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Australian occupation of Nauru
Part of theAsian and Pacific theatre of World War I
Map of Nauru created by Germany (1897)
Date 9 September – 6 November 1914 Location Nauru Result Australian victory
Belligerents
Allied Powers Australia	Central Powers  Germany German New Guinea
Commanders and leaders
Sir George Patty	Wilhelm Wostrack [cs]
Units involved
HMAS Melbourne	Colonial Administrators and Local Police
Casualties and losses
None	Administrators Captured

In September 1914Australia occupiedNauru, then part ofGerman New Guinea, following the start ofWorld War I. This was part of a larger plan byJapan, theUnited Kingdom,Australia, andNew Zealand to intercept Germany'sEast Asia Squadron before they could return toGermany. The island continued to be occupied by Australia until the end of the war.

Following theNauruan Civil War, in 1888Nauru was annexed into theGerman Colony of Papua New Guinea. Following the outbreak of World War I,Japan, theUnited Kingdom,Australia, andNew Zealand occupied the German Colonies ofKiautschou Bay Leased Territory,German Samoa, andGerman New Guinea.

Following theoccupation of German Samoa,HMAS Melbourne left Australian-occupied Samoa and set off forNauru, arriving on 9 September 1914. The Australian occupation led to the destruction of the wireless stations and the capture of the island's colonial governor. The island was then fully occupied by 6 November and continued to be occupied by Australia until the end of the war.^[1]

Following the war,Nauru became a mandate ofAustralia as decided by theLeague of Nations. TheUnited Kingdom andNew Zealand became the island's co-trustees.^[2]

• Storr, C. (2020). "From Protectorate to Colony to Mandate, 1920".International Status in the Shadow of Empire: Nauru and the Histories of International Law. Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law. Cambridge University Press.ISBN 978-1-108-49850-0. Retrieved2024-04-13.

• Australian military occupations
• 1914 in Oceania
• 20th century in Nauru
• Australia–Nauru relations
• Wars involving Nauru

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