Twentieth Century World > World War I

What were the Germans doing in the Falkland Islands?

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skiguy:
Was just reading a little on the Battle of the Falkland Islands and the Battle of Coronel, but one thing I couldn't find explained was why the Germans were there in the first place. Was it used as some sort of docking location or were there resources there?

scout1067:
The Falklands belonged to Britain.  The ships that sank the German force at the outbreak of the war were based there.  They were actually a navigation obstacle to the German flotilla.

skiguy:
I can see if the islands were more north near the Panama Canal, but why down there? I don't see any strategic advantage for Germany unless it was an alliance with Argentina or something.

Aetheling:
The first known settlers were from Saint-Malo, Brittany in the 18th c. hence the name Malouines aka Malvinas in Spanish

scout1067:
The Germans were running away at the Battle of the Falklands.  Do you think they wanted to invade the Falklands?  The Germans wanted to raid the islands for supplies and were surprised that the British were already there in force.  The Falklands are strategically located to control the traffic around the Cape, that is the main reason the British siezed the Islands in the 1830's.  Today they retain them as more of a prestige thing is my impression.  The German squadron in 1914 was trying to get back to home waters and needed supplies, particularly fuel oil.  After they realized the British were there al;ready they tried to run for Montevideo but were caught and destroyed.

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