Which Camel Corps against a Turkish-Arab-German sabotage raid April 19

[Holger Kotthaus]

Which Camel Corps against a Turkish-Arab-German sabotage raid April 1915 in Sudan?

There are clear indications; attempts were made by a Turkish-Arab-German sabotage raid against the railway Port Sudan

to Atbara, by Sinkat in April 1915. But the mixed commando wasn´t successful. British Camel Troops have prevented this.

This small group come from Massawa in Italian-Eritrea and started later with some propaganda Missions around Kassala,

to support some local insurgency and munities of domestic troops. The same Camel Troop units clarified the situation later.

Any idea which British Camel Troop unit took part into these actions?

Regards

Holger

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

Sorry I take it you mean a British commanded but local raised unit of the Camel Corps, since no white troops were camel mounted at that stage of the war.

The Somali Camel Corps were in operation around that area is as far as I know, but I am open to conjecture here as its an area I've not looked at?

I believe the commander of the Camel Bde during WWI (CL Smith) won his VC a few years earlier (pre WWI) with this Local camel Corps unit.

Thats as far as my knownage extends sorry.

S.B

[bushfighter]

Holger

Greetings

My supposition is that these were troops from the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium armed forces that existed at that time in Egypt and what is now Sudan.

I have mentioned the Camel Corps in 1916 in this article:

http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/224322.html

Several companies of Camel Corps operated in the Sudan and Egypt, and they would be the natural choice as mounted troops to deal with the enemy intruders.

Harry

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

Yes these were Egyptian Companies of the Egyptian Camel Corps of which the Sudan Camel Corps form part, were local recruited natives under British command.

Their companies took part in the the Dafur campaign in Sudan and in the fights in the Western desert.

We should also mention the Egyptian Coast guard which was camel mounted and served in posts along the Egyptian coast.

These Egyptian camel companies were based at Abbassia outside Cairo but I am unsure how many camel companies were in the Egyptian Army or there unit numbers during that stage of the war.

The white Camel Companies were first formed in Jan 1916, and took part in these actions like Sudan and Western Egypt after that date.

Sorry.

S.B

[Holger Kotthaus]

Dear S. B. & Harry,

many thanks for the useful information and backgrounds.

Sean Mc Meekin wrote in his new book: BERLIN-BAGHDAD EXPRESS, The Ottoman Empire and Germany´s Bid for World Power

1898-1918, http://www.worldcat..../oclc/800805531

“ . . . . . After dispatching a team led by his liaison officers to sabotage the Port Sudan railway at Suakin, he hailed a merchant ship

owned by the Hamburg-America-Line, and immediately commandeered it for the Turco-German jihad. The ship´s civilian captain,

Julius Tutt, seemed almost beside himself with excitement to be enlisted on a secret wartime mission . . . . . With his rear flank

secured, his sabotage team en route northwards for Port Sudan, and secure communication link (via Captain Tutt´s merchant vessel)

established, . . . . . Still, at least some members of the mission to Abyssiniaappreciated their commander´s decisiveness. Showing

that there was some cultural affinity between the German and their Turkish allies, the one man willing to speak up for Frobenius was

the Turkish officer he had dispatched to sabotage the Port Sudan Railway at Suakin. Abdul Djelil, an Ottoman lieutenant born in

Tripoli before it had been lost to the Italians, had led a small team across the Eritrean border into Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, carrying

heavy explosives. Unaware that Berlin had recalled the mission, Djelil continued reporting to his esteemed `Excellence Abdul Kerim

Pasha´ well into April 1915, . . . . . (The British were deploying mobile `camel-cavalry´ command posts to protect the tracks,

and rushed a new detachment of Indian Soldiers to Suakin)

The original secret paper in Berlin which Mc Meekin listed in his book, mentioned some more details: Lieutenant (Yüzbasi;) Milasim

Abdul Djelil´s (Platoon leader, 3^rd company / II. Battalion / 128^th Regiment / 22^nd Inf.- Division from Jeddah) report, explained fights

between his group at Sinkat and support of local groups in Kassala. Furthermore the participation of two German crew members:

AB Johannes Vitali and Seamen Adolf Buchinger.

The first attached photo shows Captain Julius Tutt (left) from the M.V. CHRISTIAN X and Captain Minkwitz (right)

from the S.S. CHOISING in Massawa on board of the CHOISING. (The ship, which brought before the Landing

party of the light cruiser S.M.S. EMDEN on 12^th January 1915 to Hodeïda on the eastern edge of the Red Sea)

And the second photo: The M.V. CHRISTIAN X (center) and the S.S. STURMFELS (right), 19^th February 1915 in Massawa.

I found some background information in the following two sources:

“LAWRENCE OF ARABIA´S FORERUNNER” The bizarre Enterprise of Leo Frobenius, aka Abdul Kerim Pasha, in Arabia and Eritrea (1914-1915)

http://www.menalib.d...fppn]=129461342

“WAR BY REVOLUTION”, Germany and Great Britain in the Middle East in the Era of World War I, Donald M. Mc Kale

http://books.google....qcC&redir_esc=y

If somebody will find comprehensive information about the action of the mentioned British / Indian Camel troops

I would be happy if these would be posted here.

Regards

Holger

[bushfighter]

Excellent research Holger

Well Done

Harry

[ddycher]

Holger

Can give a little insight.

The 7th Manchesters were stationed between Port Sudan and Atbara at the time. They had a detachment at the hill station at Sinkat under Capt. B. Norbury. On their arrival in Sudan a half of C Coy of the 7th Manchesters under Capt. Cyril Norbury and Lieut Harold Darling Thewlis was transformed into the British Sudan Camel Corps. This along with an armoured train patrolled the line between Port Sudan and Atbara. Their history cover some "Turco-German machinations " during their time there including some courtmartials of Sudanese nationals in November and December most serious of which was the trial of Suleiman Effendi but nothing specific I can see to April 1915.

Hope it helps.

Regards

Dave

[Holger Kotthaus]

Dave,

Sorry for late reply. I saw just before your search-recommendations. I am sure the mentioned names will be helpful. Thanks a lot.

Regards

Holger

[stevenbecker]

Holger,

Mate did you ever finish this?

I was just filling in so spare time and fond this?

S.B

[domsim]

There is a fantastic scanned diary of George Ronald Storrar  District Engineer, Railways,  in Sudan that covers this period and area-he mentions a changeover from the Manchesters to 2/3rd Royal Fusiliers in April 1915. I only read around the dates mentioned but no mention of any railway demolition-but I'm sure Storrar would mention and maybe be involved in repairs? He does travel to Sinkat Port Sudan etc a lot. It is a lot to look through-lots of hunting, gardening golf ! just joking he is a busy bloke. Might be worth looking through.

https://iiif.durham.ac.uk/index.html?manifest=t1m3t945r29f&canvas=t1tmc87q424b

 

https://reed.dur.ac.uk/xtf/view?docId=ark/32150_s18910jt61s.xml;query=sinkat AND 1915#

 

Courtesy of the University of Durham Special Collections

Edited 25 January , 2023 by domsim
forgot to credit Durham!