WW1 Africa

[Red Sveta]

I am interested in collecting figures for WW1 Africa, what I need is the best books on the subject. That is books with personal accounts and accounts of the battles and skirmishes are the type I like to read.  What are the ones that are recomended here?

[cdr]

one of my favorites is 'Tip and Run' by Paice

[Chuckaroobob]

"Palestine 1917" by Robert Wilson
"Battle for the Bundu"
"Marching on Tanga"
"Duel For Kilimanjaro" by Leonard Mosley
"On to Kilimanjaro" by Brian Gardner
"Hell in the Holy Land" by David Woodward
and one of my personal favs about Mesopotamia "The Bastard War" by A J Barker
and if you'd like an adventure story based in the time period, try the movie and book "Shout at the Devil" by Wilbur Smith

[Red Sveta]

Thanks for the information I will give them all a look.

[Plynkes]

Unfortunately neither Palestine nor Mesopotamia are in Africa.

I'm rather fond of C.J. Wilson's "The East African Mounted Rifles", which is very readable and really gives you an idea of how uncomfortable and difficult it was to campaign in East Africa, especially as cavalry troopers in the land of the Tsetse fly. By the end of the book they have no horses left (they didn't have many to begin with) and as the old saying goes, they just sort of faded away, though they were never officially disbanded. At the end of 1916 the EAMR consisted of Major Clifford Hill, Sergeant W.E. Powys and Trooper L.M. Joubert.

One officer, one NCO and one Private soldier.


If boats are your thing Giles Foden's "Mimi and Toutou go Forth"  (I think it goes under another title in the US) is a cracking read. The madcap tale of how two gunboats were hauled across half of Africa to contest German control of lake Tanganyika.

...By a man wearing a skirt.



Byron Farwell's "The Great War in Africa" is a good overview to get you started (I raced through it, reading it in no time), but doesn't really go down to the personal level you indicated interest in.

[Red Sveta]

Thanks. What I am really looking for is scenario ideas, the type and level of actions that took place. I am aware of Tanga of course but any other actions too. As well as the European colonial forces fighting each other were there any actions involving just native troops.

[TheBlackCrane]

I will add to the list of recommended books with Farwell's 'The Great War in Africa' and Ross Anderson's 'The Forgotten Front', both really good reads which carry you along, especially Farwell's, although as mentioned above it is something of an overview rather than going into more depth on personal accounts.

Strachan's 'The First World War in Africa' is a nice little book which might give you ideas for scenarios and the levels of various actions etc, although again not delving into the personal accounts.

There was also a National Geographic programme on the expedition to Tanganyika , although it was shown some years ago, called The Jungle Navy, which I recall as being a quite interesting watch, if you can find it online somewhere might be worth a look.

Anderson's book is rather good on the various fronts and actions, and has some decent detail on the Portuguese, who sometimes get overlooked a little.

Angus Buchanan's 'The Lean, Brown Men' might give you some of the personal detail you're after, and so too migh Downes' 'The Nigerian Regiment in East Africa 1916-1918', but I've only skimmed that at the moment.

Oh, and of course the man himself, Lettow-Vorbeck's 'My Reminiscences of East Africa'.

[Plynkes]

As well as the European colonial forces fighting each other were there any actions involving just native troops.

The majority were native troops on the German side. Belgians too. The British were reluctant to use the KAR in East Africa to begin with (they had recently been reduced in size because of settler fears of them mutinying and massacring them in their beds). But as East Africa's conditions went through European and Indian troops at a rate of knots they eventually relented and expanded the force again (even including captured German Askari - and some of the German Askari were former KAR who had been laid off by the Brits, to the extent that some German units used British commands as their ex-British askari were familiar with them and not with German).

The British also roped in West African troops, who had just got done fighting the Germans in Cameroon. So later in the campaign native troops vs. native troops would be the norm (as indeed it was in the West African theatres).


In German South West Africa it was an almost entirely white affair on both sides, however. Stands to reason, the South Africans were running that show.

[Plynkes]

'The Nigerian Regiment in East Africa 1916-1918', but I've only skimmed that at the moment.

That reminds me, there is a history of the Gold Coast's involvement too: "The Gold Coast Regiment in the East African campaign" by  Sir Hugh Charles Clifford.

Also "The Great War in West Africa" by Brig. Gen. E. Howard Gorges. I confess I haven't read this one yet, but it has some great pictures.  

[Red Sveta]

Fascinating information thanks, the thing that sparked my interest was looking at some Coppelstone German askaris in my local wargames shop I was hoping to find small actions from the conflict that could be games using these figures and you have all given me plenty to go at thanks very much.

[Plynkes]

Those regimental accounts written by Colonel So-and-so Fuddy-Duddy (like the Nigerian, EAMR and Gold Coast ones already mentioned) tend to have more descriptions of small unit actions in them than the over-arching histories of the entire campaign (though then general impression I got was really more one of just how little fighting there actually was, compared with all the other hardships they had to endure). Quite often have lots of interesting and funny anecdotes in them, too, and in my experience generally are very good reads. I don't know why, but that surprised me. I expected them to be stuffy and dull.

They are often out of copyright and therefore available online too.

[Will Bailie]

There is a 'Skirmish Campaigns' book on the war in German East:  Tanga 1914  http://mysite.verizon.net/fisherts/skirmishcampaigns/tang/

If you are willing to allow a bit of fiction into your scenario generation, you can look for 'An Ice Cream War' by William Boyd or the Lee Marvin/Roger Moore film 'Shout at the Devil'

'African Queen' featured German askaris shooting at Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn, but they didn't get to shoot back much.  But you're better off with Mimi and Toutou Go Forth (imho).

[TheBlackCrane]

(though then general impression I got was really more one of just how little fighting there actually was, compared with all the other hardships they had to endure).

Yes, at least from the British perspective it does generally seem to have been an awful lot of time chasing up and down trying to catch up with Lettow-Vorbeck!

I seem to recall reading about one attempt at a flanking march fairly early on in the campaign by a mounted unit (at the time still mounted...) which got nowhere and lost all its horses in the process. Not sure if there are figures anywhere for tally of KIA/WIA compared to casualties of disease, fatigue and so forth?

[Plynkes]

The most common small unit scenario that you read of time and again seems to be this one:

Entente scouting force advances into ambush by German rearguard, and engages in protracted fire fight with enemy it can't really see. No progress is made, scouts withdraw to cover, maintain fire and wait for main body of troops to arrive. Enemy position is assaulted in strength and then it is discovered that the Germans withdrew hours ago.

Long interlude of discomfort and boredom follows, interspersed with panics, false alarms and wild animals making a nuisance of themselves.

Rinse and repeat until everybody in your unit has died of blackwater fever* or your bootless askaris can't walk because of the jigger flea. Then some other poor sods can have a go for a bit.




*A complication of malaria where your piss turns black, your kidneys fail and then you die. Nice. Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori...

[TheBlackCrane]

wild animals making a nuisance of themselves.

Those rhinos and bees, jolly unsporting I say!