I love World War I history. It’s often overshadowed by the sequel, but in my opinion it’s the more interesting conflict. The recent popularity and success of films like 1917 and YouTube channels like The Great War have helped contribute to a renewed interest in the war. The conflict stretched to all corners of the globe: Germany, Russia, The Ottoman Empire, France, The United States, Africa – and there are so many interesting stories to tell. But one place that never gets talked about is a tiny island over 7,000 miles away from where Gavrilo Princip assassinated Franz Ferdinand – the island of Guam. Somebody needs to make a movie about this, or at the bare minimum a mini-series, because it has all of the ingredients for perfect cinema.

Part of the reason why I find World War I the more interesting war is because there’s no simple good guy/bad guy dynamic. Long story short, this war happened because of the consequences of entangling alliances (aka global governance). And conflict is always more interesting when there are grey areas. You have three major players on this stage, the German Navy aboard the SMS Cormoran, the United States Navy stationed in Guam, and the native Chamorro people of Guam.

The story starts aboard the German’s ship. Germany had a significant presence in the Pacific pre-WWI, most notably in Samoa. While navigating the Pacific and attempting to avoid enemy Japanese ships, the SMS Cormoran ran dangerously low on fuel. By this point in history, Germany had lost its Pacific territories to Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The only place Corvette Captain Adalbert Zuckschwerdt could reach for refueling was Guam. The story hits the ground running, there is an immediate conflict and a problem that needs to be solved.

Guam became a possession of the United States as a result of the Spanish-American War, to which it remains today. William John Maxwell was the 18th Naval Governor of Guam at the time. The SMS Cormoran arrived in Guam on December 14, 1914. The date is important, because the United States did not formally enter WWI until April 6, 1917. If a neutral power aids a nation at war, this is seen as a violation of neutrality. Maxwell cannot provide fuel to the Germans because that could throw the United States into conflict. More internal conflict and intrigue. Tough decisions. What should Maxwell do?

Maxwell does not offer fuel assistance as he is sworn to uphold U.S. neutrality. He does, however, invite the Germans to intern on the island. Keep in mind, the Germans aboard the SMS Concoran vastly outnumber the American naval presence in Guam, so this could potentially not end well. Zuckschwerdt doesn’t have much of a choice and agrees to the offer. The Germans were allowed to keep their weapons, but the firing pins on the ship had to be removed. Amidst all of this tension, do tempers finally erupt? No, everyone has a party.

The island becomes an odd couple comedy, where Germans and Americans get along: playing cards, riding bikes, and even marrying native Chamorro women. This goes on for a couple of years: a calm, “get to know the characters” setting before the eventual storm. While the fun plays out, there are more serious events unfolding behind the scenes. Maxwell and Zuckschwerdt are having disagreements over funds and mixed messaging from Washington D.C. The pressure on Maxwell here is so great that he eventually has a nervous breakdown and gets replaced in 1916. More psychological drama.

The fun cannot last forever, and irrelevant to the events in Guam, the United States enters World War I in 1917. There’s your suspenseful cliffhanger moment. What now? Current acting governor Roy Smith demands the surrender of the Germans, but they’re not having it. Keep in mind the SMS Corcoran is still in Guam, and ships of this caliber are extremely valuable. The Germans race to scuttle (destroy) the ship to keep it out of enemy hands, and U.S. forces fire at them. Fun fact: these are the first shots fired by Americans against Germans during WWI.

This is your “final battle” scene where you dump the entire special effects budget. The Germans eventually blow up the ship with drums of gasoline and coal dust. Many men drowned, and the survivors were taken prisoner. A small little island, completely isolated from the rest of the world, played stage to one of the most interesting stories in all of The Great War. It really does have everything: drama, action, romance, comedy and a large cast of interesting characters. You can even have the native Chamorros as your neutral narrators or point-of-view characters. And the best part is, you don’t need to alter a single thing to make it translatable to cinema. The real events are incredible enough.

In an era where Hollywood produces nothing but tripe: remakes, revivals, re-dos & re-imaginings, how about something fresh? World War I Guam could fill that entertainment void. Maybe one of these days I’ll get a script together and shop it around…