MINIATURES

Following the defeat of the Spanish fleet at the hands of Dewey's American squadron in Manila Bay, Berlin dispatched its  "Ostasiatische Kreuzergeschwader" (East Asia Squadron)  under the command of Admiral Otto von Diederichs to the Philippines, the instruction: to protect German interests, and if possible, seize a colonial concession in the Philippines.  It took a while before von Diedrichs was able to assemble his fleet, but by mid-June 1898, the German squadron numbering to 5 ships (consisting of SMS Kaiser, SMS Irene, SMS Cormoran, SMS Kaiserin Augusta and SMS Prinzess Wilhelm) was at the entrance of Manila Bay, enough to post a serious challenge against the American fleet. This led Dewey to imposed a naval blockade not only against the Germans but also against the other foreign warships (of Great Britain, France, and Japan) lurking at Manila Bay. But the provoking actions and presence of the German fleet did not end there, the Germans violated Dewey’s blockade of