Battle of Nyangaro/Mahiwa

[Guest ltdan66]

Hello to all east african researchers.

I´m from Germany and read with great interest the articles about the East african campaign.

Perhaps somebody here can help me:

It seems there are only a few sources available about Nyangao/Mahiwa.

During my studies about this campaign I found only traces of the Battle at Mahiwa. The most detailed

description I found in the Regimental history of the Gold Coast Regiment.

So perhaps someone here can tell me about sources?

In exchange I can offer some Material about "Deutsch-Ostafrika" and "Schutztruppe" - often naturally from the german point of view.

THX in advance

 

[bushfighter]

Itdan

Greetings

Try and get hold of a copy of Battle for the Bundu by Charles Miller and read pages 283 to 287.

I don't think that Miller's interpretation of the battle is totally correct, but his description is reasonable.

The big problem with anything that happened after September 1916 is that the second volume of the Official History was never published, and so writers of events after that date tend to skate over the surface without describing the battle in detail.

Both sides won (because both sides withdrew) and both sides lost many men - conventional writers say that because Lettow lost a greater percentage of men then he lost the battle.

However Lettow utilised his situation after the battle very realistically, drastically slimmed down his remaining troops, and moved into Portuguese East Africa to seize arms and supplies from Portuguese garrisons.

The British troops flailed and floundered in Lettow's wake and never gained the initiative again.

Harry

[KONDOA]

Hello Itdan,

Best refrences are the unit histories held at the National Archives in London. As Harry says, not much written about it but it was an important and probably one of the major if indecisive battles of the campaign. Similarly, Van DeVenters despatch to the War office is useful if read in conjunction with all other sources. My own interst has led to much reading to understnd the campaign south of the Rufigi and it still requires much more study to fully appreciete events.

Roop

[Guest ltdan66]

Thanks for these informations. And excuse my absence, but I´d to work away from any Internet connection.

I was always wondering about this absence of detailed informations. 

What is the "second volume of the Official History"?

Perhaps I should explain that I´m not experienced yet with british sources, although the few I have are in many cases

of great significance.

cheers

Olav

P.S.: I quit english at school 28 years ago, so please have patience with my writings

[ShirlD]

Welcome to the Forum Olav, I am sure you will find lots of information to help you with your research, with all sorts of unexpected areas of interest. Good luck!

Cheers

Shirley

[Holger Kotthaus]

Hallo Olav,

I am from Germany, - new in this forum, - have the same interest, -

and my English was really not better than yours, too.

I think two Books have the best collected sources list:

Tip and Run from Edward Paice (25 pages)

Kampf im Rufiji-Delta from R.K. Lochner (17 pages)

I do not know, if you know the other German sources, like for example from:

- Ludwig Boell

- Wilhelm Methner

- Richard Wenig

- Ludwig Deppe

- Wilhelm Arning

- Kurt Wahle

- Franz Koehl

- Hermann J. Mueller

- Heinrich Schnee

- Wolfgang Foerster

- Karl Ernst Goering

- Max Looff

- Hans Apel

and many others. All wrote more less about the battle of Mahiwa and have been

members of the German Schutztruppe. I am sure you have the books from Lettow Vorbeck.

The South African Military History Society is an Internet source, where you will

find Article about the battle of Mahiwa. http://samilitaryhistory.org/journal.html

cheers

Holger

[bandook]

Hello. I am new to the forum and am impressed by the depth of knowledge and detail in the posts. I am trying to research further details regarding the 27th Indian Mountain Artillery at this battle. Graham's book gives little detail other than a notably tough fight. If any leads, I would be grateful. Thanks,

Rommel

[bushfighter]

Itdan

Another interesting read is the account of the Mahiwa battles found in the Nigeria Regiment history, see:

http://archive.org/details/cu31924027831860

Harry

[Guest Vivienne101]

Hello. It's several years on from the original posting but I have only just started researching my grandfather's journal from the East Africa campaign written between October 1917 and February 1918 and I have just found this brief vertical on the Battle of Mahiwa in an Encyclopedia of World War I:-

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2YqjfHLyyj8C&lpg=PA738&ots=BRkaV7WF-E&dq=General%20O'Grady%20east%20africa%20campaign%201917&pg=PA738#v=onepage&q=General%20O'Grady%20east%20africa%20campaign%201917&f=false

Regards,

Vivienne

[StrathB]

Hi there. You might find the attached of interest. It concerns Harry Miller-Stirling of 1st Battalion Nigeria Regiment and his other 2 brothers in WW1 -

 

[Guest]

The second volume of the official history was never published, but it was written, at least in draft form, and it can be accessed at the National Archives in Kew. It includes an excellent and detailed account of the battle at Mahiwa/Nyangao. The reference is: 

 

CAB 44/10 : Draft Official History, East Africa: volume II, chapter XVIII; Kilwa, Nyangou and Tandamuti