WWI: When a German warship sneaked into Penang harbour, sowing fear all the way to S'pore!

A vivid "takeaway" from my US historical sites holiday is the importance American educators give to instilling in their young an abiding sense of history, and hence their country's destiny.

This TODAY letter below (Aug 2) poses the question: how much do we know about our own history especially in the decades inclusive of and between the two world wars?...

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How many people here know of the amazing story of the World War I German light cruiser Emden which in October 1914 raided the harbour in Penang -- only 700 km away from Singapore (a flight time of only 1 hr 15 min by modern jetliners today)? The verve of the attack sowed fear all the way to Singapore, home to Imperial Britain's naval base in the Far East. I knew about the daring raid by the Emden from my history lessons. Revisiting the account -- including the quaint rules of naval engagement in those days -- in the links below is still a fascinating one:

http://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.sg/2012/09/an-officer-and-gentlemen-karl-von.html

The Day the Emden Came A-Calling

http://www.navyhistory.org.au/the-day-the-emden-came-a-calling/

SMS Emden

http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/emden.html