German East Africa became Tanganyika under the British in 1918 4/4/23
Many Europeans on both sides who fought with black soldiers "askaris" treated them badly but not the German Lieutenant General Lettow Vorbeck, Note in Deutsch-Ostafrika some of the sons who fought beside him later went into government positions in Tanganyika. Lettow Vorbeck was 94 years old when this book was written and helped the writer. Zanzibar was a British colony and the British governor indicated that if German East Africa remained neutral this was possible keep out of the war
1914 July Dar es Salaam was under governor Dr. Heinrich Shnee who wanted to keep this German colony neutral . Lettow Vorbeck was a German soldier of the unorthodox like Gordon , Kitchener, Lawrence or Wingate. He also got his bush training in SW Africa where the Herero's rose up in 1904. He learned that a small force of guerillas can succeed. When the war started he wanted the colony to pin down large British forces to keep them from fighting against Germany in Europe.
LV had German home defense forces - Schutztruppe attack the railway line from Mombasa to Uganda, this troup was made up of volunteer German farmers under Captain von Prince.
1914 German East Africa was made up of a population of 7,650,000. 53 tribes 15000 Indians, Arabs and 5336 whites. White settlers supplanted Masai tribesmen and planted and grew sisal there. Vast expanses known are peri with lots of bogs and anopheles mosquito and tsetse fly.
1885The Congo Act pledged that if these countries went to war they would keep these African colonies neutral. Signed by Germany, France, Great Britain and Belgium.
In 1885 Chancellor Bismarck laid the foundation for this against the wishes of the Reichstag in Berlin to spite the British who dominated Africa. The German East Africa Company was given the charter. Initially 1889 it was to fight the slave trade. The German foreign minister Caprivi dealt with this and in 1891 it was proclaimed a protectorate under the German Empire.
The early German Colonists regarded the natives as cheap labour to be exploited, and virtually turned them into slaves. This had resulted in the Majj Majj rebellion of 1905. Berlin ordered a commission of enquiry which whitewashed the administration but the message got across that for Germany to succeed a new start must be made.
The colonial government was meant to act as a trustee for the native peoples. Dr. Heinrich Shnee the Governor liberalized the harsh labour laws and brought a medical care as well as schooling to the natives who respected him, more than the whites.
The Hamburg Institute of Tropical Medicine worked in Dar es Salaam on research on sleeping sickness.
This colony was not economically viable and was a drain on Berlin. A railway ran from Tanga to |New Moshi by Mount Kilamanjaro and from Dar es Salaam to lake Tanganyika. Cotton sisal and coffee were starting to provide an economy.
When the war began the German cruiser Konigberg was in the colony Rafiji delta. It was stuck here for lack of coal eventually a ship Kronberg slipped through the British blockade but hit by the British and ran aground later its supplies were salvaged by manual labor. This gave the German some big guns ammunition and tents and telegraph equipment. The Koningberg was hit by the British but its supplies were also salvaged as in was in the shallows and the Captain and 322 crew members joined the German fighters, and took the heavy guns cannons of the ship.
Tanga was the second port of the colony from where a thriving trade of copra, bananas, cocoa, pineapples, sesame, sisal and cotton took place. The British brought forces from India and tried invading via Tanga but the Germans were ready for this and it was a great British defeat leaving behind hundred of rifles ammunition's coats and blankets to last the war. This German success resulted in thousands of native volunteering to join the Schutztruppe as well as all Europeans who joined up.
Many Germans soldiers had native wives and the native troops had their wives following the expedition the Arab troops had boys looking after them.
The German's main target was the Ugandan Railway that started in Mombasa then Nairobi and into the hinterland. The German guerillas hid in the wooded slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and in 1915 32 trains and 9 bridges were blown up. The British put a ruse by putting dead birds near a pool that had a sign "Poison" this rendered 80 miles of track protected but was a breach of international law.
1916 South. Africa's General Botha put together an army of 15,000 soldiers but because he was running for election General J C Smuts was appointed Imperial Commander in Chief of West Africa. The Germans under LV just fired their big guns at the advancing British army and fled. Then came the rainy season making transport very difficult through the mud and swelling rivers. As they moved into the swampy areas their animal began to die from tsetse fly and they suffered malaria.
The Belgium's were attacking from the Congo and the German's were worried that they would take reprisals for the German atrocities in Belgium. From Nyasaland General Northey was attacking.
The British occupied the coastal cities first Tanga the Dar es Salaam. 12,000 SA whites troops were sent back to S. Africa to recuperate in a healthy climate. Soldiers were raised from Nigeria , India and the Kings African Rifles from Kenya, also West Indians more familiar to tropical conditions. There were also Cape Coloreds. Kitchener had believed that sending troops into Tanganyika was futile. Smuts returned to South Africa and General van Derventer took command of the British forces.
LV badly needed supplies and was running out of quinine. Someone in Berlin had an idea so send a Zeppelin but LV army never had a radio and the British received the message and had the German codes. The sent a message that LV had capitulated and the Zepelin must abort its journey.
1887 the Klonga Triangle that belonged to the Sultan of Zanzibar was taken over by the Portuguese, but in 1894 the Germans took this from them. The Portuguese troops were to be stationed on the Rovuma river but LV troops set on them before they could establish a fortress and routed them all. The German were able to replenish their supplies get new rifles and dump all their 1871 guns. In Chirumba a Portuguese village the Shutztruppe stayed in the comfort of the buildings during the rainy season in a far better climate and relaxed and recovered. Spanish flu had reached this part of the world killing or putting hundred of troops out of action on both sides.
1918 10th The German Kaiser abdicated and on the 11th Nov. the Armistice took place. On the 14th Lettow Vorbeck was informed to capitulate, he was now concerned that his askaris and porters be paid and the money involved was 1.5 million rupees. By this stage Spanish flu was raging in Dar es Salaam. LV cabled his betrothed in Germany who still wanted to marry him.
The book includes a map showing the long rounte that the Shutztruppe travelled to keep the British chasing them. At most they consisted of 3000 whites and 11,000 blacks. Under Hitler LV he was asked to become the German ambassador to London but he refused to join the Nazi party.
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