The most significant external threat to the port city was the German East Asia Squadron, and at the outbreak of war, the garrison was extremely nervous to learn that major units of the Squadron were not in Tsingtao. However, on 23 August 1914, Japan entered the war on the side of the Entente. As the Japanese navy could easily dominate the East Asian waters, worries over a German attack on the colony lessened. In November, an Anglo-Japanese force, including HMS Triumph which had departed from Hong Kong, captured Kiautschou. In December, the main body of the East Asia Squadron was destroyed in the Battle of the Falkland Islands. By then, all concerns of a German attack had all but disappeared.
