The combined siege of Tsingtao

The siege brought blockading warships, a Japanese seaplane carrier, aircraft reconnaissance and bombing, heavy artillery, and a 23,000-strong infantry division against roughly 3,600 defenders. Japanese landings shifted from Longkou to Laoshan Bay after heavy flooding, while ships including the captured Russian pre-dreadnought Suwo maintained the coastal blockade. The landings continued despite Chinese protests, showing how little room China had to resist a joint British-Japanese operation. Britain contributed HMS Triumph and troops from the South Wales Borderers and 36th Sikhs. After a dangerous nighttime misidentification, British soldiers used Japanese raincoats to make coalition identification easier. British participation also made the operation visibly joint amid German propaganda and fears over how Japan's victory would be perceived. The numerical imbalance and the final Japanese infantry assault explain why the garrison's surrender was a matter of time despite determined local resistance.