Banzai!

Banzai!
Banzai! by Parabellum (Psuedonym.) Written by Ferdinand Heinrich Grautoff, Published, January, 1909. The "yellow peril" was a subject exploited by many popular novelists of the early twentieth century. Banzai!, first published in Germany in 1908, forecasts a world situation remarkably similar to that of the second world war, and anticipates in many ways the concepts of propaganda warfare developed in more modern times. The Japanese have infiltrated the Philippines, and have begun an underground campaign against the Americans that culminates with the destruction of an American warship. Meanwhile, organized gangs of "bandits" seize railway trains and communication lines throughout the western US, and before the national government can react, the states of Oregon, Washington, and California are suddenly cut off from the rest of the country. The Japanese Imperial fleet sails unopposed into San Francisco Harbour, as part of a supposed series of naval war games under the direction of Admiral Perry as announced in the newspapers. Asian soldiers suddenly appear from their hiding places, and begin patrolling the streets of the city in strength, armed with weapons shipped to them in packing cases. American ships that have been loaded by Japanese stevedores unexpectedly begin blowing up in mid-ocean, and elsewhere on the sea strange new types of battleships are seen off the western American coast. With the help of balloons and airplanes, the other major cities in the West are soon conquered, and the Japanese offer peace. But the government vows to fight on, and the country slowly begins to organize formal and guerrilla resistance. The culminating battle is fought in the Rocky Mountains. Illustrated.