Ceremonial handover; the German flag is raised and Vice-Governor Albert Hahl takes charge of the Eastern Carolines.

What happened

The Spanish flag was lowered at Kolonia and the German flag raised before the Spanish garrison, German soldiers from the warship Jaguar, and, the handover report says, “a considerable number of Europeans and natives.” Governor Rudolf von Bennigsen of German New Guinea formally annexed the Eastern Carolines, which included Kosrae, Pohnpei and Chuuk. Germany at once banned the sale of guns and alcohol to islanders, and Hahl followed a cautious, de-escalating course on Pohnpei for nearly two years.