Bombardment of Madras

Bombardment of Madras
Part of the Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I
Oil tanks on fire in the harbour following the bombardment of Madras by SMS Emden
Date 22 September 1914 Location Madras, Madras Presidency, India Result German victory
Belligerents
India	Germany
Commanders and leaders
unknown	Karl von Müller
Strength
unknown	Light cruiser Emden
Casualties and losses
1 steamer sunk 5 killed 26 wounded	none

The bombardment of Madras was an engagement of the First World War, at Madras (now Chennai), British India. The bombardment was initiated by the German light cruiser Emden at the outset of the war in 1914.

With Captain Karl von Müller in command, on the night of 22 September 1914, SMS Emden quietly approached the city of Madras on the southeastern coast of the Indian peninsula. As he later wrote, "I had this shelling in view simply as a demonstration to arouse interest among the Indian population, to disturb English commerce, to diminish English prestige." After entering the Madras harbour area, Müller illuminated six large oil tanks belonging to the Burmah Oil Company with his searchlights, then fired at a range of 3,000 yards. After ten minutes of firing, Emden had hit five of the tanks and destroyed 346,000 gallons of fuel, and the cruiser then successfully retreated.^[1]

Soon the word Emden entered the Tamil dictionary and was used to describe someone powerful, frightening and with a wicked intent.^[2]