last time German ships visited Nauru during the war. Komet then moved its operations to the Indian Ocean.
What Happened Next
The German attacks on Nauru hurt the economies of Australia and New Zealand. They were the biggest success for German raiders in the Pacific during World War II. It took ten weeks to start shipping phosphate from Nauru again. The lost ships and damaged buildings led to a big drop in phosphate production. Because of this, New Zealand had to start limiting how much fertilizer people could buy from July 1941.
Komet's bombing of Nauru also affected phosphate shipments to Japan. This made the Japanese government upset. They even threatened to reduce the help they were giving to Germany. The success of the attacks on Nauru led to rumors in Australia and New Zealand. Some people thought that someone on the islands had helped the German raiders. Several investigations were done, but they found no proof of this.
After the raids, the Allied military forces in the Pacific took steps to prevent more attacks. The Royal Australian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force flew more patrols. They searched for raiders near major ports. Australia also asked the British navy to send more Australian warships back home. This was approved. The light cruiser HMAS Sydney and armed merchant cruiser HMAS Kanimbla returned to Australia.
This allowed naval protection for Nauru and Ocean islands. The armed merchant cruiser HMAS Manoora arrived near Ocean Island on January 4, 1941. Several Australian and New Zealand warships stayed near the islands for months. Two field guns were also sent to each island for defense. The attacks also led to the use of convoys. Convoys are groups of merchant ships traveling together with warships for protection.
The navy used the information from the prisoners released at Emirau. They rerouted merchant ships away from where the German raiders were operating. This made the raiders much less effective. Komet and Orion only sank three more ships between the attack on Nauru and their return to Europe in late 1941.
Ships Sunk by German Raiders
- By Komet
- December 6, 1940: Triona (4,413 tons)
- December 7, 1940: Vinni (5,181 tons)
- December 7, 1940: Komata (3,900 tons)
- By Komet and Orion together
- December 8, 1940: Triadic (6,378 tons)
- December 8, 1940: Triaster (6,032 tons)
See also
- Japanese occupation of Nauru
- Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands
- Frederick Royden Chalmers (Administrator of Nauru)
