Armoured Cars in South West Africa and East Africa

[athelstan]

For anyone interested in the role of armoured cars in the campaigns in German South West and German East Africa the following link my be of interest. It takes you to an electronic and downloadable version of Lieutenant-Commander W. Whittall's book 'With Botha and Smuts in Africa' and follows the exploits of the Royal Naval Armoured Car Division.

With Botha and Smuts in Africa

The first half about the arrival of 9 Rolls Royce armoured cars in the surf at Walvis Bay and the subequent campaign in South West Africa is very good and based on Whittall's first hand accounts. Tales of terrible roads where the road up ahead was always promised to be better only it never was, doing 4 mpg of petrol and 4 mpg of water, the heat and the sand, not to mention the ever evasive Germans all add up to a fascinating read. The second half when some of the armoured cars are transfered to German East Africa after the end of hostilities in South West Africa is more of a standard account but interesting enough given just how early it was written, in 1917.

I've added a few photos from various sources and of varying quality of reproduction. There are none of armoured cars in the book which is a pity. Does anyone have any other photos of armoured cars in South West Africa?

Setting off in the early morning cold. Hence the heavy overcoats.

But by the noon it is so hot shorts are in order.

En route to Trekkopies on the railway line from Swakopmund and battle with the Germans on 26 April 1915.

james

[medals2]

For anyone interested in the role of armoured cars in the campaigns in German South West and German East Africa the following link my be of interest. It takes you to an electronic and downloadable version of Lieutenant-Commander W. Whittall's book 'With Botha and Smuts in Africa' and follows the exploits of the Royal Naval Armoured Car Division.

james

[/size]

Hi James,

Thank you for this link. My main interest is GEA, so looks like I'll be busy reading for the next while.

Jean-Paul

[athelstan]

You're welcome Jean-Paul. Hope you find it a useful and fascinating read.

james

[athelstan]

To the photos from German South West Africa added to the topic above I have one more.

This time it is from the Cameroons and shows a Rolls Royce armoured car escorting motorised ambulances sometime around 1915/1916 unless anyone has a more accurate date and even the location.

james

[athelstan]

Two more photographs of Rolls Royce armoured cars in German South West Africa which might be of interest.

The Rolls Royce armoured car is swung down from the deck of the transport ship onto a pontoon.

The armoured car bearing pontoon is towed ashore to Walvis Bay by a small tugboat.

These photographs fit quite neatly with the extract below from Lt Commander Whittall's book as he arrives off the British enclave of Walvis Bay in South West Africa in April 1915 with his contingent of armoured cars.

"So the day after we arrived we got the first pontoon alongside the ship, and began on two days as strenuous work as any of us had ever tackled. Neither officers nor men spared themselves. Twenty two cars, to say nothing of the motor-cycles and a couple of hundred tons of stores, had to be slung overside, lashed on the pontoons, and then landed on a rickety jetty whose sole accessories to landing were a few loose planks. To add to the difficulties, there was a heavy tidal range alongside the jetty, so that the pontoons constantly surged six or more feet in both directions. This made it an exciting business to get armoured cars ashore, as the only method was to drive them under their own power across a couple of narrow planks, watching for the smooth to rush them over. However, thanks to the skill of the drivers and to a fair amount of luck, we got everything ashore without so much as wetting a package of stores, much to the astonishment of the landing staff, who expected us to take a week over the job and to land some of the cars at the bottom of the bay."

james