October 6th, 2021

The First World War in Africa (1914-18) Part 2

Southern Africa
South West Africa (Namibia)
Union of South Africa, Louis Botha, Jan Smuts, UDF
Boer Rebellion 1914 – made Botha refocus on events on South Africa in order to suppress the
rebellion and threw a wrench into the anti-German plans. Started as a mutiny in Upington, where
Manie Maritz was commander. The plan was to march them up and support the eastern flank of
the troops marching northwards; however, Maritz declared South Africa an independent country
and sided with the Germans. After a few weeks, the rebellion was crushed and because Botha
and Smuts were Boers too they did not punish them too harshly. Botha also realised that it would
be a very bad idea to make mutineers of these guys. This is in contrast to the response to the Zulu
uprising in Natal a few years earlier and the uprising in Ireland in 1916.
Jopie Fourie was the only guy executed as a result of the Rebellion because they had to make an
example of somebody.
Battle of Sandfontein 1914 – the British force that was marching northwards was left
unsupported as a result of the mutiny, allowing them to be smashed by a German ambush.
Once the rebellion was suppressed Botha and Smuts lead an even bigger force into the German
colony and fought the Germans all the way up north along the railway.

East Africa: Early Fighting (1914)

Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck – very committed to the idea of draining enemy resources away from
Europe and Africa.
German Schutztruppe
Königsberg – large cruiser operating in this area
Horace Smith-Dorrien
Battle of Longido (Kilimanjaro) Nov. 1914 – overland invasion meant to distract the Germans
from defending the coast; ambushed and defeated. The defeat allowed the Germans to put their
troops on trains and shuttle them down to the coast.
Battle of Tanga – Nov. 1914 – naval invasion launched to seize the German port of Tanga. It was
a colossal disaster, but nobody learned their lesson before Gallipoli. The British used Indian
troops, who were stuck on ships for a long time, and were not the most highly trained of the
Indian troops.

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Uganda Railway – von Lettow-Vorbeck sent small raiding parties across the border to disrupt the
British.

East Africa was the largest and most prosperous German colony. It consisted of Tanzania and
Ruanda-Burundi.

East Africa Allied Invasion (1915-16)

Jan Smuts – South African role
Lake Tanganyika – something of a limited naval campaign occurred on the Great Lakes,
especially here.
Graf von Götzen – German warship on Lake Tanganyika
Mimi – Toutou – transported to Cape Town in pieces and then assembled and launched at the
lake. Eventually they sank the Graf von Götzen, but it was floated after the War and apparently it
still operates today.
Rhodesia-Nyasaland Field Force
Belgian Force Publique
Portugal – entered the War to get territory in Africa, came across the river at the northern border
of Mozambique but ran into trouble and had to retreat.
German Delaying Actions – what the Germans had to do because there was so much pressure on
all sides; defend for a while, abandon an area, use up the food, defend, move, repeat.

British invasion from Kenya in the north, and Zambia and Malawi in the south; Belgium in the
west, Portugal in the south

East Africa: A Long Ending (1917-18)

By the end, the coast was secure, but the interior was still threatened and so the Germans had to
be chased down.

The Africanisation of British Forces – KAR expanded; more Africans armed starting in 1917.
3000 at the start of the war, just infantry, becomes 30 000, with logistic, communications, and
other things.

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Supply Carriers – hundreds of thousands of supply carriers recruited, some from Sierra Leone.
They need food but they are not the priority and many of them end up dying of starvation and
exhaustion.
Reginald Hoskins – Inspector General of the KAR; took over after Smuts left for Britain but
Smuts did not like him.
Jaap van der Venter – The guy Smuts picked to replace Hoskins.
German invasion of Mozambique 1917 – with their last column in the field, they march into
Mozambique.
German Surrender – 25 Nov. 1918; when they found out the war was over they surrendered in
Abercorn, Northern Rhodesia (Mbala, Zambia)

KAR barefooted; Germans with long pants, boots, and cloth wrappings around ankles. This
helped the Germans not get malaria and foot parasites and other things as much. At times 90% of
certain British forces were unable to fight because of disease.

No in-person class on Friday.

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