Sokehs Rebellion 1910-11

[Peter H]

A good link of the Sokehs Rebellion on the island of
Ponape in the German colony of the Carolinas Islands.

http://www.micsem.org/photos/sokehs/

An excellent collection of photos of the rebellion in the German colony:

http://www.micsem.org/photos/sokehs/thumbs.htm

[Edward L. Hsiao]

What was the Sokehs Rebellion (1910-1911) all about? I take it that the German soldiers of the Kaiser's Army had a hard time on their hands putting down the rebellion.
Edward L. Hsiao

[Chris Dale]

In 1910 the Sokehs people on Pohnpei ("Ponape" in German) in the East Caroline Islands, rose up in rebellion led by a warrior chief named Soumadau. The cause of the uprising was the German imposition of forced labour as a form of taxation and the violent way in which it was enforced. The rebels killed the local German governor, Carl Boeder, two other Germans and five islanders in German employment. There was no radio communication between Ponape and the outside world so it took several anxious weeks before news of the uprising reached Rabaul.

Once alerted, the German response was both swift and harsh. About 300 Melanesian Polizeitruppe soldiers (sources vary as to the exact number deployed, with some stating as low as 138), a German Police Officer and a Judge, were despatched from New Guinea, together with the guns and landing parties of the SMS Emden, SMS Comoran and SMS Nürnberg. They stormed the Sokehs stronghold in a disused Spanish fort but found the rebels had escaped by the time they had captured it. The Germans then searched the island rounding up the rebels, the ringleaders were shot and the remaining Sokehs population was deported to Palau. This was the only major rebellion against German rule in the Pacific.

Hope that helps a bit Edward.
Cheers
Chris

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Thank you for your reply. Better late than never.

Edward L. Hsiao